Outdoor jackets lose their water repellency after use. If water repellency is lost, even high-performance materials such as GORE-TEX may still be waterproof, but their breathability will not be able to perform as well as it should.
Gore-Tex jackets that have lost their water repellency can be restored at home by using water repellency restoration products such as NIKWAX, Granger's, and ReviveX.
However, water repellency may not be restored properly, or water repellency stains may form and cause problems.
This can be caused by not using NIKWAX or other water repellents correctly, so we will explain some points to keep in mind when using NIKWAX.
First of all, there are some things to take care of in the preliminary stage of using NIKWAX. If you use the wrong detergent when washing GORE-TEX, it will affect the subsequent water repellency.
And this is not only true of the laundry detergent used just before using NIKWAX, but also of the laundry detergent that you normally use.
Laundry detergents not only remove stains, but may also add effects to maintain softness and fragrance, which may accumulate and reduce the water repellency of subsequent water repellent treatments.
From this point of view, try to use a specialized outdoor detergent in your laundry detergent on a regular basis.
Always wash before applying a water repellent such as NIKWAX.
Since NIKWAX can be put into a washing machine for water repellent treatment, putting detergent and water repellent together or suddenly applying water repellent treatment without washing will cause NIKWAX and other water repellent products to fail to perform as they should.
For example, what if the wall surface is dirty with dust when the tape is applied to the wall?
Few people would apply the tape without worrying about it, and they would probably clean the surface where the tape is to be applied before applying it.
In the same way, before applying a water repellent treatment, the fabric surface should be cleaned before applying the water repellent to increase the retention of the water repellent.
In order to increase the water repellent performance, you may use a lot of water repellent. This can lead to failure. Using a lot of water repellent does not necessarily improve the water repellent performance, but on the other hand, water repellent stains are more likely to remain.
By heat-treating the water repellent after treatment, it is activated and the water repellent component is more likely to come to the surface. NIKWAX is designed to provide water repellent performance without heat treatment.
NIKWAX is water-repellent without heat treatment; however, heat treatment will ensure more stable water-repellent performance.
It is important to note that heat treatment should be done after the garment is dry, not while it is still damp. If heat treatment is performed while the garment is still moist, energy will be used to evaporate the water.
Heat treatment can be done in a dryer. By placing the ware in a dryer at a medium temperature for 20 minutes, the energy can be used to activate the water repellent.
If you are not satisfied with the water repellent performance after following all of the above steps, then you should contact a professional. NIKWAX is a water-repellent coating that is not designed to fail at home.
Therefore, their water repellent performance is inevitably limited. The water repellent we handle is similar in composition to the water repellent coating applied to new jackets, but requires specialized equipment for processing.
By using such specialized equipment and professional water repellents, we are able to give water repellent performance on a different level than water repellents applied at home.