You Got New Gear, If You Take Care of It - It Will Take Care of You

Your new and old gear need to be taken care of. Ski & snowboard outerwear have manufacture care tags that should always be followed first. You can wash as much as necessary to remove impurities.

It’s as easy as one, two, three. One - wash, two - dry, three - ride!

Storing Your Ski & Snowboard Apparel

At the end of the season inspect your apparel for damage, wash and completely dry all ski apparel. If damaged, it’s better to know this season for purposes of warranty and end-of-season sales. When cleaning, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions as cleaning instructions differ per fabrics and materials. Avoiding that torn sock or rancid balaclava next season is well worth it.

What Effects Waterproofing & Breathability

• DETERGENTS
• Wear and tear
• Dirt
• Oil
• Sunscreen
• Insect repellent
• Smoke

*REGULAR DETERGENTS WILL ATTRACT DIRT. AVOID BLEACH AND FABRIC SOFTENER*

Types of Nikwax Products to Care for Your Apparel

- Tech Wash Detergent: Because it leaves no detergent residue, using Nikwax Tech Wash for all cleaning of your waterproof-breathable garments will help get the longest possible life from the factory applied DWR (Durable Water Repellency).

Tech Wash is also excellent for pre-washing items before applying Nikwax TX-Direct, and other Nikwax treatments such as Polar Proof, Down Proof, or repellency restorers from other manufacturers. It can be added to a load in the washing machine or applied directly for spot treatment of grease and stains./p>

• Non-detergent
• Biodegradable

- TX Direct Waterproofing: This wash-in treatment restores the durable water-repellent finish of all waterproof-breathable laminates and coatings. Pre-wash your items with NikwaxTech Wash or another mild soap, then add this treatment in a washing machine.

• Safe for GORE-TEX®, Entrant®, most other waterproof-breathables, and other woven fabrics
• Non-aerosol, non-flammable contents

- Glove Proof Waterproofing: Use this waterproofer to restore and add water repellency to your leather gloves or gloves that are a combination of leather and fabric.

• Contains leather conditioners
• Sponge applicator

- BaseWash for base layers: Extend the life of your base layers and keep them looking great. Revitalizes the wicking properties of synthetic base layers and increases their breathability.

• Deodorizes and maintains freshness by preventing odor build up when in use
• Cleans and conditions fabrics

- Wool Wash for wool garments: Formulated for delicate merino pieces, Wool Wash keeps your base layers performing at their best.

• Removes and prevents odor build-up
• Improves wicking properties and breathability
• Water-based and biodegradable, does not contain PFCs or VOCs

- Down Wash Direct:

• Best for hand washing or front-loading washing machines
• Maintains or improves the water-repellency of outer fabrics

Hestra Leather Balm for Gloves & Mittens:

Our all-natural Hestra Leather Balm is formulated to protect your sports gloves and is a great way to prevent the leather from drying out. Prolongs the life, suppleness and water repellant properties of the leather. Apply as needed with a polishing cloth, and rub in until the leather is saturated. Note that light leathers may darken somewhat. Hestra Leather Balm is a leather conditioner, it is not a dedicated leather waterproofing agent. We recommend only using our leather balm for our t gloves in goat leather or cowhide leather. Other leathers such as deerskin, elk leather, peccary, carpincho and hairsheep which are more common in our fashion gloves are oftentimes not suitable to be treated with leather balm. These leathers do not absorb the balm very well and thus may leave a sticky surface and also cause the leather to look mottled with colour variations.

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.” -Norwegian Proverb

Apparel Care Symbols:

Dry Cleaning:

• If the care label has a small circle the manufacture is stating you must dry clean this item.
• If there is a little letter inside the circle it indicates to the dry cleaner what chemical to use.
• The more bars underneath the circle indicate the level of precaution the dry cleaner must take.
• If there is a cross over the circle symbol you should not dry clean the item.

Ironing:

• Your item can be ironed at any temperature if the care label iron symbol has no dots.
• The more dots on the iron symbol suggests the temperature of heat that can be applied:
• 1 dot: delicates i.e, silk and wool.
• 2 dots: synthetics.
• 3 dots: linen and cotton.
• If there is a cross over the iron symbol you should not iron the item.

Drying:

• If the care label has a circle inside a square, your item can be tumble dried.
• The more dots on the iron symbol suggests the temperature of heat that can be applied:
• 1 dot = low temperature
• 2 dots = medium temperature
• 3 dots = high temperature
• If there is a cross over the tumble dry symbol, you should not tumble dry the item.

Hand Washing:

• If the care label has a tub with a hand, your item can be hand washed or put in a delicate washing cycle of 40°C/104°F, or lower.
• Hand washing is better suited for delicate items, like cashmere or silk, because the wash is gentle preventing shrinking or snagging.
• If the care label has a twisted symbol, your item can be wrung.
• If the care label has a cross over the twisted symbol you should not wring the item.

Machine Washing:

• Your item can be washed in the washing machine if your care label has a tub symbol.
• The number on the tub symbol indicates the maximum temperature that can be applied.
• The more bars underneath the tub indicates a reduction of spinning and rinsing:
• No bar: The item can be spun and rinsed as normal.
• 1 bar: Spin speed should be reduced
• 2 bars: Mild wash but can be spun and rinsed as normal.
• If there is a cross over the tub symbol you should not wash the item.

Apparel Symbol Cheat Sheet