it’s that time of year when going out for a quick ride on the trails results in mud strewn clothing head to toe 😕 this weekend resulted in a full load of 2 sets of clothing and the constant washing of technical clothing with detergents is not great for breath ability and waterproofs. Nikwax is great for washing 2 garments with TX Direct (and then reproofing with the washin) but not so when you have a full load. What do others do to protect their expensive gear…short of nipping down the charity shop or sports direct for some cheap winter alternatives (which I have done). Don’t mention road riding either. 8)

Usually just soak stuff in a bucket while i clean the bike and myself, come back and anything ‘normal’ goes in the washing machine leave the rest to dry on the line. Gets most of the gumpf off and the outer stuff is gonna get muddy again.

anyone used the grangers 2 in 1? it claims to do a full load. https://grangers.co.uk/product/2in1-cleaner-and-proof

Soak/rinse in a bucket then in for a short gentle wash with non-bio powder. Thought that washing was good for breathable stuff – clears the ‘pores’ out. Outer fabric can’t hold much water anyway, so not fussed about the dwr treatment.

I have a old dustbin at the side of the back door. filthy stuff gets thrown in while I clean the bike, then splash it all round to get the worst off, then in the washer.

I reckon the first step is to hang the garment to dry naturally. Then 90% of the mud will brush off easily.
If you want it to look cleaner, more brushing in warm water (maybe in the bath) will make a difference.
Goretex-style garments are best washed (in washing machine) very occasionally.

I hose the bike down in all my riding gear – then the last thing I do is turn the hosepipe on myself. Then strip off and run inside screaming like a girl – have a shower and a cup of tea then go outside pick up the pile of wet gear and throw it directly into the washing machine (apart from water proof things which I just hang up in the garage)

What happens after this I have no idea but a few days later everything is back in my drawers folded, pressed and smelling of lavender?

Mostly, as long as it doesn’t have conditioners or bleach in it, regular detergents are fine. If you’re worried, read the label on the clothes or look on the manufacturers website, they normally give pretty good advice about Laundering

Only my jacket is a “technical” bit of clothing. The rest is just shorts/socks/base layer 40deg, non-bio wash.

The jacket just gets hung up in the shed and used again the next time. I ride at night. No one cares if I look filthy on the way out as well as on the way back in.

You can stand in the garden while someone jetwashes the clothes on you, undress in the garden and drape the clothes then jetwash them (Seen Peaty do that on youtube!), you can climb into the shower still in your kit, peel it off and stamp the mud out with your feet. If it’s raining then when you finish the ride hang the clothes on the outside of the car for the drive home.

Err, lay down in a rock bottomed stream…?

Jacket gets hosed and dried off, sealskinz socks get put in a bucket and poked with a stick, everything else gets hosed if it’s really bad then just goes in the washing- my waterproof shorts (altura attacks) seem happy with a normal wash (well, low temp, nonbio but that’s just normwl for us)

TBH mountain biking kit can’t be precious about washing and be any use.

TBH don’t bother with washing your kit after EVERY ride.

Within a couple of minutes of starting a ride you’ll be covered in mud/grit/water.

If I ride both days at the weekend I’ll (of course) wear new padded lycra, socks etc but the shorts, boots and jacket are just left to dry outside under the side porch. After 2-3 rides I’ll wash the shorts.

Why bother with your jacket?

For washing waterproofs and softshells I use Dripak liquid soap – Available from larger Tescos, and I’m sure loads of other shops.

Much cheaper than Techwash, and does exactly the same thing (i.e. doesn’t strip the DWR coating off, or “wet” the fabric). You still need to use a DWR replacement like TX Direct every 5 or so washes though.

“Normal” non-technical layers, just get a quick rinse in the sink before going in the washing machine, to get the worst of the caked on mud off.

Edit: Also, “top tip” (!), from experimenting with my waterproofs, it seems that when using a wash in DWR replacement, if you turn off the rinse setting on the washing machine, it gives a better, longer lasting coating to your clothing. I’m assuming the rinsing washes off some of the coating you’re trying to apply…

quick rinse with the hose pipe to get the worst of then washed in water in the machine with those ball thingies so no washing powder is used.

Tend not to buy anything too technical for MTB anything that needs ‘special’ care is a non-starter for me

But depending on how dirty it is it either gets dunked, hosed off or hung up to dry and brushed off

sometimes detergents can’t be helped (but not conditioners…oooh no). Currently using the gentle wash liquid that’s ment for washing silks and wool but that leaves me smelling of aunties? Already read the mfg stuff, mostly talks about the nikwax etc, but not so much about bulk washing in general. may give the grangers unless something else pops up ❓

Be careful with the washing machine- overtime it will put bacteria in all the crevices etc. I had a decent Zanussi where our clothes started smelling of mildew. Big bag of salt, hot empty wash, filter pulled, bicarb etc etc- still didn’t get rid. It must be all the sheep poo over time (even if you prewash in a bucket).

cheers dan1980

if you turn off the rinse setting on the washing machine

will give that a go….will probably help with not getting wet feet when pulling it out of the washing machine also 🙄 may try the dri-pak too

hora – once a month run a “boil” wash (90 deg) with a biological washing powder in.

Once a quarter use Dr Beckmans deep clean. If you live in a hard water area the descaler works extremely well. Last time I used it, masses of limescale arrived in the filter.

http://www.dr-beckmann.co.uk/products/appliance-cleaners/service-it-deep-clean/

http://www.dr-beckmann.co.uk/products/appliance-cleaners/service-it-power-descaler/

hang on I’m not asking to how to service me machine 😯 so calm yerselfs will the deep clean and 90′ degree wash …now yer getting me all flustered 😳 back on topic

will give that a go….will probably help with not getting wet feet

You can still give the load a spin which will help get rid of the excess water from the washing process, and hopefully stop you getting wet feet!

I think it’s the filling and draining with several loadsworth of fresh water as part of the rinsing process that causes the problems with the longevity of the DWR.

more to do with the fact that it just holds lots of water as you have just waterproofed it…spin all you like I pull out a bag of water 😉

found this on wiggle…but keep it coming
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/halo-proactive-sports-wash-laundry-detergent-1-litre/

Stoner- did that. Tried everything. The machine was fully functional when I skipped it. I cleaned the pipes, took out the powder tray etc etc. Just couldn’t get rid of the mustiness. Gutted. It was 7yrs old and had a couple of rust spots under the powder tray edges but still.

Now its a massive bucket 25 or 50L? (from Tescos) and do a hand wash outside

Blimey.. tech wash for all normal riding gear? You must be made of money!

I just make sure the kit is free of leaves and sticks and chuck it in the washer with normal non bio powder, as I always have done. I wouldn’t do waterproofs that way though – if I’m going to be wearing them on a ride (which is rarely) I make sure I use mudguards so they get minimal mud. I wash them separately in tech wash or similar, but only occasionally.

It must be all the sheep poo over time (even if you prewash in a bucket).

No, sheep poo doesn’t cause mildew. Leaving the door closed does though. Prop it open and let it dry out, otherwise it’ll get smelly.

change your washing machine to Bosch…and let it dry out by leaving the door open and taking the soap dispenser out….hang on now I’m at it!!!! :o.

If it’s really bad I give the shell layers a quick hand wash in dilute tech wash stuff, rinse and dry. It doesn’t clean them perfectly but clean enough.

The rest of the stuff gets a dunk in a bucket to get the excess crap off then into washing machine.

Hose for mud. Shorts dont get cleaned.
Basic wash with no detergent for other stuff.

Might do a proper tech wash and reproof every few months or before a big weeknd away, depending on the weather.

and let it dry out by leaving the door open and taking the soap dispenser out….hang on now I’m at it!!!!

We do this now as routine 😀

I hose the bike down in all my riding gear – then the last thing I do is turn the hosepipe on myself. Then strip off and run inside screaming like a girl – have a shower and a cup of tea then go outside pick up the pile of wet gear and throw it directly into the washing machine (apart from water proof things which I just hang up in the garage)

This. ^^

…apart from the hosing the bike part.

that halo stuff has been very effective for me at getting long-term smells out of base layers that were still stinky after washing. I’m hoping it doesn’t need using very time.

This is my usual winter bike. I have 2 sets of bike kit…wear one and wash the other!!!

I bet that’s fun to ride when the blue container is half full 🙂

that beer looks awfully clear? or it’s vodka?

I just climb into the shower fully clothed – rinse off all the visible crap, then kick all the clothes into a pile in the corner while I clean myself.

I don’t have any expensive water proof stuff though.

be careful about not rinsing your goretex stuff. It’s heat* that rejuvenates the DWR coating, and rinsing is in fact specified as one of the things you should be very careful to make sure you do.

*tumble dry is best, but hair-drier, or radiator work just as well

I’ve washed in the shower before…very effective. reminds me of me myself and irene though
you don’t need to put the item in a tumble anymore when using nikwax… not the washin stuff anyway

I’ve clearly been doing this wrong for years – I just chuck it in the machine with some Surf (the wife’s choice, she like the Ylang Ylang so good they named it twice one).

Admittedly our machine does have a “sports intensive” setting, but the pic next to it is of someone’s gym stuff so I’m not sure it was designed to shift blood, sweat, tears, mud, grit and sheep shit – but it does an decent job of it.

Do you not find that if you don’t wash them they stink? We tend to ride through piles and piles of cow & sheep shit (there just seems to be loads about).
I also wash mine as I clean my bike, so mine are washed every ride, but on a sports wash (no detergent) and then hung to dry rather than tumble.

I love washing my bike, and love the hot shower following a freezing cold, wet ride, almost as much as I love the ride itself!

using normal washing powder to clean your technical gear will ruin the breath ability of the man made fibres, and clogs up the pores of the waterproof material…it’s a big no no .. http://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satellite/content/care-center/washing-instructions
this is for goretex but applies to any sports gear. It really doesn’t help when these companies use sports gear to advertise how clean they can make the clothes. that’s a given I would have thought