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Washing Textile Gear

I see that you guys can wash your gear and your motorcycle with the greatest of care, but when it comes to washing clothes or cleaning around the house you don't have any idea how or when to do it. :scratch Is that another man thing!:banghead

Becky :dance

Funny but just the other day I heard two women at work talking and one was complaining about how her hubby is always giving her more clothes to wash and how she hated having to do nothing but washing. I didn't say anything though I wa!nted to just butt in and tell her to her hubby to do his own damn washing! Ha ha!

I do my own, all in one big load, wham and its done....then I go for a ride...:lol

RM
 
I see that you guys can wash your gear and your motorcycle with the greatest of care, but when it comes to washing clothes or cleaning around the house you don't have any idea how or when to do it. :scratch Is that another man thing!:banghead

Becky :dance

:violin Sorry.... I always wanted to use this smilely.

Yeah...It's a man thing for me.

But when said washer starts making loud noisies and leaks water all over the floor, above mentioned man takes it apart and replaces bearing, reseals the drum and then after he washes his hands........he goes for a ride.

After returning that night he discards his dirty clothing, knowing that they will appear at a later date, clean and ready to wear.

The cycle is once again complete. All is right with the universe.





P.S. The cleaning lady has her own K75 and I have to buy new socks every now and again as the laundry tends to back up on nice days????:thumb
 
Womans work...

Okay guys, I am alone now so I can say this, not that I aint the boss around here...

My nephew asked the secret to a long lasting relationship... told him that if you have to mix soap with water, it is woman's work.

Also told him to marry pretty... you can teach a beautiful woman to cook, but you can't teach an ugly cook to be beautiful......


Any replies will be answered as soon as I get out of the hospital...

Jeff:hungover
 
Cheapskate BMW owners crack me up. Will pay $25,000 for a new bike. Will pay $800 for a riding suit. Won't pay $8 for a bottle of detergent designed to wash and protect $800 riding suit. To each their own, but to ride a BMW but complain about a $8 bottle of detergent makes me laugh.

If $8 is too steep for you, better trade the BMW in on a Suzuki.

I wish a bottle of your stuff ran me $8.

Considering my Gore-Tex suit breathes, is waterproof and looks like the day I bought it...what more could I want. I guess I could spend more and get no more.

BTW, you're assuming a lot.
 
Cheapskate BMW owners crack me up. Will pay $25,000 for a new bike. Will pay $800 for a riding suit. Won't pay $8 for a bottle of detergent designed to wash and protect $800 riding suit. To each their own, but to ride a BMW but complain about a $8 bottle of detergent makes me laugh.

If $8 is too steep for you, better trade the BMW in on a Suzuki.

Yep, I'm one of those guys; I saved for years by buying cheap shampoo, and finally had enough money saved to

BUY A BMW!
:blah :blah :blah

What a joke!

Whatta ya win the lottery where money is no object? :scratch Gimme a break, each to his or her own, and more power to em is what I say!

If I washed my old Joe Rocket outfit WITH ANYTHING but water I'm afraid it would fall to pieces! I just spray it every year, and I save my money for good women and great pie!
 
My nephew asked the secret to a long lasting relationship... told him that if you have to mix soap with water, it is woman's work.

Don't laugh.

When I'm in Italy at my girlfriend's house, I have to sneak out to the fountain to do a wash.

Not a minute goes by and incredibly the women (and men) can hear me scrubbing away.

The women give me hell and the men tell me I'm setting a bad example.

I give up!
 
Cheapskate BMW owners crack me up. Will pay $25,000 for a new bike. Will pay $800 for a riding suit. Won't pay $8 for a bottle of detergent designed to wash and protect $800 riding suit. To each their own, but to ride a BMW but complain about a $8 bottle of detergent makes me laugh.

If $8 is too steep for you, better trade the BMW in on a Suzuki.

It isn't about "steep". It's about wasting money - or not. From my sometimes thrifty perspective, spending $8 when $2.50 will do is a waste of money. Many of us, myself and you included, didn't buy our bikes new. Many of us try to be careful with our limited funds. Some are on fixed incomes. Some are riding bikes that cost not much more than their riding gear. Not everyone can afford to waste money, even $5 or so. Some, of course, are just being cheap, but who are you or I to judge? Please try to be respectful of those who make different choices or have different means that yourself.
 
Are Suzuki's cheap ?

I am not sure if everyone knows, but there is a group of riders which are loved in our BMW Community known as the Poverty Rider. Since we embrace diversity here we should not limit ourselves to being a bunch of snobs knit-picking over a few dollars that another rider may or may not have. Nor offend a campfire attendee looking for advice and guidance.

There are cheaper and better products available that work extremely well even if it is vinegar, lemon juice, or Yak urine. Some of these alternative products are environmentally friendly so they will not kill a clam down stream in your favorite sea side community. So if there is a bio-friendly stitch cleaner please allow it to be mentioned here on the forum. Please be open minded we all don't live in America.

I have no problems in what you ride and what items one takes on their journey. To prove a point wealth verses ownership to get to a destination, I should mention a fellow rider named Simon. This known suspense and adventure novelist has toured Central and South America on an 125cc motorcycle and he is currently coming up the eastern seaboard. So as far as pricey bikes, gear, or even watches no one really notices but you the rider. They all get you to the same destination so what is the problem ? The money one saves might be used to help the less fortunate that may not have a generous country that we are blessed with. :usa



I agree, I ride a 24 year old BMW because It fits me and it does everything I need it to do. If a new model comes out that fits me better and does more of what I need, then I will buy that one.
Enough of the $$$........ :blah :blah :blah :blah

I'm interested in finding a good cleaner for my 1st wash of a Commuter jacket. I heard the colors will bleed in the rain if you don't set them by washing first.
I have a front load washer and would like to get it right the first time with this jacket. Actually we have two of them, the laundry lady has one too.

So here is what I have seen so far:

Oxi Clean
Shout
Nikwax
Fabreze
Simple Green

Sounds like liquid soap and powder soap are not favored. Gentle hand washing or a front load washer on gentle or normal cycle. What is the general concenses here on which to use. Nikwax has the highest amount recommendations so far.

I have an old Fieldsheer jacket that I will wash first, that one has seen battle and has been washed with what ever soap was used that day. Its black faded to olive drab by UV and many washes, you know one of those jackets you can't kill.
 
I agree, I ride a 24 year old BMW because It fits me and it does everything I need it to do. If a new model comes out that fits me better and does more of what I need, then I will buy that one.
Enough of the $$$........ :blah :blah :blah :blah

I'm interested in finding a good cleaner for my 1st wash of a Commuter jacket. I heard the colors will bleed in the rain if you don't set them by washing first.
I have a front load washer and would like to get it right the first time with this jacket. Actually we have two of them, the laundry lady has one too.

So here is what I have seen so far:

Oxi Clean
Shout
Nikwax
Fabreze
Simple Green

Sounds like liquid soap and powder soap are not favored. Gentle hand washing or a front load washer on gentle or normal cycle. What is the general concenses here on which to use. Nikwax has the highest amount recommendations so far.

I have an old Fieldsheer jacket that I will wash first, that one has seen battle and has been washed with what ever soap was used that day. Its black faded to olive drab by UV and many washes, you know one of those jackets you can't kill.

You can use whatever detergent you want as long as you thoroughly rinse all the detergent out of the fabric. You have a front loader, which is half the battle. Front loaders extract much more detergent out of the fabric through the rinse process than top loaders.

Run them through once with detergent (I follow the manufacturer's recommendations and use Nikwax) and then wash at least twice more WITHOUT detergent. This will remove every last bit of detergent from your jacket, allowing the micropores of your waterproof-breathable fabric to open and, well, breathe.

If you don't thoroughly rinse the detergent out of the fabric, it won't repel water as well and it won't breathe at all.
 
The reason is

I also clean the bikes (mind and my husband) after riding. We both work on the race bike and the old bikes. The newer ones are harder to work on and a lot of plastic to deal with. I also have a neat tool box if I can keep my husband away from it.

Becky

I love a woman with her own tool box!!!! If I could just get my wife to wash my RT my life would be complete. lol:dance

As for washing clothes, I was banned from everything except towels and my riding gear. I use Nickwax products for the riding gear since it is especially formulated for Goretex. The reason my wife bans me from washing clothes is that she uses some kind of magical system for sorting and stuff and knows what fabrics require the specific voodoo incantation (all of which she will not share with me). :banghead But we (men) just do not have a great interest in regular clothes just the fun ones (like riding suits)

Cheers

Denis R1200RT
 
Gentle hand washing or a front load washer on gentle or normal cycle. What is the general concenses here on which to use.

Well since some are "so concerned" about what they might do to their suits, I'm surprised they don't just soak their suits in a laundry tub, which is what I have done since I bought my first Aerostich suit in 1992...and still have. I wonder how many have suits that have been used for 12 years that are still as good as new?

And the reason it still looks new is because it hasn't been beat to death in any washer. As mentioned, I only use the spin cycle on my suit.

I guess there are many definitions of dirty. Dust/dirt/bugs on a suit; any product will wash out. My red suit gets exposed to lots of diesel fumes while riding in Europe and the water in my laundry tub is near pitch black after soaking and hand agitating it over a few hours. I doubt your average detergent would get it as clean as new. Tide almost did. Shout does!
 
Gore-Tex says...

Jeez...here are your answers right from Gore-Tex themselves...

Link to: Gore-Tex Outerwear Care

Wash
  • Machine-wash warm (104?? F/40?? C). Powder or liquid detergent. No fabric softener. Follow manufacturer's instructions.

Bleach
  • No chlorine bleach. It may damage your garment.

Stain Removal
  • Use a pre-wash treatment such as Shout?« or Spray 'n Wash?«, following its manufacturer's instructions. Rinse well.

Hmmmmm, I wonder what companies with interests have been leading us down that other road.
 
I own two textile jackets: a Cortech Lite which I wear in winter, and a First Gear Mesh Tex. On rare occasions I'll scrape stuff off. Usually on the mesh jacket because the guts from large bugs get into the mesh, etc... Every couple of years I'll hang it up and whack it a few times to knock dust & crap off. A 9-iron works well.

I'm sure its bad for the jackets and makes them ineffective. But I've only had the mesh jacket for six years and the Cortech for four, so maybe there hasn't been enough time to know for sure.:dunno :D
 
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Jeez...here are your answers right from Gore-Tex themselves...

Link to: Gore-Tex Outerwear Care

Wash
  • Machine-wash warm (104?? F/40?? C). Powder or liquid detergent. No fabric softener. Follow manufacturer's instructions.

Bleach
  • No chlorine bleach. It may damage your garment.

Stain Removal
  • Use a pre-wash treatment such as Shout?« or Spray 'n Wash?«, following its manufacturer's instructions. Rinse well.

Hmmmmm, I wonder what companies with interests have been leading us down that other road.

Great Link, you forgot one item from their site:

WATER REPELLENT TREATMENT
Gore recommends applying a topical water repellency restorative (DWR treatment) for outdoor fabrics, available at your local outdoor retailer. We do not recommend wash-in treatments as they can affect the garment's breathability.

The wash-in treatment as in Nikwax's TX-Direct.....?

On Nikwax's site they have a product call TX-Direct Spray-on which sounds like what Gore-Tex is talking about when they say to apply a DWR treatment after washing.
Is this the one most are refering to?
 
or claims not to use this, not to use that...please show me some proof in the way of a bulletin and preferably not from a company with a vested interest like Nikwax. Yes, they make good stuff; I use their Map Proof and their Aqueous Wax on my Asolo hiking boots, but I draw the line on their Tech Wash and TX.Direct Wash In...just a bit too pricey for me, at least up here it is.
Rinse, rinse and rinse!

My Grandma was a thrifty German and Grandpa was a tight fisted Scottish man and I have genes from both. I bought the Nikwax wash and the TX Direct "Wash in" from Aerostich upon the recommendation of Boxer Grrle. :hug I have not been sorry. I no longer look for a place to stop to don raingear at the appearance of the first ominous cloud I see. My cordura nylon coat and pants keep me nice and dry. Best money I ever spent on cycle gear.
:usa
 
Great Link, you forgot one item from their site:

WATER REPELLENT TREATMENT
Gore recommends applying a topical water repellency restorative (DWR treatment) for outdoor fabrics, available at your local outdoor retailer. We do not recommend wash-in treatments as they can affect the garment's breathability.

The wash-in treatment as in Nikwax's TX-Direct.....?

On Nikwax's site they have a product call TX-Direct Spray-on which sounds like what Gore-Tex is talking about when they say to apply a DWR treatment after washing.
Is this the one most are refering to?

Well the post was more about "washing" than anything, but thanks for making note of that. I just mentioned that I choose to use 3M Scotchgard.

Well I would use ReviveX Waterproofer if I wasn't using 3M Scotchgard. At $6, maybe I'll give that ReviveX a try...it does have the Gore-Tex sign on it.
 
Cheapskate BMW owners crack me up. Will pay $25,000 for a new bike. Will pay $800 for a riding suit. Won't pay $8 for a bottle of detergent designed to wash and protect $800 riding suit. To each their own, but to ride a BMW but complain about a $8 bottle of detergent makes me laugh.

If $8 is too steep for you, better trade the BMW in on a Suzuki.

What cracks me up are the 'devout' BMW riders who'll pay anything for anything, just because it's the 'orthodox' way of doing it.
 
We got a set of Whirlpool front loaders last year, and these things are brilliant. When you put your hand on them, you can barely tell they are running. The washer uses very little water, and the washer even has a hand wash cycle. The door hinges look like they were made by Boeing.

And they are teen ager proof.

I wouldn't hesitate to wash any riding suit in the washer.

We've had one for a couple years now. They are great for washing gear.

Oh, guess where they're made, that's right, Germany (at least the pair I have).
 
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