Which mistakes do people typically make when caring for their GORE-TEX garments?

1. Is it better not to wash them?

Many people still seem to believe that it’s better not to wash functional apparel. I suspect that they are often worried about doing something wrong, or they think that the waterproofness of the garment will simply deteriorate over time as part of usual wear and tear. I can reassure you that you cannot do anything wrong, as long as you follow the care instructions. Functional apparel needs proper care and attention, just like any other garment. It has been proven that good care will extend the useful life of your garment. Also, people who wear their clothes longer instead of binning them after only a few wears, live more sustainably and get more long-lasting enjoyment out of their clothes. All these are reasons why it’s worth knowing how best to wash and dry your garments, reapply a new water repellent treatment, and generally give them the care and attention they need.

2. Too much detergent!

Using too much detergent is the second most common mistake that people make. This is a good example of less is more. If you use too much detergent, residues can remain in the fabric. A detergent works in exactly the opposite way to a water repellent. It is a wetting agent and attracts water to the fabric surface. In other words, it helps water soak into the fabric. Which is exactly what we don’t want. We need to make sure that, as far as possible, no residual detergent remains in the garment. That’s why you should only use a little detergent and rinse twice after washing.

3. No heat treatment!

Another thing that people often forget to do is to heat treat their garment once it is dry. This treatment is necessary in order to reactivate the properties of the water repellent treatment. If this is not done, the outer fabric will soak up water, causing you to feel cold and clammy. It’s not that water has got into your garment, but it’s not pleasant to feel cold and clammy, and that feeling is very real. You can heat treat your garment in a tumble dryer (for 20 minutes on a gentle cycle) or you can use an iron on a low temperature setting (one dot).