Easy to use, safe, high performance wash in waterproofing for down filled clothing and gear.
Adds Durable Water Repellency; reducing weight gain, maintaining the insulation and breathability of down filled items in cold and damp conditions.
Down filled items are used to provide lightweight insulation to keep you warm. The structure of down allows air to be trapped between its filaments and warmed by body heat to provide insulation for the user.
If down gets wet it clumps together. This causes it to lose loft and insulation as it can’t trap air effectively. When wet, down loses all of its insulating properties, as water conducts heat away from the body up to 25 times faster than air. It will also gain weight and its breathability will be significantly reduced; leaving you feeling cold, wet and uncomfortable.
Down filled items are most likely to get sweaty and wet inside when used in damp or wet conditions. Therefore it is important to stop down filled gear from getting wet by applying Durable Water Repellency (DWR). The outer fabric of your down filled item, as well as the down inside, must be maintained to ensure comfort. Through use it will eventually wear off and need to be renewed with Nikwax Down Proof™.
Your down gear could be soaking up water just because it is dirty. First, try cleaning it with Nikwax Down Wash™, and if it is fairly new, or recently re-waterproofed, the Durable Water Repellency (DWR) will be revitalized just from cleaning. But, once the gear has been thoroughly used, you will need to add DWR, using Nikwax Down Proof™, after cleaning first with Nikwax Down Wash™. This will add DWR to the outer fabric of the gear and also the down fill.
Nikwax Down Proof™ has been specifically designed and optimized for down filled gear. It adds Durable Water Repellency (DWR), which protects against rain and condensation, improving the natural insulating properties of down.
Nikwax Down Proof™ prolongs the effective life of your down gear. It leaves a flexible water repellent treatment on individual down filaments and fabric fibers allowing moisture vapor to pass through, maintaining breathability and optimizing performance in cold and damp conditions.
Nikwax Down Proof™ is a safe, easy to use product for down filled gear. It is quick to apply in a washing machine and ensures that the treatment goes right through the item, treating both the outer fabric and the down fill. The DWR of Nikwax Down Proof™ develops on air drying. However, tumble drying is recommended to ensure that the down is dried thoroughly and as quickly as possible. Leaving down wet or damp can ruin it completely.
For best results remove all non-washable parts and clean item(s) first with Nikwax Down Wash™ in a separate wash cycle. No need to dry item(s) before waterproofing. Shake well before use. Follow care label instructions (large items can be treated by hand).
- Remove all detergent build up from the detergent dispenser.
- Place clean item in washing machine (maximum 1 item).
- Use 150ml for 1 item.
- Run 30°C synthetic cycle and slow spin.
- After the cycle has finished run multiple spin cycles, each time incrementally increasing the spin speed, to remove excess water.
To maintain waterproofing always wash with Nikwax Down Wash™. Do not use detergents.