Just seen something that I want to let you all know so you dont trash your riding waterproof kit
Tesco sells a green lidded Bio wash liquid and also on the shelf next to it is a blue lidded wash liquid bottle that along the lines of other companies relates to their non bio products.
Alas it doesnt say that it isnt non bio on the front nor does it say it is!
The upshot is that unless you turn it over and read the chemical box on the rear and see the word Enzymes you too may end up with a nasty delaminated expensive piece of polyester like I did!!!!
Thanks a bunch Tesco, even their own staff thought it was non bio too!!!!

Surely it is more likely to be a high spin speed that caused the delamination?

Nope little rubbery balls caused by at least three washes in said enzymes before I clocked there was an issue! Dont spin them either 🙂 as I like my kit to last and follow with care the washing instructions 🙄

IIRC, the whole ‘bio wash’ thing has nothing to do with laminates – should not effect them in any way – its to do with protecting the surface DWR that beads and prevents wetting out.

This one?

The biological washing powder won’t be the cause of damage to the fabric, it only removes the durable water repellent finish.

If the fabric itself is being damaged by washing, I’d be looking to check whether the water is to hot, or the spin speed to high.

I have read otherwise re the enzymes and the layers delaminating actually on at least one manufacturers web site and the resultant rubbery balls.
Without getting into whos right/wrong the issue of the post was to highlight not to use Tesco blue lidded wash liquid on your waterproof kit as its not non bio!!

Not that one Drac, there is another on their shelf lines, think it may have been a gel style concentrate type one, I have thrown the bottle now so cant post the picture up of it! I actually collared hold of the member of staff responsible for that section and quizzed her re its non bio status and even she was a bit shocked that it was actually biological.

Surely this is what you want for washing your waterproof stuff?

OK, that didn’t work, but it’s a pic of some liquid soap flakes 😀

Think from memory it may have been this one
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=277883993

Ah right.

Personally I’d seen that it doesn’t say non bio that it is bio.

You can reproof your jacket.

I have used liquid soapflakes as well as the expensive tech wash from Nikwax but normally reserve that for reproof washes of multiple garments at a time (2 at a time like it recommends).
I have used old fashioned flakes ie non liquid suspension but they clogged up the drawer in the machine and were a pain in the rear.
Anyway moral of the story is if it dont say non bio on the front dont use it on your waterproof kit!

Not once the delamination had got well under way, truly did become boil in the bag. result was new Pace 3×3 jacket for MTB and a Vulpine jacket for the road 😀 so not all bad!

Non bios uses bleach like chemicals to provide the cleaning ability, as we all know though bleach is bad for the colour of clothes. Bios use enzymes to clean and not fade the colours. ‘Colour’ detergents don’t use bleachy chemicals, and are therefore biological.

It’s a bit of marketing spin really, and you shouldn’t guess an items details based on the colour of another brands products packaging. After all doesn’t everyone remember the great salt and vinegar fiasco of ’93.

Or was it cheese and onion?

Personally I always work on the principle if it doesn’t say liquid soap flakes on the front don’t use it on your waterproof (or other tech) kit. I like my kit to last, so that’s what I always do (along with a 30 degree silk wash). If you’ve used that in the past, I’m not quite sure why you still aren’t – I get mine from the supermarket and it’s not all that expensive (certainly not considering the value of the load when I’m using it).

I used nik wax on my night vision jacket. 30 wash and 700 spin , took all the white layer off the inside of my jacket.

Non-bio detergent is still detergent and I never use any detergent on my waterproofs. Soap or specialized cleaners only.

I’ve always used Fairy. Is that bad, then?

Soap flakes and hand wash only. Anything else isn’t the same.

Certain fabrics (e.g. eVent) need to be cleaned with detergents to break up the grease that settles inside the waterproof membrane stopping it from being waterproof.

“Biological” cleaners have enzymes that break down organic stains like fat and starch. “Non-biological” cleans use alternative chemicals to achieve the same thing. It’s nothing to do with bleaching agents. The thought is that some people are more sensitive to the enzymes in biological cleaners and have allergic reactions to them, but there’s actually little evidence to support this.

Soap flakes and hand wash only. Anything else isn’t the same.

Having just googled the difference between soap and detergent, I think it might be a bit more complicated than that if you live in a hard water area.

No reason why soapflakes wouldn’t do that, and it certainly doesn’t suggest otherwise here: http://rab.uk.com/reference/love-your-rab-wear-and-care/event-care.html

Information from Montane regarding eVent:

These problems in most cases are due to garments that have not been cleaned properly. We’ve spoken to eVENT UK and the guys in the lab in the states and they have recommended the following:
1. pre treat any really dirty areas with neat biological washing liquid (not with built in conditioner), if stained then use a very soft brush to gently scrub the stains off.
2. Close all fastenings and wash at 40 degrees C with liqid biological detergent. (They have carried out extensive testing and found that pure soap or cleaners such as Nikwax Tech Wash do not clean out the pores in the fabric effectively enough to remove all dirt and grease.)
3. At the end of the cycle, give the garment an extra rinse to remove detergent residue.
If your garment is not overly dirty and you haven’t had to scrub it then this may be all that you need to do…please goto step 6.
To reproof the garment:
4. wash in Tech Wash to remove all detergent residue,
5. wash in TX direct.
6. Let the garment drip dry
7. iron on 2dot setting to fully activate (or reactivate) the DWR.

Soap isn’t that great a cleaner for grease, and bodily oils.

Edit: And also the eVent site itself recomemnds the use of a detergent based cleaner http://eventfabrics.com/care/

Think from memory it may have been this one
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=277883993

most ‘colours’ branded liquids are bio

I think the moral of the tale is read the label not look at the colour. I’m a total OCD anal freak with all things cleaning and I’d never trust a washing powder/liquid without reading the label first.

Oh, and fabric conditioner is much worse for water proof fabrics than detergent/powder/soap.

And finally, and I prepare to be flamed, if you’re going to spend a lot of money on waterproofs why wash them in the cheapo Tesco stuff? Aldi clothes, Aldi liquid. Proper stuff, spend some money looking after it.

And finally, it’s designed to look like Aerial liquid. Which is purple, not blue….

I’ve been using biological washing liquid for years and not damaged anything. Reproof once a year. Your mileage may vary.

I still managed to ruin my favourite shirt last week by forgetting to take it out before tumble-drying the rest of the load.