Washing HydroFoil

Like the drivetrain or expensive components on your bike, proper care and maintenance is essential to extend the life of your HydroFoil™ rain jacket or pants and optimise their performance over time.

Wash Regularly

• Accumulated dirt, body oil, sunscreen and sweat degrade the factory-applied water repellant treatment on the outside of the HydroFoil™ fabric.
• Wash after about half a dozen outings, or after a particularly grubby ride. If it looks dirty, then your garment is definitely overdue some love.
• No need for kid gloves - just a warm machine wash at 40º with a mild plant-based soap like Ecostore, Earthwise or Aware.
• You can also opt for a specific sport wash like Nikwax Tech Wash or Grangers Performance Wash - around NZ$30 online or from most outdoor shops.
  
• Avoid cold-water detergents and those with bleach, 'oxygen whitener' or fabric softener.
• The cold-water varieties have little enzymes that are super-charged to brave the cold but damage technical fabrics like HydroFoil™.
• Bleach and sodium percarbonate (the main ingredient in oxygen whitener) can also cause damage and make colours run.
• Fabric softener and wool wash attack HydroFoil's water repellent finish.

Recharge and Restore

• After washing, line dry or preferably give it a spin in the dryer on a warm (not hot) cycle - this helps ‘recharge’ the factory water repellent finish.
• The factory treatment does wear off quite quickly. When the fabric starts to rapidly wet out - generally after about four washes - you’ll want to restore with a water repellent solution.
• Ground Effect recommends TX Direct. It is easy to apply and each bottle is good for a few applications. At just $29 NZD ($10 off the usual retail price), it’s a small and worthwhile investment to keep your expensive jacket or pants humming through the winter.
• The effectiveness of this restoration process depends on the age and condition of your jacket.
• Note that while the fabric's wetting-out impairs performance, particularly breathability, the HydroFoil™ laminate will remain waterproof.

Store Dry

• A damp jacket left to fester for an extended period of time in your bag will suffer. Hang it on a hook or coat hanger in a dry place between rides.