Seeing a soaking wet waterproof jacket makes my toes curl a little. It reminds me of hypothermic D of E expedition weekends when no one in our group knew what a good rain jacket was let alone knew how to look after one. Because of those memories, I’ve always been aware of the difference a well-looked-after jacket can make. So I use Nikwax’s Tech Wash and TX.Direct solutions.
The green bottle, the Tech Wash, is brilliant at removing dirt and body oils from the fabrics without damaging any pre-existing durable water repellent treatment – the stuff that helps to repel moisture. It’s definitely the safest way to clean your waterproof jacket.
Then there’s the purple bottle, the re-proofer, which is called Nikwax TX.Direct. This stuff is excellent for making sure your waterproof jacket remains not only waterproof but breathable as well, adding a restorative new water repellent barrier to the outer fabric.
Now I recently had one of the wettest runs of my life and unfortunately it was 50 miles long too. 50 miles of non-stop rain. Fortunately, I’d washed and re-proofed my jacket beforehand and I was exceptionally glad I did. Watch this video below and you’ll be able to see the difference it made. You’ll also be able to see my step-by-step guide to applying both of these solutions quickly and easily at home – and that’s to any type of waterproof jacket, whether that’s a Gore-tex, eVent, NeoShell or Paramo one.
