QUESTION: I recently bought a rain jacket for cycling, which I also wear as a windbreaker, but it’s a bright neon yellow color and it’s already looking dirty. I haven’t wanted to wash it so as to keep it water repellent, but a fellow rider tells me that washing it won’t hurt its ability to shed rain. Can that be right? —Neil S.
RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: Your friend is right to a point. It is important to wash your rain jacket periodically because sweat and oil from your skin deteriorates the breathable waterproof membrane and dirt can clog zippers and cause them to wear out. However, over several washings the Durable Water Repellent (DWR) finish on the outside of the garment diminishes. Fortunately, the DWR finish can be restored by means of a spray.
The most thorough “Care Instructions” for laundering rain gear I’ve found are on the website of Showers Pass, a maker of well-regarded rain wear, but similar directions can be found on the sites of other rain-jacket manufacturers, or may have even come on a sewn-in label on the jacket itself.
Showers Pass recommends that daily wearers of their jackets machine wash them about once a month on a gentle cycle with cool or cold water using a liquid free-and-clear detergent and NOT using traditional powdered detergents, as they leave residues that negatively affect the garment. Also, you should avoid products with stain fighting, fabric softening and/or whitening formulas. Be sure to empty the pockets and close all zippers before laundering. The apparel can be tumble-dried on low heat, but hang-drying is the preferred option.
You will not need to renew the DWR finish each time you wash the jacket, but when you notice that the rain no longer beads up and rolls off it, it’s time for fresh application. Even without refreshing the DWR. the jacket may still stop rain from penetrating for a while, but its breathable capacity will be diminished, causing you to get wet from perspiration. Showers Pass tells you where to purchase the DWR spray, and they provide separate instructions and a video about how to apply the product.
My own rain jacket comes from another company, which, for some reason, has no care instructions on their site, but I’ve used the Showers Pass process when laundering it, and the results are just fine.
Endura, yet another maker of rainwear for cyclists, mentions on their site that some garments, if so designated, can have their DWR reactivated after washing by pressing the fabric with a cool iron, but they stress the importance of reading the care label to be sure that that process is appropriate for your jacket.
You mention that you let your rain jacket double as a windbreaker. I understand the desire to have one garment to cover all situations, but, of course, the extra use dirties the jacket sooner, making extra washes desirable. You might consider using an actual windbreaker on days where no rain is predicted. Some, but not all windbreakers are water resistant for a short time. But for a downpour, a good rain jacket with a breathable inner layer is a better choice.
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.