How To Wash Waterproof Clothing: Red Paddle Co Guide

Waterproof clothing is a must-have for any outdoor adventurer. This is what enables us to carry on doing our favourite activities in any season, whatever the weather. Whether you own waterproof trousers, jackets, change robes (you name it!), it’s essential that you clean them correctly in order to help them maintain their quality. 

Before we look at how to wash waterproof clothing using a series of simple steps, it’s important to emphasise two crucial points:

1. Never use ordinary detergent or fabric softeners to wash waterproof clothing. The chemicals in these detergents can break down the fibres of the waterproof coating and prevent it from doing its job properly. With this in mind, it’s important to ensure that your machine is free of any detergents before washing waterproof items.If in doubt, you could run a hot wash with nothing in it beforehand in order to clear away any residue.

2. Do not wash waterproof clothing after every use. Unless it’s absolutely covered in mud and dirt, you should avoid washing waterproof items after every use as this will cause the protective coating to wear down prematurely. You can clean up light messes with a damp cloth rather than using the washing machine every time. 

Bearing these two key factors in mind, let’s look at how to wash waterproof clothing using the following steps:

Brush Off Any Loose Dirt/ Debris

Prepping your clothes is the first stage in how to wash waterproof clothing effectively. Before you start to wash your waterproof clothing, it’s important to brush off any loose dirt and debris, such as mud or leaves. The easiest way to do this is by using a soft bristled brush. You should also check your pockets for any loose items and then close any zips and flaps that are on the garment. If you’re washing a Red Original waterproof changing robe, we recommend turning the robe inside out before washing. This is to protect the outer shell from ageing.

Hand Wash If You Can…

Wherever possible, we’d always recommend hand washing waterproof items if you can, rather than putting them through the machine. When thinking about how to wash waterproof clothing, the key consideration is ensuring the water-repellent coating maintains its quality. Hand washing is a more delicate method to machine washing (unless your machine has a hand wash option!) and so will always be the more preferable method when caring for clothing with water-repellent properties. 

…Or Wash At 30

If you don’t have the facilities or time to hand wash, then putting the clothes in the machine on a relatively cool wash (maximum 30 degrees) will work just as perfectly. When machine washing, we’d recommend placing your clothes in a Guppyfriend washing bag. This prevents the pollution to waterways that can be caused when we wash synthetic clothes. The bag prevents pollutant fibres from reaching our oceans and waterways, whilst also helping to protect the longevity of your clothing.