1. You have to tumble dry after treatment – FALSE

Totally untrue. Nikwax treatments do not need to be heat-treated to work, which means that tumble drying or ironing isn’t necessary after reproofing with any Nikwax water repellent product. It’s one of the areas where Nikwax differs from most other aftermarket kit care brands, you can simply air dry your clothing and the repellent will work just fine.

The one exception to this is after cleaning and reproofing down products when Nikwax suggests using a tumble drier at a low temperature to ensure the down is completely dry with its loft and fill power restored. Find out more.

3. Normal household detergent can reduce my jacket’s effectiveness – TRUE

Ordinary washing powders and liquids won’t make your jacket fall to pieces, but chemicals used in normal detergents like optical brighteners and wetting agents can remain on your clothing even after rinsing and reduce the water repellency of the fabric.

That means instead of water beading and rolling off the surface, it can soak the outer surface of the garment in a process often called ‘wetting out’, which reduces breathability and, because the fabric is wet, leaves you feeling cold.

Nikwax cleaners don’t contain these chemicals, so will allow your clothing to work as designed and reduce wetting out. Find out more about the process.

4. Nikwax products are environmentally friendly – TRUE

Nikwax prides itself on its environmental heritage so from the very beginning of the company nearly 40 years ago, when founder Nick Brown mixed up the first batch of Nikwax in his flat,  there were certain chemicals and delivery devices that we never used.

Nikwax has never used aerosols or CFCs and more recently it completely phased out the use of solvents in its products so everything now is water-based, which is much better for the environment. In particular Nikwax has never used Fluorocarbons and PFCs.

The company made that decision almost 15 years ago because there were doubts about the toxicity of those chemicals and more recently it’s been proved that they are persistent in the environment and potentially toxic to human life with Greenpeace in particular campaigning to ban their use.

6. Nikwax spray is as good as the wash-in version – TRUE

Both Nikwax wash-in and spray-on treatments work equally well, the main difference is in ease of application and which types of garment they suit.

Traditionally spray-on treatments have tended to be used on clothing which has a separate wicking lining, as it’s possible to reproof the outer face fabric without affecting the wicking action of the inner liner, while wash-in treatments are used for single layer fabrics without a separate liner.

In an ideal world, that’s probably the way to go, but the ease of use of wash-in treatments – just like a normal wash cycle – mean that many Nikwax users will opt for wash-in treatments for all their technical outdoor clothing.

7. You need to clean the garment before you apply the treatment – TRUE

Yes, it’s absolutely necessary to make sure that you clean the garment before re-proofing. In many cases it’s not actually necessary to re-proof the garment as just cleaning will remove the dirt and residue that’s masking the DWR and that will often be enough to restore the performance of the DWR.

The latest version of Nikwax Techwash has actually been upgraded so you can use it more often without needing to reproof, how’s that for altruism?

More about the Nikwax two-stage cleaning and proofing process.

8. You can only use Nikwax on waterproof jackets – FALSE

Nikwax has a full range of items that are specifically tailored to different garments so you can clean and proof all types of footwear as well as different types of fabrics and materials including weather-resistant, but not waterproof soft shells and windproofs.

Nikwax’s top-selling products like TX Direct and Tech Wash are aimed primarily at waterproof garments, but the Nikwax range also includes products suitable for, say, fleece and down garments as well as Basefresh which is suitable for cleaning baselayers, both wool and synthetic.

Products are tailored to specific fabrics, so those aimed at baselayers, for example, don’t add water repellency, though they will help maintain the original characteristics of the fabrics used.

10. Washing / re-proofing will adversely affect the breathability of your garment? – FALSE

Some people are afraid to wash and reproof their expensive outdoor kit because they think it might ruin the performance, but washing and proofing are actual essential to keeping things working as they’re supposed to, which is why many outdoor brands recommend using Nikwax.

Without reproofing, the outside of your garment will tend to get soggy – ‘wetting out’ – which impairs the breathability of the garment and doesn’t allow the water vapour to escape the garment as easily.

Often jackets returned to stores as ‘leaking’ turn out out to simply need cleaning and reproofing. Because they’ve been neglected, sweat has condensed on the inside of the jacket making the user wet and giving the impression that there’s leak when there isn’t.

Bonus ‘fact’: You can get are free samples of Nikwax – TRUE!!!

Sounds preposterous, but this really is true. Head on over to nikwax.co.uk and successfully complete the online web-quiz and Nikwax will send you a free sample of one of its care products. These change every two months, so you’ll never get bored.