RC Technical Clothing Care Guide

This is not intended to be a definitive guide. This is how I go about cleaning my stuff, which I’ve figured out over the years and may not work for everyone given their preferences and laundry set ups. There’s a lot of misinformation about garment care out there and carefully following these guidelines should help maximize the performance and longevity of technical clothing.

Generally speaking, technical clothing has a much shorter lifespan than clothing made from natural fibers. Short-term outdoor performance and comfort for specific use cases is prioritized over long-term durability and the aesthetics and character of “patina.”

Laminated materials delaminate for all kinds of reasons, from overexposure to dry air, humidity, perspiration and contamination, too much washing or too little. Elastane loses stretch and disintegrates. Nylon and polyester fade easily (and unattractively) and melt if exposed to enough heat. Insulation compresses over time to the point of offering little to no warmth. Same goes for down which retains loft longer than synthetic but is much harder to care for. And the poor geese. Hardware breaks in all kinds of ways. It’s all terrible for the environment. Your clothes will fail but if you follow this guide it won’t be because you failed to properly maintain them.

General Tips

Technical clothing doesn’t need to be washed very often (unless it's visibly dirty/smells), one should be able to get at least several wears between washes from nearly all pieces.
Always use wash bags and wash multiple pieces at a time. Wash bags help conserve energy, organize laundry and protect clothes from machine agitation and abrasion
When in doubt, follow the instructions on the care tag (not Arcterx.com)

All fabrics will shrink/change shape to varying degrees if exposed to heat (including hard shells), especially regular machine drying. I prefer to only tumble dry insulation and Gore-Tex

Use a reputable “performance detergent” like Atsko Sport Wash (my favorite), Arc’Teryx Nu Technical Detergent or Nikwax Tech Wash. They’re gentle, rinse clean (which maintains breathability and remove residue from washing machines

Synthetic insulated pieces (Coreloft) should be tumble dried occasionally with low heat to restore loft and DWR

Gore-Tex should be washed every 20-30 wears or 2-3 times per season if used regularly

Fold knits, hang wovens

Store jackets in closet if not wearing regularly (dust accumulating will diminish performance), store in garment bags between seasons

Avoid compressing synthetic insulation for extended periods of time (absolutely do not store it compressed between seasons)

If buying used, ask the previous owner how they washed the garment. Proceed at your own risk when buying from Re-gear, TheRealReal, etc.)

Stain Removal

I like to treat stains as thoroughly as possible off the bat, that way I can be sure whether it’s going to come out or not. Dawn dish soap is the most effective stain remover (my personal favorite is the Platinum Powerwash Spray, which is the strongest and easiest to apply). Dawn has toxic ingredients and is not environmentally friendly, use at your own risk. I’ve found Method’s Free and Clear (the one with the scrub bottle) to be the most effective “natural” stain remover.

Stain Removal Approach

Gently scrape off excess stain
Saturate fabric with water and apply stain remover
Scrub with toothbrush
Rinse and reapply stain remover
Scrub with toothbrush
Let garment sit with stain remover on it for several hours, preferably overnight
Wash using delicate cycle
Let garment air dry
Repeat steps as necessary

Water Repellency and DWR

Factory DWR should last for 1-2 seasons, depending on wear time and proper care. Factory DWR is far more effective than any aftermarket product and should be maintained for as long as possible. Tumble drying (or ironing, which I wouldn’t recommend) reactivates DWR and should be performed after every wash. DWR will wear off areas prone to water penetration (shoulders/chest, wrists, hem) first, these areas can be spot treated with DWR spray before resorting to washing with a 2-in-1 or fully re-treating. DWR should be reapplied once precipitation ceases to continuously bead on the fabric. Dark/wet spots on a garment are signs that water is penetrating the fabric and should be re-treated. Re-treating can be performed by DWR spray (many options here, I prefer Atsko Water Guard) or a 2-in-1 (detergent plus DWR) detergent. DWR spray vs. wash-in detergent is a subject of debate. DWR spray is unhealthy, environmentally harmful and a mess to reapply. However, it repels water more effectively and lasts longer than a 2-in-1. 2-in-1’s are easy to apply but less effective. They also apply to the entire garment, which ostensibly compromises breathability. Follow instructions on the bottle when using DWR spray. Wear an N95 mask.

DWR Approach

Only re-treat Gore-Tex shells and pants, with a few exceptions. I avoid wearing insulators in precipitation and don’t care enough about water repellency to re-treat other fabrics (Burly, Fortius, Terratex, NyCo, etc.)
Only apply heat to Gore-Tex and insulation
Use 2-in-1 for items I’m washing 1-2 times a season. If I’m wearing/washing something more often and I notice water repellency isn’t lasting as long as I’d like, spot treat problematic areas with DWR spray
Only spray entire garment if absolutely necessary

Complete Instructions by Material Package

Cotton

Wash in mesh bag
Cold, gentle
Atsko Sport Wash
Hang dry

Down

Only wash if shell is very dirty since down is fragile and loses loft slowly, much moreso than synthetic insulation
Wipe detergent bays with paper towel and do full cycle of other clothes with Atsko Sport Wash to clean machine
Close main zipper, open pockets to clean internals (remove hood if old version)
Wash alone or with one other jacket in mesh bag
.5 capfuls of Sport Wash (plus 1.5 capfuls of Granger’s 2-in-1 if re-treating DWR)
Cold, gentle, double rinse
Re-treat with spray DWR if necessary (see above)
Tumble dry medium with dryer/tennis balls to help restore loft
Remove from dryer occasionally to check for clumps/uneven distribution of down, gently massage to break apart clumps
Remove from dryer when outer shell is completely dry and down is evenly distributed
Fleece pocket lining will come out wet, keep them open to air dry and/or insert silica packets to help absorb water

Fleece

Close main zipper, open pockets to clean internals, release tension in all drawcords
Wash in mesh bag
Cold, gentle
Atsko Sport Wash
Hang dry

Gore-Tex Shells

Wipe detergent bays with paper towel and do full cycle of other clothes with Atsko Sport Wash to clean machine
Close main zipper, open pockets to clean internals (remove hood if old version)
Wash alone (or with one other GTX jacket) in mesh bag
.5 capfuls of Sport Wash (plus 1.5 capfuls of Granger’s 2-in-1 if re-treating DWR)
Cold, gentle, double rinse
Re-treat with spray DWR if necessary (see above)
Tumble dry medium, remove as soon as outer shell completely dry to avoid shrinkage
Fleece lining in pockets will come out wet, keep them open to air dry and/or insert silica packets to help absorb water

Gore-Tex with Down Insulation

Only wash if absolutely necessary
Dry cleaning is acceptable if concerned about down clumping
Wipe detergent bays with paper towel and do full cycle of other clothes with Atsko Sport Wash to clean machine
Close main zipper, open pockets to clean internals (remove hood if old version)
Wash alone or with one other jacke in mesh bag
.5 capfuls of Sport Wash (plus 1.5 capfuls of Granger’s 2-in-1 if re-treating DWR)
Cold, gentle, double rinse
Re-treat with spray DWR if necessary (see above)
Tumble dry medium with dryer/tennis balls to help restore loft)
Remove from dryer occasionally to check for clumps/uneven distribution of down, gently massage to break apart clumps
Remove from dryer when outer shell is completely dry and down is evenly distributed
Fleece pocket lining will come out wet, keep them open to air dry and/or insert silica packets to help absorb water

Performance Wool

Open pockets to clean internals
Wash in mesh bag
Cold, gentle
Atsko + Granger’s Merino Wash
Hang dry

Soft Shells

Close main zipper, open pockets to clean internals, release tension in all drawcords
Wash in mesh bag
Cold, gentle, double rinse
Atsko Sport Wash
Hang dry, or tumble dry medium to restore DWR
Re-treat

Synthetic Clothing

Close main zipper, open pockets to clean internals, release tension in all drawcords
Wash in mesh bag
Cold, gentle
Atsko Sport Wash
Hang dry
If DWR treated, re-treat if you must (I don’t recommend re-treating, see above)

Synthetic Insulation (Inc. Synthetic Insulation with Gore-Tex Shell)

Wipe detergent bays with paper towel and do full cycle of other clothes with Atsko Sport Wash to clean machine
Close main zipper, open pockets to clean internals (remove hood if old version)
Wash alone or with one other jacket in mesh bag
.5 capfuls of Sport Wash (plus 1.5 capfuls of Granger’s 2-in-1 if re-treating DWR)
Cold, gentle, double rinse
Re-treat with spray DWR if necessary (see above)
Tumble dry medium (optional: dry with dryer/tennis balls to help restore loft)
Remove from dryer as soon as outer shell is completely dry to avoid shrinkage
Fleece pocket lining will come out wet, keep them open to air dry and/or insert silica packets to help absorb water