HI all,

I have a Pearl Izumi Instinct jacket. Over the winters months, as I don't have mud guards, it has become quite dirty. I have tried various detergents to clean it but nothing seems to shift the dirt. All the time I have kept the wash cycle down to 30 degrees as recommended by Pearl Izumi. At this stage I'm tempted to throw it in at 90 degrees to shift the dirt. Is this a good idea or will I ruin the jacket? I have some re-waterproofer to wash in afterwards.

Thanks!

What do you mean by "I have kept the wash cycle down to 30 degrees" ?

I assume he's talking degrees with a "C," not an "F."

What I don't understand is how one would get 90C water into a washing machine. That's well beyond the capability of a normal home water heater. It's also a temperature that's likely to damage more than just the coating, if the jacket is made from polyester. Aren't there some reasonable intermediate steps between un-heated and nuclear powered?

Let me give you the tips and tricks I picked up from backpacking:

- Never use liquid detergent on waterproof fabrics, unless it's a special wash just for them.*
- Wash waterproof fabrics on gentle cycle, cold/cold.
- Don't put waterproof fabrics through the dryer. (see exception below)

*Nikwak Tech Wash or other special designed liquid detergent for DWR/GTX fabrics.

If the dirt isn't coming out, then just deal. It's probably set in the fabric and stained there for good. Don't wash it in high heat or with the wrong soap because that will destroy the coating on the fabric, ruining the waterproof quality.
DWR coated fabrics can sometimes be revived with dry heat. A quick (10 min) gentle tumble in a medium heat clothes dryer, or a light ironing on low settings may work. If neither solution revives the water repellency, then bring out the big guns and use something like Nikwax Wash-In Waterproofing.

Maybe try some OxyClean?

I'm not sure if OxiClean would be good for DWR fabrics.
I know that it would not help the actual cleanliness if regular detergent isn't helping. OxiClean is a bicarbonate bound peroxide which produces H2O2 in water. The oxidizing reaction of hydrogen peroxide "bleaches" the colour from a stain, even though the offending material is still there.
When DWR material gets dirt in the fabric pores, the mechanical abrasion wears down the Teflon coating on the fibers, reducing the water repellency of the material. The dirt also clogs the pores of the fabric, reducing the breathability.
OxiClean might make it look cleaner, but functionally it would still suffer.

Have toy tried dry cleaning.
The cleaners can sometimes apply their own water repellant treatment but if you want to do it youerself use Nikwax TX10. Rewash the clean item with soapflakes or nikwax tech was then use tx-10 wash-in

Dirt is really bad for goretex, esp the mixture of oil, diesel, rubber and crud that comes from roads. Get some fenders.

I hadn't thought about temps before in terms of degrees, but anything that I would not put in the drier (like waterproof fabric), I wash on 'cold', 50F/10C. 30C would be about medium, which is what I wash 'whites' in (few of which are actually white). But it's drying, not washing, that really sets stains so I wouldn't worry about wash temp too much.

i agree. i've used this stuff on my snowboard gear and has maintained it well.

European washing machines use cold water and have a built in water heater. Mine goes up to 95c for white cottons.