Washing Tech clothing and water proof / repellant clothing

[007fair]

I have just bought two fairly expensive items of clothing for general activities (including cycling). 1 is a waterproof smock and the other water repelant light breathable trousers. Both advise to wash with Nikwax Tech Wash and the TX Direct reproofing.

I am happy to wash the smock occassionaly with tech wash and reproof twice a year
But this will be a very expensive business if i wash my trousers once a week with tech wash.

I believe tech wash is just soap without the detergents and additives used by general washing powders etc.

Has anyone had experience of alternative (cheaper) ways to wash techincal breathable water repellant clothing ? Like soap flakes.. but would be better through a washing machine!

Thank you !

 

[Trail Child]

I believe regular liquid clothing detergent is fine as long as it doesn't have any fabric softener in it also. There are some cheaper sport liquid detergent out there made by popular brands also (Tide comes to mind because a popular Canadian soccer player is doing tv ads for it). The liquid fabric softener & dryer sheets somehow breaks down or blocks the wicking ability of the fabric supposedly. I just hang to dry to make them last longer.

 

[albion]

Soap flakes wont block or remove the coated laminated layer.

I just use it in the washing machine on the wool cycle.

 

[007fair]

Cheers I bought 'Grannys Soap Flakes' and washed with a small amount of them disolved in hot water first and then put through the washing machine Seems to have worked fine and must be about a 1/10th of the price. My wife or her mother couldn't believe I came back from tesco's with grannys soap flakes

 

[GrumpyGregry]

If 1990's mtb lore is correct Tech Wash is merely an incredibly expensive liquid soap and the water proofing simply diluted pva glue.

Would anyone like to contradict the wisdom of the ages and tell me what is actually in each product?

 

[fossyant]

Soap Flakes are the ones !

 

[GrumpyGregry]

While Tech Wash is most probably just soap dissolved in water, and easily made at home (bar of soap and a grater) the idea that TX-direct is anything other than the concentrated solution of skin cells shed from angels' wings would be an outrage.

shoe soles modified by the touch of the philosophers stone originally. Well EVA anyway.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

What we need is for someone to conduct an experiment. I think, to be on the safe side, I would prefer to put PVA glue in a launderette machine than in my own though.

I don't use wash in. I use spray on.

 

[psmiffy]

I always just wash mine in the TX10 to preserve the water proofing (seems to get rid of the dirt as well) every so often - a bit of silicon spray to tart up the water repellent qualities

 

[GrumpyGregry]

OK, left half dilute PVA, right half proper stuff and let's see whether both arms remain dry.

will need to determine the correct ration of glue to water..... and the proper stuff doesn't always keep my arms dry!

 

[Trail Child]

I had no idea they still sold soap flakes.

 

[007fair]

I had no idea they still sold soap flakes.

Surprised me too. One small row from the 1950's someone forgot to update. They did liquid soap also but it was £1 more expensive and i'm tight.

I don't like the sound of DIY EVA or PVA so will clean the products with soap flakes regularly but reproof them twice a year with TX direct. Sorted.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Bit of research suggests that TX is EVA, Ethylene Vinyl Acetate rather than PVA, Polyvinyl Acetate.

Like I said, shoe soles. Transmuted no doubt at great expense, by a patented process, involving fairy dust, ground up mammoth tusks and unobtainium to justify the price.

TX is an EVA emulsion. Chortle. Wikipedia says such emulsions are a copolymer of PVA based on vinyl acetate plasticised with vinyl acetate ethylene. Where's a chemist when you need one. Is it the EVA component or the PVA component that provides the water proofing? (Which doesn't really work anyway)

Certainly the spray on TX stuff looks, smells, handles, dries and dare I say it, tastes, like diluted PVA wood glue.

And somehow I don't buy the idea that there's a chemical plant somewhere dedicated to the production of pure TX which might well be toxic to superman. More likely it's a bog standard off the shelf chemical produced for other purposes, tweaked by the addition of one or more off the shelf components, like H2O, and packaged for retail sale. But I'm deeply cynical.

The washin stuff is a weak solution of 1-2% Zirconium Acetate and acetic acid 2% - 5% in plain ol water.

 

[mcshroom]

I use the hand-washing soap flakes in the washer without any problems - also good for merino .

Non waterproof tech clothing seems to survive fine with a standard non-bio detergent and no softener.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I use the hand-washing soap flakes in the washer without any problems - also good for merino .

Non waterproof tech clothing seems to survive fine with a standard non-bio detergent and no softener.

That is my experience too.