How to care for your garments (especially now that the formulation of DWRs is changing)
DWRs - Durable Waterproof Resistant fabrics - are changing from a high-performance, harmful formulation (C8) to a safer but less resistant version (C6), meaning the performance of DWRs has been questioned in recent times.
So it looks like C6 DWRs are here to stay, but how do we treat them properly to increase their longevity? Find out in the feature below researched and written by Performance Sportswear lecturer Charles Ross.
C8 DWRs have changed to C6 - so are now less durable
One thing that might be noticed by people who have bought shell garments this year is that the Durable Waterproof Resistant finish might not seem to perform as well as the DWRs in previous years. This is true as the whole industry has voluntarily moved away from C8 perfluorinated compounds, in favour of C6. If such a move had not happened C8 would have been placed on the restricted chemicals listing and there would be legislation against it. The revised compound is not as durable
DWRs are what cause that ‘Tefal’ effect on your garment outer face; they prompt the beading up of the water and for it to fall off your shells. When the DWR is over whelmed, the water gets soaked into the face fabric and the breathability of the garment hits a low point (especially with micro-porous membranes, hydrophilic ones work better in these circumstances). The difference between a cheap DWR finish and the best in the market is about four hours of non-stop rain (i.e. after 4 ½ hrs both garments will be wetted out).
So what? What is known is that C6 fluorocarbons do not stay on your garment as well as C8; by being less durable then the garment might be in need of re-proofing. Surely a quick cycle in the washing machine with a bottle of proofer and all will be back to normal: not quite…
Few treat their waterproof garments and even fewer do it properly
Surveys undertaken across Europe (with Germany and Britain supplying the two biggest data sets) have revealed that only a small proportion of those that buy performance fabric garments wash them correctly (and even a smaller proportion of those that do wash them, do finish the treatment process the right way).
As many Outdoors Magic users are the types that do want to get the best out of garment performance this will be a refresher lesson, just to make sure that they are ticking the right boxes on garment care. Most of it revolves around the science of soap, so in a simplistic way:
Using soap - yay or nay?
Soap is a great thing to clean DWR-ed garments; however detergent is not (bio and non-bio are both detergents). Essentially soap acts like a magnet does in attracting the dirt to stick to it (as opposed to the garment), this is aided when the garment is in water (i.e. a wash) and being agitated (i.e. a wash cycle). The main difference between soap and detergent is that the latter leaves an anhydrous finish on the garment – something that attracts water to it. If you want a DWR to work then I suggest leaving the equivalent of a thin layer of sponge on the face of your face is a foolish move…
Hence why washing in real soap is key. Problem is trying to find real soap these days as the supermarkets just stock detergents. When I was a lad Lux and Dreft were available from independents and corner shops – now they are harder to find. The technical washing solutions from brands like Nikwax and Storm are just as good. When real soap was used in what was normally in a twin tub machine (Google if you don’t know what I am talking about); the garments were washed in one drum and then put in another drum for rinsing (always twice, as the soap is harder to flush out of a wash programme that a detergent). Do the same practice – always rinse a second time when you have the option to.
Cleansing the washing machine
One of the other main things to do is to cleanse your machine before you start the reconditioning/ reproofing work. If you study the detail of the washing machine manual you will find a reference to a ‘service wash’ which should be done every 25 – 35 washes (if you are using a regular wash cycle, as opposed to regularly washing extra-dirty clothing). A service wash is the highest temperature wash that you can do (think 90 deg), having already taken out the detergent drawer and cleaned it thoroughly (easiest way to do is to chip off the dried on stuff, then rinse it in boiling water). Do not put detergent in the machine for this wash-cycle; the best thing to use is half a cup of white vinegar. The only thing that should be in the drum is your cleaning cloths. If you want to be a nerd look at the colour of the water that gets expelled from the machine to demonstrate how much build up there has been in your machine up to this point. Another way to tell if you have ‘detergent gunk’ in your machine is to run your finger around the rubber rim of a front-loading machine…
Don’t worry if you feel guilty that you might never have heard of this before – I sit on a government committee with representatives from 85% of the clothing sellers in this country (think JLP/ M&S/ H&M/ Zara/ F&F/ Tu/ George/ Primark/ BHS, et cetera) and only 2 of the 24 knew about this (1 of which worked for the washing machine manufacturers association and the other the quality control test labs). Doing this action will not only make your machine last longer, but also make it wash effectively at 30 deg (remember that Gov. campaign ‘Wash at 30 unless it is really dirty’ – that never caught on because the machines were not in prime condition, hence didn’t clean well enough at the low temperature).
Normally garments just need a wash, rather than a reproof
The vast majority of times your DWR-ed garments just need a wash, as opposed to a re-proof. The DWR stops working when it gets contaminated: this could happen from external factors, or internal ones. The former involves factors like dirt, the latter concerns things like your sweat. Dirt/ pollution/ suntan oil are the most common things that effect the outside of the garment, but the most overlooked factor is the skin detritus (i.e. what is flushed out of your skin when your body wants to cool – remembering that your skin is a layer of dead cells already). Those of you that use skin cleansers will know what I mean. Sweat reaching the inside of the membrane will not only stop a micro-porous layer from working effectively, but also compromise the DWR on the outside.
All depends how much of the DWR has actually worn off
Another variable to consider is how much of the DWR was worn off (it is just a durable finish – permanence is not yet a DWR finish). In the days of C8 PFC DWRs I used to re-proof twice a year, but I would wash the garment once a month; I know I will have to re-proof more regularly now (perhaps 3 times a year based on my lite usage). The vast majority of ‘breathable’ membranes that appear to have stopped working are rectified by just a proper clean. A couple of summers ago Gore-tex had a campaign to get their customers to extend the life of their garments - by just washing them!
Each individual will know how contaminated their DWRs have become as they have been using them. If you are using the garments for high activity in warm conditions (thus there are less mid-layers to soak up the sweat), or you have kids (like mine) who like rolling around in the dirt; then you should re-condition them appropriately.
I regularly come across people who do re-proof their garments on a regular basis/ do not cleanse their washing-machines/ wash their waterproofs in detergent. It is almost as if overdoing the process will make it better – but it will actually give you a lesser result. The breathability and durability of the DWR will be compromised.
Too much re-proofer applied? No problems
Of course there are times when you want to bring the garment back from having too much re-proofer on, or other similar problems. The easiest way to do this is to put the garment in a detergent wash; (then a service wash to cleanse the machine) followed by a pure soap wash; then a re-proof wash. If you have a stain that requires a specialist treatment, then apply the stain cleaner in a detergent wash.
Heat sealing the DWR will improve durability
The other main thing to do is to finish off the cleaning/ re-proofing process with a heat finish. For the majority this means putting the garment into a tumble dryer for a short session. Heat sealing the DWR will make its durability increase several fold – even if the instructions say that the garment only needs to be air-cured. It is this last statement that scored extremely low in the survey results. Laos, before any garment is washed it is best to relax all the draw-cords, do up the Velcro, zip up, popper down, take out the stowed hoods, et cetera
DWRs rub off in high-wear areas such as under backpack straps
Another consideration with DWRs is that they can be rubbed off. On garments the areas that have direct wear (between the legs or under the armpits) lose the DWR effect the quickest; if your shell is used with a harness or backpack those areas will also suffer. Although my kids don’t suffer from heavy pack DWR wear-off, they do brush up against every single boulder and bush that they can – hence their garments are affected too
Work is being done to stem PFC usage
Those who are aware of the wider issues of PFCs will have picked up that this is the subject that Greenpeace have been campaigning on this decade under the Detox banner. PFCs are now in the wider environment and they aren’t good for it. The chemical compounds are toxic, bio-accumulative, and will not decompose in nature. Don’t worry too much about having an immediate death from them as PFCs were used to stop the cardboard box sticking to the pizza, in microwaved popcorn, and on cling-film. There is a certain level already in the environment and it is not going anyway currently. When the campaigning organisation started their lobbying of the Outdoor brands, the European Outdoor Group took responsibility as a collective body to progress the subject and helped form the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals working group. The EOG ZDHC partners have achieved progress, but not everybody has changed as much as the NGO would have wished already. The intelligent people I speak with suspect that C6 and all other fluorocarbon compounds are as bad for the environment as C8 has been demonstrated to be, so C6 PFC DWR should only be regarded as a stepping stone away from C8 formulations.
It's not as simple as just replacing one ingredient in DWRs
2020 was seen as the date to comply and if it was just the case of replacing one ingredient in DWRs with another, then everyone would have done that. The problem is that all the alternative formulations have great water repellency; are improving in durability (there is one formulation from Amaterrace - a Japanese fabric converter – which is more durable than C6 versions); but they are all terrible at stain resistance. Stain resistance is a catch all phrase for sweat detritus/ grass/ mud/ food/ suntan lotion and so on. The best way to avoid DWRs being compromised by ‘stain factors’ is to wash the garment on a regular basis.
Regular washing will improve garment in the long term
Hence in the short term performance of DWRs might appear to go down, but if you launder the garments properly you will notice an enhanced effect. If the garment owner can decide how important stain resistance is in comparison to water resistancy, then a suitable compromise can be achieved. Everybody I bump into in the Outdoor Industry wants to move to a PFC-free DWR, but without any loss of performance. When your garments have such a major influence on your comfort levels and you might be in a life threatening situation – the matter is taken seriously. Until PFC-free versions achieve a suitable performance level, not every brand will swap. WL Gore may be the most known supporter of C6 compounds, but they are a brand that is based on pure performance, as opposed to someone like Paramo, Fjallraven or Vaude – who have made public their commitment to use PFCs no more
Progressive PFC laws
The signs for the future are progressive. A law that was passed in Norway in 2014 came in effect last year banning PFCs (textiles have successfully lobbied for an extra 2-year exception as our supply chains are so long). No brand can cope with just producing a different DWR for Norway as garments transfer across Europe; plus it is expected that the EU will adopt a similar ruling (although the latest is that it is not happening that soon); hence the 5 million will change the DWR for Europe and hence the rest of the world will follow. A great case of act local, think global succeeding. Involved within the ban are both the electrical cable industry and the stain proof textile car seats. This means that more money is being put towards a PFC-free solution. Patagonia made an investment through their corporate investment fund in BST – a Swiss green chemical company known for their work in the area of stain effects too.
DWR is only one fifth of the waterproof equation
Also bear in mind that DWR are only one fifth of the waterproofing equation. How breathable a garment is depends on other factors too (like the outside humidity, how much the individual sweats/ is hydrated, the membrane, the design of the garment/ how you use it). As with most outdoor matters the most important thing is knowing how to use a waterproof system. If you wear a waterproof as a windproof on a sunny day whilst walking uphill with your pockets all filled with things like maps/ food/ phones/ gloves and hats – the garment will not perform as best it can. All membranes are semi-breathable; most of us just need a water resistant shell for the majority of British conditions if we are only out for a couple of hours. In this country I choose to wear soft-shells unless the conditions are real bad.
Servicing your garments will have big role in future
The idea of servicing your performance garments is something that will have a bigger role in the future as some of the Outdoor Industry leaders start to consider a different business model from just selling more stuff (the challenge is to make money by selling less as most of us already have too much stuff); one of the leading lines of thought in this area will be to service and repair what you already own. People now have some garments that are worth more than some of the cars that they drive and the concept of getting your car serviced after a certain number of hours use is something than it popularly subscribed to – so why not the same with your shell garments? If you are in Keswick, George Fisher now offers a service of cleaning plus if required, re-proofing your waterproofs. Seems like a sensible thing to do if you are around the North Lakes…
About the author
Charles Ross is a lecturer in Performance Sportswear Design at Falmouth University; he has taught many of the Millennials who now lead the design of the Outdoor Industry. His graduates are in Mountain Equipment/ Rab/ Arc’teryx/ Berghaus/ Patagonia/ Paramo/ Montane/ adidas et cetera