The end of the season is here!
We enjoyed the sun, the snow and the lifts. But all good things must come to an end.
To bring the season to a close, we’ve prepared a little spring cleanup ritual for you.
On the menu: all our tips for maintaining your ski clothes before putting them away in the wardrobe.
Did you know that the most popular Google search at the end of winter is :
“How to wash your ski jacket and ski trousers?”
Even if your outfit is not dirty, it is essential to wash it to preserve the quality and extend its life expectancy.
- Equipment needed: a washing machine + liquid detergent (be careful not powder) and especially no fabric softener.
The Machine wash
- Look and understand the labels
- Empty the pockets. You never know if a cookie has been left in a pocket (or your credit card!)
- Close all zips and velcro to protect the fabric.
- Turn the apparel inside out and put it in the machine
- Put a dose of classic liquid household detergent, your favourite detergent
- Select a “synthetic” wash programme at 30 degrees with a maximum spin speed of 800 rpm. Yes, this is very precise. For any feathery clothes, add 4 tennis balls to the drum. Your neighbours will love it.
- Take your clothes out and hang them up as soon as the wash cycle is finished.
Drying technics accordong to the composition of your clothes
For synthetic clothes (hence the importance of reading the labels)
- With tumble dryers: leave your garment inside out and use a gentle “synthetic” programme at 60 degrees for 40-50 minutes. This should be sufficient. If not, place your garment on a hanger to finish drying. The heat of the tumble dryer allows the maintenance and reactivation of the water-repellent treatment of your fabrics.
- Without a tumble dryer: place your garment inside out on a hanger. To reactivate the water-repellent treatment and maintain good protection against water and snow, there is one more step. Lightly iron the outer fabric of the garment with a soft iron (synthetic mode or 110 degrees max), using a towel in between.
Tadam ! Your outfit is waterproof and clean again !
For feathered garments
A tumble dryer is essential to fluff up the feathers. If you don’t have one and your neighbour doesn’t either, go to the dry cleaners! Be careful not to wait between washing and drying feathered clothing. There is a risk that the feathers will stick together and dry. This is not desirable.
- Put your feather clothes with 4 tennis balls in the tumbler of the dryer to fluff up the feathers
- Select a gentle “synthetic” programme, max 60 degrees and run it again until your garment is perfectly dry and has regained its loft.
It usually takes 3 to 4 cycles.
That’s it! You are now an expert at cleaning and extending the life of your ski clothes.
Gore-Tex
Oops, I forgot to mention that the procedure is different for Gore-tex garments. Here are the official instruction from Gore-tex them self :
That’s it! It takes a little time, but you’ll be glad to find your outfit clean and ready to hit the slopes at the beginning of winter.