Waterproof jacket
A garment whose performance is a finish rather than a fabric, which means the wrong wash does not dirty it — it stops it working.
Start here
What this is, what tends to go wrong with it, and what to do about it.
Made from
What tends to go wrong
The one stain where the first move is mechanical and the chemistry barely matters — and where the folk advice to let it dry first is not what the trade body says.
Fats and oils, which water alone cannot lift. Removed by surfactants, by heat, by solvents, or by alkalis that convert the fat into soap.
Why it is difficult: Why oil resists water, Emulsification
Sweat itself has almost no smell. What you can smell is bacteria eating it — and which bacteria depends on what the garment is made of.
Why it is difficult: Classifying a stain by its origin
Two stains in one bottle: an oily film, and a UV filter that forms a coloured complex with the iron in your water. The second one is why the mark comes out orange.
Why it is difficult: Chelation, Water hardness
The science behind this: Water-repellent and water-attracting surfaces, How care labels work, Adsorption of odour molecules
In detail
A waterproof breathable jacket is a laminate: a face fabric, a membrane that passes vapour but not liquid water, and a durable water repellent finish on the outside. Only the middle layer is waterproof, and the outer finish is what makes the face fabric shed water rather than absorb it — when that finish fails the jacket wets out, feels like it is leaking, and stops breathing because a saturated face fabric blocks vapour transfer. That is why the commonest complaint about these garments is a cleaning problem rather than a fault. The manufacturer's care guidance excludes fabric conditioner, because a cationic coating deposited on the fibre is the opposite of a water-repellent one, and it excludes powder detergents, stain removers and bleach, asking for only a small amount of liquid detergent. The guidance is to wash the garment as often as is needed to remove dirt, campfire smoke and cooking odours, which makes washing part of maintaining it rather than a risk to it, provided it is washed correctly. Warm tumble drying or a cool iron is commonly specified to reactivate the finish — one of the few cases where heat restores a property rather than destroying one.
What works
Ironing is safe on, in specific conditions, Waterproof jacket
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits, and nothing is established outside them.
Only within these limits:
- the two-dot, low-temperature setting
- no steam
- a towel or cloth laid between the iron and the garment
- not for SHAKEDRY garments, which must never be ironed
An alternative to the 20-minute tumble for reactivating the water-repellent finish, on this membrane manufacturer's garments. The garment's own care label governs.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Evidence
Supported
Sources
W. L. Gore & Associates (GORE-TEX brand) · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That ironing is permitted on the two-dot low-temperature setting, without steam and with the garment protected by a towel or cloth, that ironing is an alternative to tumble drying for activating the water-repellent treatment, and that SHAKEDRY garments must not be ironed. (states this directly)
Related
- Waterproof jacket is made from Waterproof outerwear
- Waterproof jacket is made from Polyester
- Waterproof jacket is commonly affected by Mud
- Waterproof jacket is commonly affected by Grease
- Waterproof jacket is commonly affected by Perspiration
Sources for this page
Sources
W. L. Gore & Associates (GORE-TEX brand) · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That fabric conditioner is excluded from waterproof breathable outerwear, that the water-repellent finish is replenished with a spray-on or wash-in product and reactivated by heat, and that the manufacturer specifies a care routine for maintaining performance. (states this directly)
GINETEX Technical Booklet — international care labelling system
GINETEX, The International Association for Textile Care Labelling, 2018 · Standards body
Relied on for: That care symbols indicate the maximum severity of treatment an article can withstand without irreversible damage. (background and mechanism only)