Care for the impregnation: With a washing machine, tumble dryer or spray?
Forgot your umbrella again? Or didn't expect the sudden shower that the weather reporters had warned about on all channels? The only thing that can help is water-repellent clothing that doesn't absorb moisture and keeps walkers dry. But what happens if the protective layer becomes permeable over time and the hiker still gets wet? Then you should replace the impregnation immediately so that you can walk again with dry clothing, even through heavy rain.
What is impregnation?
Outdoor, rain or functional jackets usually have an outer protective layer that repels water. This means you can walk around without an umbrella without getting your clothes soaked. However, if the garments are worn over a long length of time or washed frequently, the protection often no longer holds properly. To avoid getting wet inside, the clothing needs to be impregnated again.
For textiles or leather, universal sprays containing fluorocarbons are suitable. They protect against water and even oily dirt. The compounds are perfluorinated and polyfluorinated chemicals, or PFAS or PFC for short. These substances prevent water, oil or dirt particles from bonding with textiles. These chemicals are also present in carpets, furniture covers and paper cups.
Impregnation for clothing
From an ecological point of view, however, the compounds have a significant disadvantage: they are not broken down in sewage treatment plants and are deposited in the human organism and even in breast milk. According to the Federal Environment Agency,
some substances cause cancer and reduce fertility. Environmental protectionists therefore recommend that only impregnations containing the following substances should be used to care for clothing:
- Polyurethanes and polysiloxanes
- Wax-based polymers without fluorine
- Polyacrylates
Impregnation procedure
There
are basically two methods that can be used to renew the impregnation of
clothing: Washing them in or treating them with a waterproofing spray. The latter always works, but treatment in the washing machine requires careful study of the label or the manufacturer's instructions. Heat treatment may be enough to reactivate the moisture protection, especially if the garment is still relatively new. The waterproof jacket is then put in the tumble dryer at a medium temperature for around 30 minutes, and the heat reactivates the impregnation. If you don't have a tumble dryer, use an iron and hold a cloth between the garment and the iron. But do not overheat, as some textiles do not tolerate this well. The manufacturer's instructions provide precise information on which treatment the garment can and cannot withstand.
Risks when washing in
When washing in the impregnation, the first thing to consider is the nature of the material. Experts pay attention to the membranes of textiles and differentiate between closed and microporous materials. Well-known names in the first category are Ceplex from Vaude, Sympatex or Dermizax, while Goretex belongs to the second group, and these products can only tolerate treatment with a spray, otherwise their pores will seal.
Unfortunately, manufacturers now work with a range of different membranes, and some combinations do not tolerate washing at all. Instead, they react with reduced breathability because water-repellent layers form on the inside. For the layman, all this means that there are many imponderables when washing in. The safe option is therefore to impregnate the clothing with a spray, because then there is no risk of ruining the expensive garment.