Sports and technological tourist clothing has a number of differences from ordinary urban clothing. This includes the conditions of use, because withstanding torrential rain and maintaining a comfortable microclimate for the body is a difficult task performed by equipment for hiking and training. In addition, sweat, dirt, berry stains, and sometimes even blood remain on sports clothes. It is impossible to clean and wash it as usual, otherwise you can destroy the membrane coating, clog the pores with a detergent, simply put, you can "kill" the technology.
Therefore, it is important:
- Follow the manufacturer's care recommendations indicated on the labels; for some things, you can find advice on the care of tourist clothes on the manufacturer's website;
- Store correctly: away from sunlight and heating devices; some things require separate cabinets or shelves in cabinets so that they are spread out as much as possible and do not shrink;
- Wash and clean with special means: ordinary washing powders can clog pores, cannot be completely washed out of technologically complex fibers, wool can become stiffer, and traces of sweat on a T-shirt may not be washed off at all.
Storage and proper washing are the two main components of a long service life of things for tourism and training.
What and how you will wash depends on the functionality and "work" of the technologies of all sports clothing, starting from running socks and ending with technologically complex membrane jackets and pants.
To understand how to remove the smell of sweat at home or remove berry stains on membrane pants, you need to understand how certain fibers of clothing work. And you can simply choose the right detergent.
Today there are gels for washing wool, for membranes, and for sports clothes. They differ in their composition on the "aggressiveness" of work.
How to wash sports clothes?
In the process of training, a person sweats intensely. Our body "equalizes" body temperature, removes salts, fats, and water residues. And if moisture is removed by technological fibers from the body and evaporates on the upper layers of the fabric, then skin fat and sweat salts remain on the fabric. In such warm and humid conditions, microorganisms that cause unpleasant odors multiply quickly.
Have you noticed that after intense loads, the T-shirt loses its freshness and does not smell very good? :)
Today, manufacturers use various technologies to solve the problem of odor and bacterial growth on the surface of fibers: Polygiene, HeiQ Fresh, Sanitized® Silver, Sanitized® zinc pyrithione, Microban® SilverShield®, ZPTech®. They work on the basis of silver or zinc, do not wash off after long-term use. This makes it possible to reduce the number of washings of sports equipment, but does not cancel the fact that it still needs to be washed.
In addition, there are things that are not equipped with such protection. They "smell" every time you work out in the gym or just sweat from the heat.
To solve the problem "how to get rid of the smell of sweat on sports clothes", you need to use special detergents. They not only wash away salts and fats, but also create a protective layer on the fibers, which in turn prolongs freshness, allows it not to accumulate unpleasant odors for a long time.
They include, in addition to the standard set, a biocide that performs this function. Thus, by washing your clothes once with a specialized detergent, you not only clean them, but also keep them fresh. This, in turn, reduces the amount of water needed for washing, reduces the overall pollution of the planet.
Universal detergents for sportswear are equally suitable for hand washing and washing machines.
Important: pay attention to the manufacturer's recommendations for care. Never wash delicate items in a washing machine with spin.
Detergent Base Camp Base Wash allows you to wash sports clothes from sweat, remove stains from berries and blood. At the same time, it also includes a biocide, which will prolong the freshness of things. With it, you can wash sports clothes in the machine and not worry about the technological fibers getting clogged.
In order for the detergent to wash off effectively, it is enough to simply turn on the additional rinse and follow the instructions on the labels of the clothes and the detergent.
Gel for washing sports clothes Base Camp Base Wash is suitable for clothes that you use for daily training, tourism, ordinary city.
In addition, the manufacturer's line includes concentrated Base Camp Textile Deep Wash gel. It is suitable for most fibers and fights difficult stains on clothes (traces of grass, blood, berries). In contrast to other products of the manufacturer's detergent line, enzymes, amphoteric surfactants and optical brighteners are used in its composition. The latter are dangerous for membranes, wool and silk. Therefore, it is better to use specialized means for these materials.
How to care for membrane clothes?
In addition to sports clothes, tourist clothes also need special care. Here, each thing has more technological solutions that require a special approach.
For example, trekking pants, no matter how tight they are, it is important to wash them by hand or on a delicate cycle in the washing machine, they cannot be wringed hard and the detergent should be rinsed well. And membrane clothes cannot be washed with powders.
For washing all tourist clothes, it is better to use gels or liquid detergents. Since they can be washed at a temperature of 30-40 degrees, and this is not enough to completely dissolve the powder, microparticles of hard detergent simply settle on the membrane. Thus, instead of washing away skin fat, sweat and other dirt, the membrane coating is clogged with hard parts of the powder. And as a result, the membrane stops "working", does not hold precipitation well, steams a lot. If we are talking about softshell or other wind-resistant material, then the problem is the same - at acceptable temperatures, the powder does not dissolve completely, its particles "stick" to the technological coating and the clothes do not "work".
Another disadvantage of the powder is that it is not completely rinsed off - its small particles "stick", harden. As a result, the entire technology of the membrane or other tourist clothing ceases to work.
Based on all this, manufacturers develop care products for membrane clothing in a liquid state.
- They dissolve faster in water
- High temperature is not required for their complete dissolution
- Do not contain hard parts that would stick to the fibers
Before you start caring for things made of membrane, carefully read all the recommendations from the manufacturer. And after that start washing.
When choosing detergents for the membrane, pay attention not only to its format, but also to its composition. There should be no bleaches, conditioners, softeners.
An example of such a product is Camp Membrane Wash from a Ukrainian manufacturer. This product is designed specifically for travel membrane clothing. The company's engineers know firsthand what mountains and hiking are like, so they understand how important it is to maintain reliable clothing protection. With this product, you can wash Gore-Tex in the washing machine or by hand (depending on the recommendations on the label) and not be afraid of the consequences. Active substances effectively remove fat stains, berries and other complex pollution. The manufacturer offers to buy membrane detergent Membrane Wash in 250 ml and 1 liter bottles. Considering that 30 ml of product is enough for one wash, even a small package will last for a long time.
Features of washing woolen clothes
But as often as possible, you have to wash the first layer - thermal clothing. All skin fat, sweat and salts are deposited on the fibers of the thermal underwear. And if everything is relatively clear with synthetic models, then many questions arise with wool models: how to wash correctly? what to wash Can wool be washed in a washing machine? And he won't sit down? And everything like that.
As a result, most refuse to use woolen thermal clothing for hiking. But if you understand, there is nothing complicated here - it is enough to choose the right detergent for wool and follow the manufacturer's instructions on the label.
To maximize the service life of the product, wash it by hand or in a washing machine on a delicate cycle without spinning with the addition of special agents.
For example, Base Camp Wool Wash perfectly removes stains, does not leave traces on fibers. Such a tool is easily rinsed off, it can be used for various types of washing. At the same time, the wool does not sit down, does not absorb odors, and retains its antibacterial properties.
The main components of specialized detergents for clothes and equipment
The difference between ordinary powders and specialized means for sports and tourist clothes lies in their composition. To understand which substances perform a specific task during washing, it is important to read the composition.
Most types of pollution are based on fats - sweat, skin oil, food stains. It is not always possible to wash them with plain water. Water simply rolls off such pollution. This is where surfactants - surface-active substances - come into play. Their molecules work like a double-sided magnet - on one side they attract fat molecules, and on the other - water molecules, thus removing stains.
There are several types of surfactants, the main ones being anionized and nonionic.
Anionized surfactants - effectively "work" to remove any stains, easily dissolve in water, affordable. Among the disadvantages - they are aggressive towards the human body, they dry the skin of the hands during the washing process. To reduce the negative impact, manufacturers use a minimum percentage of anionic surfactants in the composition. For example, its share is less than 15% in Membrane Wash, and less than 5% in Base Wash sportswear.
Nonionic surfactants work no less effectively than the previous ones, but at the same time they are gentle on fibers and skin. Such substances are completely biodegradable and do not threaten the environment.
Sodium hydroxide or caustic soda (NaOH) is the basis of any soap. It is widely used in soap making, and in detergents for sports and tourist clothes, it performs several tasks at once: it connects the ingredients together, participates in the removal of particularly strong impurities during soaking.
Coconut soap softens the effect of detergent on the skin, creates the effect of "soapy" water, foams as part of detergents. Facilitates the rinsing of active substances from fibers.
Glycerin carefully "takes care" of the fibers, prevents them from sagging, works as a washing conditioner.
Biocide during washing kills all microorganisms on the surface of fabrics, prolongs freshness. Thanks to the biocide in the composition of detergents, an antibacterial coating is created on the fibers, which prevents the reproduction of microbes on the fibers, which in turn manifests itself as a feeling of freshness, the clothes "do not smell" for a long time. It is used in all detergents of the Base Camp brand.
Tourist and sports clothes differ from urban everyday clothes not only in the field of use. In such clothes, we are exposed to greater physical stress - we sweat more, it protects us from heat and cold, protects us from wind and bad weather.
But in order to extend its service life, so that technologies can work as long as possible, it is important to properly care for it. The correct choice of detergent and its concentration can both gently remove the stain and reduce the efficiency of work. Therefore, we advise you to choose professional care products and cleaning products.
The SMG wholesale company is the official distributor of the Ukrainian brand Base Camp products.
You can buy gels for washing sports clothes, membranes and wool in Ukraine in stores.