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Reproofing your outdoor garments is important to maintain waterproofing , breathability, and durability. Over time, exposure to weather, dirt, and wear can cause the durable water repellency (DWR) on your jacket or gear to break down, reducing its ability to repel water and protect you. Cleaning and reproofing helps restore these properties, ensuring that your gear continues to perform effectively in wet conditions. It also extends the life of your gear, saving you money in the long run by keeping it in good condition.

Normal detergents will leave a water-attracting residue on your outdoor clothing, so if you’ve already washed your outdoor clothing with regular detergent or washing powder, you can still restore its performance by cleaning it properly with Nikwax. Start by cleaning your washing machine’s detergent tray to remove any detergent or fabric softener residue. Then, use the appropriate Nikwax cleaner, such as Tech Wash® or Down Wash.Direct®, and wash the garment according to the care label instructions for cycle and temperature.

If the garment has visible stains or heavy dirt, spot-treat these areas with neat Tech Wash or Down Wash.Direct before washing. Since regular detergent can strip the Durable Water Repellency (DWR) coating, check if the garment still repels water after cleaning. If necessary, reproof it with a Nikwax reproofing product, such as TX.Direct® Wash-In or Down Proof, following the product instructions to restore water repellency.

Yes. We strongly recommend using Nikwax Tech Wash or one of our cleaners as a pre-wash to remove dirt and any detergent residues that can prevent the waterproofing from bonding to the fabric fibres.

Stain Scrub won’t bleach your gear. As with any fabric treatment, there is a chance of colour run so we recommend testing it on a hidden area first.

You can use Stain Scrub as often as needed – ideally before each wash if your gear has visible stains. Regular spot-cleaning helps extend the life of your gear without compromising performance or waterproofing.

Yes. It can be used in households with children and pets. As with any cleaning product, store it out of reach when not in use.

No, Stain Scrub is specifically formulated to remove stains without compromising the integrity of Durable Water Repellent (DWR) coatings. It effectively cleans while preserving your gear’s waterproof performance.

No, this product hasn’t been designed for use with leather or suede.

Yes. Stain Scrub is free from harmful chemicals and bleaching agents, and it is not harmful to aquatic life.

The more you exercise, the hotter you get and the more you sweat. As the sweat evaporates it cools you down. Breathable garments allow the sweat vapour to escape, keeping you comfortable. If the sweat vapour is allowed to build up in your clothing, it becomes damp and you will become clammy and uncomfortable

Wicking is the process by which fabrics draw sweat away from the skin and spread it across the surface for faster evaporation. This helps keep you dry, cool, and comfortable, which is essential for outdoor activities. Regular detergents, however, can leave residues on fabrics that block the wicking process, reduce breathability, and compromise the performance of technical fabrics. Using a specialist product like Nikwax BaseWash® or Nikwax Sports Refresh ensures the fabric remains free from these residues, maintaining its ability to wick moisture and perform effectively.

Durable Water Repellency (DWR) is an invisible water-repellent finish applied to the outer fabric of most outdoor clothing and equipment. It prevents the fabric from absorbing water by making water bead up on the surface and roll off. Maintenance of the DWR with one of our cleaning products is vital to allow the fabric to breathe.

Our footwear products are specially formulated to minimise any change in colour, texture or appearance however we always advise testing the product on a hidden area prior to complete application.

Waterproofing Wax for Leather can be applied to wet or dry footwear, for all other proofers you will need to wet the substrate before application. Always clean with Footwear Cleaning Gel prior to treatment.

For light use, reproof once a year and for heavier use, reproof 2-3 times a year.

TX.Direct Wash-In provides complete and even coating across the entire garment, ensuring that hard-to-reach areas like seams and stitching are fully protected. Using TX.Direct Wash-In is ideal for providing quick, thorough coverage in a single wash cycle.

TX.Direct Spray-On is ideal for treating items that cannot be machine washed, offering targeted waterproofing without affecting performance. TX.Direct Spray-On is an easy-to-use solution for items that require extra protection in specific areas or for those that can’t be machine washed, helping to maintain breathability and waterproofing over time.

Yes, Nikwax spray-on proofers should be applied to wet garments, items should always be cleaned with the relevant Nikwax cleaner prior to treatment.

PFAS stands for polyfluoroalkyl substances, which is the name given to the broad family of products called perfluorinated compounds: man-made substances that appear in a huge array of household and care products due to their water and oil repelling properties.PFAS can take thousands of years to break down in the environment, giving them the nickname ‘forever chemicals’. Worryingly, they have been shown to be harmful to both human and environmental health.  If you’d like to know more, we’ve written a blog about it here.

The Nikwax Chemical Management System (CMS) is designed to be a transparent and open source. We want to share our CMS Policy Manual with others, including all the principles we use for safer chemistry and how we have integrated them into our ISO 9001 audits. Our aim is to encourage other companies to develop and implement their own transparent, safer methodologies for chemical processing.

You can find our CMS Policy Manual here.

As part of our CMS, we have developed a comprehensive Manufacturing Restrictive Substances List (MRSL) that restricts the input of hazardous chemicals into our manufacturing processes and our products. This also require all our suppliers to sign a declaration that the goods they supply us with comply with our MRSL. Finally, we undertake annual wastewater testing at our manufacturing facility to verify compliance.

Net Zero is a state achieved when human-generated greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced, and the remaining emissions have been removed through emission removal methods.

At Nikwax, we follow the Science Based Target initiatives guidance on Net Zero, which means aiming to reduce our emissions by at least 90%. The remaining emissions are removed by carbon removal methods, leaving zero emissions. You can view our Net Zero Roadmap here.

Emission scopes are different categories of emissions, as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol – the global standard by which both corporate and government emissions are reported. There are 3 categories of emissions:

GHG Scope 1 emissions: direct emissions from sources we own or control, such as company-owned cars.

GHG Scope 2 emissions: indirect emissions from the energy we purchase, such as electricity.

GHG Scope 3 emissions: indirect emissions from all other sources within our value chain, such as purchased goods and services.

Whilst we are making every effort to reduce our emissions, some are unavoidable or very challenging to reduce. We have therefore chosen to support the World Land Trust in their Carbon Balanced programme by purchasing carbon credits for the direct emissions we aren’t able to impact. By doing this, we are financing vital conservation work in countries including Vietnam, Ecuador and Guatemala, whilst moving closer to achieving our Net Zero scope 1 and 2 emissions targets.

We always look to material evidence to inform our decisions. Plastic is not a perfect material, and we regularly review whether there is evidence to suggest better alternatives.

Our decision to continue using recycled plastic is based on research carried out by the European Outdoor Group’s ‘Single Use Plastic Project’. After reviewing a huge array of evidence and peer reviewed lifecycle studies, they published a report on single use plastics and their alternatives. This report evidences that recycled plastic is the preferred material in almost every aspect – apart from its end of life treatment – hence why we use recycled plastic that is also recyclable.

We encourage all Nikwax customers to recycle our bottles and give them a second life.

We undertake an annual review of our plastic use based on our annual purchases. We use either the plastic weight provided by our suppliers, or we measure this internally to determine a weight for each item. Our report covers plastic use across our operations, from our packaging to our plastic use in our offices, such as tea bags and pens.

Yes, alongside our annual plastic use audit we always review where we can make changes to either eliminate plastic alltogether or swap to recycled plastic alternatives.

We work with the World Land Trust (WLT) by supporting their Carbon Balanced programme, which funds REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) projects around the world. Working with environmental organisations on the ground, WLT provides a vital lifeline to threatened habitats. You can learn more about WLT’s Carbon Balanced programme here.

The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) provides different levels of membership to the outdoor brands that support it. As a vital Sustaining Member, we donate an extra €10,000 a year on top of our membership fee to cover EOCA’s all-important operational costs. This ensures EOCA can continue supporting hands-on conservation projects worldwide.

It means that our company is owned by us, the employees. We are proud to all be Partners with an equal share in a thriving business.

Our company has always had a strong environmental and social ethos, and in 2022 we transitioned to employee-ownership to embed these values further, ensuring they can never be compromised.

All Nikwax products are manufactured in Wadhurst, East Sussex in the UK.

No. Nikwax has never been testing on animals. 

We hold multiple standards certifying our operations and manufacturing practices.

We are System Partners, members of Sedex – the social auditing platform, and hold a number of ISO standards; 14001 Environmental Management, 9001 Quality Management, and 45001 Health and Safety. We have also signed up to the UN’s Race to Zero campaign and have set ourselves a validated near-term science-based target with the Science Based Target initiative.

No. Nikwax treatments do not change the colour, texture or feel of garments or sleeping bags.

It is advisable to inspect the seam tape if it is accessible. If you notice loose tape seams we would recommend, if under guarantee that it be professionally re-taped, cleaned and reproofed by the garment’s manufacturer. If not in guarantee you can glue them carefully with a clear glue. Follow up with a clean using a gentle hand wash of Tech Wash followed by a hand- wash application of TX.Direct Wash-In.

Yes, in hard water areas you may need to use slightly more Nikwax product when cleaning your gear. Hard water contains higher levels of minerals like calcium and magnesium, which can affect the performance of detergents. In these areas, using a bit more of the product helps ensure that the treatment is effective and evenly applied. Please refer to the product instructions for specific dosage information.

Yes. Sometimes in delivery and changes in temperature, will encourage the solution to separate, or if the product hasn’t been used for any length of time. Just shake or agitate to mix the solution and apply.

All our products have a freezing point of -2⁰C although anything from 0⁰C could be considered a ‘danger’ point. Store in a cool, dry place, rather than outside. If your product has been accidentally frozen, we would advise that you do not use it and dispose the product.

No. We have created products that do not need heat to establish the bond between the waterproofing polymer and fabric. The performance of all Nikwax treatments is excellent with air drying.