How to Clean and Waterproof a Shell Jacket

A shell jacket refers to any technical, non-insulated and lightweight rain jacket or outdoor jacket that is designed to repel water while still maintaining breathability. They most often utilize a multi-layer fabric system and some type of membrane layer internally to allow sweat vapor to escape, while simultaneously keeping out precipitation. We developed the HELLY TECH® system – our own unique technology for waterproof and breathable outer layers. Shell jackets are the standard for staying dry during outdoor activities like hiking, exploring, and mountaineering, but they require intentional care in order to maintain their high level of performance. They will lose water-repellency over time and with wear & tear, but they can be rejuvenated.

It’s time to clean your shell jacket when something obvious happens to it.

Did you…

• bump into a sappy tree on your last hike?
• store your jacket at the bottom of your closet, all crumpled and creased?
• spill your “summit beer” all over your jacket?
• start to notice an undesirable odor coming from your jacket?

Once a jacket’s face fabric starts absorbing water rather than repelling it (this is called “wetting out”), the breathability of the jacket also stops functioning properly. If you lose breathability in a jacket, your body heat and sweat vapor cannot escape, creating more moisture vapor, leading to a “leaking” feeling of moisture against your skin. This is referred to as “sweating out” from the inside.

If your waterproof-breathable jacket is “wetting out”, it is time to clean it. Nearly all outdoor brands and manufacturers use a hyper-thin DWR coating on the outside face fabric of their waterproof jackets; this coating is what causes water droplets to bead up and roll off. There are various types of DWRs, but most often, when your waterproof jacket “stops working” it is simply because its DWR layer has faded away, flaked off, or been soiled by dirt, grime, or other agents (food residue, other liquids, campfire smoke, snot, etc.).

Cleaning your jacket is the first step to reinvigorating the water-repelling function of the DWR.

Many times, simply cleaning a jacket that hasn’t been cleaned in a long time is enough to do the trick, bringing the DWR back to life.

In a scenario where a jacket has already been properly washed but is still “wetting out” afterward, then a quick reapplication of DWR may be in order.

Shell pants can be cared for in the same way as jackets. So don’t neglect those bottoms. Simply follow all the steps, but substitute in your pants. 

Locate and read the manufacturer care label on your jacket(s). Be careful to follow any guidelines the manufacturer has included regarding water temperature, products to avoid, etc. For Helly Hansen jackets, that label is most often found on the left hip of the jacket. Today, nearly all technical waterproof outerwear is made of synthetic fabrics such as polyester, polyamide, nylon, etc.

The common “DO NOTs” for washing technical waterproof outerwear:

• do not bleach
• do not dry clean
• do not iron
• do not use standard laundry detergent
• do not forget to close all velcro straps and zippers
• do not use fabric softener

Zip up all the zippers and place jacket(s) in the washing machine with a maximum of one like-item.

NB: All technical apparel should be washed by itself or with same-category items. For example, multiple synthetic rain jackets may be washed together, but do not mix in other types of garments (cotton, baselayers, denim, wool, etc.). Different fabrics require different care and cleaners.

Avoid laundry detergent. Instead, replace it with a technical cleaner designed for synthetic technical outerwear, like Grangers Performance Wash. In a top-loading machine, add three full caps (150ml) for 1–3 jackets, or five full caps (250ml) for 4–5 jackets. In a front loader, it’s best to add no more than 2 jackets with 2 capfuls (100ml) of Performance Wash.

*If you live in an area with hard water, toss in an extra cap of Performance Wash.

* If you have a High Efficiency (HE) machine, use about half the recommended amount.

Most often, use medium temperature water, and a medium-strength cycle. Consult the care label to be sure. More often than not, this single wash cycle will be enough to have cleaned your garment(s) and revitalized the repellency.

Always follow the care label for specific drying instructions.

If instructions are not clear, a common method is to tumble dry the garment(s) on medium heat. Tumble drying helps to reactivate the existing DWR treatment. Otherwise, air-drying can be an alternative.

NB: Extremely high heat can damage the seam-taping of some synthetic outerwear. Opt for medium temperatures instead; be careful not to overdry or overheat synthetic technical outerwear.