Our gear is designed to last a lifetime, but they need some help along the way. By giving your garments a little TLC, they’ll be better armed to take care of you too for a long, long time. Here’s our maintenance guide.
As much as products do need a proper wash every once in a while, make sure it is necessary. If your favorites are caked with some mud, dirt, or snow, give them a round with a wet cloth or soft sponge first to see if that does the job. Older washing machines may require up to 160l of water on one wash and we don’t want to use big amounts of water if we don’t have to.
All products have a washing instruction label on the inside. Make sure to read this closely.
GORE-TEX FABRICS
Good care and washing of Gore-Tex products will ensure superb performance and extend the useful life of your product. We call it a win-win for you and the environment.
Before washing your garment, make sure to zip the front, pockets, and pits completely, and fasten all flaps and straps. The garment should be washed at 40 degrees, with a mild detergent using no softening, bleach or rinsing agents. They may damage the fabric's water-resistant properties and the color of the fabric. Rinse the garment twice if possible. Warmth helps to reactivate the waterproofing, so dry the garment on a low setting in the dryer. If you can’t tumble dry, iron your line dried garment on a gentle setting by placing a towel or cloth between the garment and the iron. The garment must be dry before washing and before being put away.
Use water repellent spray on the outside of the garment after washing for optimal water-resistance (this has nothing to do with the waterproof quality of the garment but makes it easier for water to roll off the outer fabric).
Water repellency
All GORE-TEX® products have water repellant (DWR Durable Water Repellent treatment) when they are new. This treatment prevents the fabric from attracting moisture and dirt, while simultaneously giving optimal moisture vapor transportation to the fabric. Over time, the water repellency will be worn away. To optimize the product´s abilities, it should be re-impregnated after each wash, or when the water repellency is not performing optimally. For water repellency treatments, we recommend the use of this environmental friendly spray or other environmental friendly water repellents. Spray re-impregnation ensures that only the outer side of the garment will be water repellent, which optimizes the moisture transportation of the product.
FLEECE
As said before, all garments have an instruction on the inside, so this is your go-to guide. However, the Whiteout fleeces are usually washed as follows: Wash at 40 degrees with spinning and we highly encourage you to use a washing bag that traps microfibers and prevent them from entering the ocean. If the fleece has a wool mix, make sure to choose a suitable washing program. Do not use bleach, softener or rinsing agents. Wash with similar colors. Most of our fleeces dry very quickly on the line, but if necessary, tumble dry at low temperature. Do not iron.
DOWN
When washing Whiteout down products, the washing instructions attached to the garment must be checked but are generally as follows: Machine wash gentle cycle at 40 degrees with gentle soap. We recommend rinsing it twice. Do not bleach or use fabric softener. Tumble dry on low heat with two clean tennis balls in the jacket until completely dry. Do not dry clean.