Nikwax Down Care Kit

Down filled items are used to provide lightweight insulation to keep you warm. The structure of down allows air to be trapped between its filaments and warmed by body heat to provide insulation for the user.

Through use, dirt and body oils build up on down items. This affects both the fabric and the down fill. Dirt attracts water; if the fabric absorbs water, rain and condensation can easily transfer into the down. If down gets wet it clumps together. This causes it to lose loft and insulation as it can’t trap air effectively. When wet, down loses its insulating properties, as water conducts heat away from the body up to 25 times faster than air. It will also gain weight and its breathability will be significantly reduced; leaving you feeling cold, wet and uncomfortable.

Down filled items are most likely to get sweaty and wet inside when used in damp or wet conditions. Therefore it is important to stop down filled gear from getting wet by maintaining Durable Water Repellency (DWR). The outer fabric of your down filled item, as well as the down inside, must be maintained to ensure comfort.

Down is ideal for very cold and dry conditions…

Down has exceptional insulating properties, trapping air between its filaments to keep you warm. No other product offers so much insulation for so little weight and bulk. It’s ideal for sleeping bags, jackets, gilets and down clothing in general.

Water, whether it is rain or condensation from sweat, compromises the insulating properties of down. If down gets wet it loses all of its insulating capacity and also causes weight gain. This reduces the comfort of the user, causing them to feel cold and wet, but more importantly the reduction in insulation is dangerous and in severe cases can lead to hypothermia. When wet, down loses all of its insulating properties, as water conducts heat away from the body up to 25 times faster than air.

Your down items could be soaking up water because the Durable Water Repellency (DWR) has been compromised by dirt, or because it has been cleaned with a conventional laundry detergent. Dirt attracts water and household detergents leave water attracting (hydrophilic) residues, leading to fabric and down ‘wetting out’ in wet or damp conditions.

If your down items are relatively new, or have been recently treated with Nikwax Down Proof, then cleaning with Nikwax Down Wash.Direct will not only remove contaminants, such as dirt and residues left behind by household detergents, but also revitalise insulation and restore DWR.

However, once the gear has been thoroughly used, you will need to add DWR, using Nikwax Down Proof, after cleaning first with Nikwax Down Wash.Direct. This will add DWR to the outer fabric of the gear and also the down fill.

Down needs Nikwax Down Wash.Direct, a specialist cleaner…

Conventional laundry detergents leave behind a water attractive (hydrophilic) residue on both the outer fabric and the down fill which masks Durable Water Repellency (DWR). This causes the fabric and down to absorb water and ‘wet out’ in damp or wet conditions, leading to loss of insulation.

Cleaning products that are not designed specifically for the treatment of down items may also compromise the loft properties of down. If you choose the wrong cleaner, you might cause the dirt from the outer fabric to be re-deposited onto the down, which would reduce its loft and insulation. Therefore, they need to be avoided when cleaning down items.

Nikwax Down Wash.Direct has been specifically designed and optimised for down items. Use Nikwax Down Wash.Direct to thoroughly clean your down items safely, revitalising insulation, breathability and to restore DWR.

How you treat your down is as important as the products you use…

Wet down is heavy, so it is important to use the right wash cycle to ensure no damage occurs to your machine or your down items. A gentle cycle with a slow spin is recommended.

After washing it is important that down items are thoroughly rinsed and very thoroughly dried. Even if you treat your items by hand, spin drying is recommended using a slow spin to get the maximum amount of water out of your down. It’s best to spin dry multiple times, each time incrementally increasing the speed of the spin cycle. If items are spun too quickly while still holding a large amount of water it is possible that internal baffles may be broken.

Tumble drying is recommended to ensure that the down is dried thoroughly and as quickly as possible. Leaving down wet or damp can ruin it completely. Ensure that there is sufficient room in the tumble drier to house the item once dry, as items will return to their original size during the drying process. Teasing apart clumps repeatedly during the drying process will help restore loft to the down.

Nikwax Down Wash.Direct has been specifically designed and optimised for down filled gear. It is a highly effective cleaner which removes body oils and dirt from both the fabric and the down fill. It also restores the Durable Water Repellency (DWR) of both the outer fabric and the down. This protects against rain and condensation, preventing the item from wetting out and maintaining the natural insulating properties of down. Additionally it revives breathability, allowing moisture vapour to pass through the item, optimising performance in cold and damp conditions.

Nikwax Down Wash.Direct prolongs the effective life of your down gear. It is the way to thoroughly clean your down clothing and equipment. Application in a washing machine is quick, easy, and ensures that the whole item is thoroughly cleaned.

Nikwax Down Proof has been specifically designed and optimised for down filled gear. It adds Durable Water Repellency (DWR), which protects against rain and condensation, improving the natural insulating properties of down.

Nikwax Down Proof prolongs the effective life of your down gear. It leaves a flexible water repellent treatment on individual down filaments and fabric fibres allowing moisture vapour to pass through, maintaining breathability and optimising performance in cold and damp conditions.