[geargrrl]

Some of you know that I sew professionally with a focus on technical clothing ( read, ski wear, bike gear, active wear etc)

My shipping instructions clearly state: Clothing must be freshly laundered.

This is not "worn a few times". This is not "I washed it last year" This is not "You can wash Goretex?".

I really don't want to handle dried snot on sleeves, neck grime, BO, cigarette smoke, cat hair, dried food, and yes, I've even had pants sent to me with dried pee on the front. Yes, I know what it is, and yes I send it back. If it makes me want to wash my hands when I open the box and take it out to inspect, it's not clean.

Gross. Gross Gross Gross Gross Gross. This is only a small percentage of people but still, disgusting. Would YOU want to handle a strangers dirty laundry?

/rant over.

 

[laura]

I would tack on an extra fee for any dirty clothes that came through. I would let people know before hand that it is a no contest fee, that you will be the end all be all judge on what is clean and not clean and they should make extra sure that the clothes are spotless when they send them in. I would touch someone else's dirt laundry, but I'd make them pay out the wahzoo for it.

 

[Dartman]

That's worse than carrying a muddy mtb to your mechanic.

"Can you wash Goretex?" Bwahahahaha...you better and do it right if you want it to keep working.

Change your warning on your website to:

"Soiled clothing will be incinerated."

 

[SkaredShtles]

That's worse than carrying a muddy mtb to your mechanic.

"Can you wash Goretex?" Bwahahahaha...you better and do it right if you want it to keep working.

Goretex garments don't need washing for it to function... it's a laminate INSIDE the material.

 

[Jeremy R]

Ask them if they wash their ass before they go to the doctor.

 

[geargrrl]

Goretex garments don't need washing for it to function...

Oh, you one of those guys? "I thought the dirt would make it last longer...."

it's a laminate INSIDE the material.

Regular laundering, and surface renewal of the DWR does help maintain the function. Certainly you can over do the laundry thing, but I've seen some pretty grody shells actually start working properly once they were washed.

Laura, you are welcome to this stuff. After 10+ years of doing, there's no amount of money I'll accept to handle these things. Zero tolerance.

 

[skinny mike]

Goretex garments don't need washing for it to function... it's a laminate INSIDE the material.

tech wash and tx.direct do wonders for the performance of gore-tex and other waterproof outwear after it has been used a while.

 

[4traxx]

I would tack on an extra fee for any dirty clothes that came through. I would let people know before hand that it is a no contest fee, that you will be the end all be all judge on what is clean and not clean and they should make extra sure that the clothes are spotless when they send them in. I would touch someone else's dirt laundry, but I'd make them pay out the wahzoo for it.

same here . I would charge them extra . wash it myself . If they are not happy with that . I would just throw it away .

 

[SkaredShtles]

tech wash and tx.direct do wonders for the performance of gore-tex and other waterproof outwear after it has been used a while.

It revives the DWR, which is completely separate from the actual Gore laminate.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Oh, you one of those guys? "I thought the dirt would make it last longer...."

No - I wash my Goretex garments to revive the DWR - but I'm perfectly aware that it does NOTHING for the Gore laminate.

Regular laundering, and surface renewal of the DWR does help maintain the function. Certainly you can over do the laundry thing, but I've seen some pretty grody shells actually start working properly once they were washed.

You'll get no argument from me here. My point is even a garment that has no DWR left *should,* theoretically, still be waterproof if it has a Goretex layer. The performance of the Goretex layer has nothing to do with the outer DWR layer.

 

[TreeSaw]

NASTY!!! I would send it back to them and charge them a deposit for the work that you would have done if they had followed the rules!

 

[OGRipper]

Goretex garments don't need washing for it to function... it's a laminate INSIDE the material.

Haha, yeah, performance apparel only gets dirty on the outside.

That is nasty, but I suppose it's just a part of the business you'll need to get used to.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Haha, yeah, performance apparel only gets dirty on the outside.

What the hell are you doing to your outerwear?

 

[BigMike]

yucky. I'd mix in some of my own pee, let it dry, and send it back.

Or, you could just sprinkle some anthrax on it

 

[ito]

What the hell are you doing to your outerwear?

Sweating in it?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Sweating in it?

I'd figure most of the gnarly sweat material would get caught in the under layers... but maybe that doesn't happen?

You're probably not wearing any under layers, though, are you?

 

[OGRipper]

I'd figure most of the gnarly sweat material would get caught in the under layers... but maybe that doesn't happen?

You're probably not wearing any under layers, though, are you?

Wow, I thought you were joking but I guess you're serious.

A clothing guru can chime in if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that good base layers move moisture away from your skin, to the outside of the garment. If you have no outer layer, it evaporates - but it still leaves a residue (salt and other stuff you sweat out). If you have an outer layer, at least some of the moisture is trapped inside, but even with a good outer layer that "breaths", you are still left with that funky residue.

I think now might be a good time for you to wash your gear.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Wow, I thought you were joking but I guess you're serious.

A clothing guru can chime in if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that good base layers move moisture away from your skin, to the outside of the garment. If you have no outer layer, it evaporates - but it still leaves a residue (salt and other stuff you sweat out). If you have an outer layer, at least some of the moisture is trapped inside, but even with a good outer layer that "breaths", you are still left with that funky residue.

Interesting. I was under the impression that the underlayers caught the "funk" and that only water vapor was transferring through the waterproof/breathable membrane. Except in the case of ito where he's going commando under his jacket.

I think now might be a good time for you to wash your gear.

I do wash my gear "regularly" (couple times/season) - I understand that it's important for the overall functionality of the garment.

 

[OGRipper]

I do wash my gear "regularly" (couple times/season) - I understand that it's important for the overall functionality of the garment.

I don't mean to come down hard on you, but assuming you ride a lot, washing your gear a couple times a season is not "regularly" in my book. I don't wash my outer layers after every ride (unless it's really muddy or whatever), but still. I sweat a lot and my out layers get funky after two or three hard rides. If you don't have any problems, that's cool - to each his own. But this sounds a bit too much like the person in the office who really stinks but doesn't know it.

 

[geargrrl]

Wow, I thought you were joking but I guess you're serious.

A clothing guru can chime in if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that good base layers move moisture away from your skin, to the outside of the garment. If you have no outer layer, it evaporates - but it still leaves a residue (salt and other stuff you sweat out). If you have an outer layer, at least some of the moisture is trapped inside, but even with a good outer layer that "breaths", you are still left with that funky residue.

I think now might be a good time for you to wash your gear.

That's been my understanding. Especially if you are a sweaty pig type, no amount of baselayer is going to keep
salt, grime etc off the inside of your shell. Based on some of the stuff I've seen both on the inside and outside of clothing I think that may be a false theory ( that no icky gets on the inside) As for how much to launder things,I think it does come down to personal preference. Any cleaning is better than none. The ski patrol I work with generally does a treatment at the beginning of the season, and then again at the end.

Laminates and coatings do have two separate components - the pore system on the inside that permits the vapor transmission, and the treated shell fabric on the outside that repels waters. In my experience, everything works better when it's cleaner.

You have to love it though. I've met people who believe that never washing gear improves its performance. Then they are AMAZED when they do wash it, and it works just like new. WOW! I've seen clothing and gear literally distengrating from salt saturation.

Also, as a professional, I would never take the potential liability of running someone else's $400 shell jacket through the wash.Uh-uh,no way never.

 

[SkaredShtles]

That's been my understanding. Especially if you are a sweaty pig type, no amount of baselayer is going to keep
salt, grime etc off the inside of your shell. Based on some of the stuff I've seen both on the inside and outside of clothing I think that may be a false theory ( that no icky gets on the inside) As for how much to launder things,I think it does come down to personal preference. Any cleaning is better than none. The ski patrol I work with generally does a treatment at the beginning of the season, and then again at the end.

Laminates and coatings do have two separate components - the pore system on the inside that permits the vapor transmission, and the treated shell fabric on the outside that repels waters. In my experience, everything works better when it's cleaner.

You have to love it though. I've met people who believe that never washing gear improves its performance. Then they are AMAZED when they do wash it, and it works just like new. WOW! I've seen clothing and gear literally distengrating from salt saturation.

Also, as a professional, I would never take the potential liability of running someone else's $400 shell jacket through the wash.Uh-uh,no way never.

Looks like we're in complete agreement. I wash generally at the beginning of ski season and then at the end of ski season. Which reminds me... I need to do a load of wash.

 

[jimmydean]

Where is the bottle of deer urine when you need it? Soak it, then send it back.