Take Care of your Ski Wear, so it lasts for years!

Our top tips on how to take care of your ski wear, how to wash your ski jacket, the best way to store your ski wear and generally looking after your ski clothes so they all last a long time. Or to put it another way, how to say thank you to your ski wear. Plus we have handy product suggestions to make caring for your ski wear super easy. 

Here's our guide to caring for and washing your ski wear.

You'll need:

• A suitable non-biological detergent without softener, or phosphates or optical brightening agents - we stock loads so take a look
• Johnson's baby shampoo for cashmere
• Reproofer if necessary (great at making your ski jacket waterproof again)
• Mesh washing bag (available John Lewis and other good retailers)
• Wide shouldered hanger
• Trouser hanger
• Soft cloth
• Goggle or sunglasses cleaner and cloth
• Leather polish for leather ski mittens or gloves
• Glove and mitten reproofer

You've had the holiday, drunk the wine, had the prerequisite disaster on the button lift that we'll say no more about EVER and eaten way too much fondue and cake, pizza and had an amazing meal at that place you can't remember the name of. You've skied down many runs and scared yourself and amazed yourself at your bravery/silliness/stupidity/coolness. 

You've loved wearing your ski outfit (hopefully it's from Winternational!) and now it's time to look after your skiwear and leave it ready for your next adventure in the mountains. When we return from a ski holiday there's so much to do but we suggest you don't bundle your beautiful skiwear away quickly.  Fight that urge to pop it back in the wardrobe and get it out of sight. 

You've been doing a sport, probably working up a bit of a sweat. Your ski wear will look better and last longer if you can spend a little time before putting it away. It'll certainly smell nicer too.

How to wash your ski jacket

• Read the care label, so that you care for your ski jacket the right way
• Typically you should use a machine wash at 30 degrees.
• Remove faux or real fur from your ski jacket - please remove carefully.
• Remove belt (if your jacket has one.)
• Select a non-biological detergent without softener or phosphates or optical brightening agents.  
• You can add a colour fast wipe/towel if your ski jacket is multi-coloured or with a strong colour contrast.
• We recommend an extra rinse to ensure complete removal of any residual detergent containing wetting agents that might reduce water repellency in the future. 
• Take your ski jacket out of the washing machine immediately it's finished - leaving it in the machine might cause the multiple layers to smell musty. 
• Air dry (or follow the drying instructions inside the garment.)
• Please don't dry your ski jacket outside - colour degradation can occur when the item is very wet.
• Shake out the item whilst drying to fully aerate and recreate garment fullness.
• Tip: you should also do this prior to your next ski trip and again before skiing each day!
• If the garment label allows and you want to, you can use a cool iron for smoothing. 
• Store your ski jacket on a wide shouldered hanger.
• Please don't store in bright light for months at a time. 
• Ideally use a reproofing agent like NikWax to prolong the performance of your ski jacket - please follow all the instructions on the bottle to obtain the best results. 

How to wash ski pants, ski suits and softshells 

• Read the care label before washing your ski trousers and or your ski suit but typically you should machine wash at 30 degrees.
• Wash garments inside out. 
• Fasten zippers and velcro. 
• Remove belt (if your ski pants have one).
• Use a non-biological detergent without softener or phosphates or optical brightening agents.  
• You can add a colour fast wipe/towel if your ski pants are multi-coloured or with a strong colour contrast.
• We recommend an extra rinse to ensure complete removal of any residual detergent containing wetting agents that might reduce water repellency in the future. 
• Take your ski pants or ski suit out of the washing machine as soon as the programme is finished - leaving it in the machine might cause the multiple layers to smell musty. 
• Air dry (or follow the drying instructions inside the garment.)
• Please don't dry items outside - some colour degradation can occur when the item is wet.
• If the garment label allows and you want to, you can use a cool iron for smoothing. 
• Store your ski pants either flat or on a trouser hanger.
• Store your softshell items softly folded. 
• Please don't store in bright light. 

Washing base layers and ski thermals

• Read the care label, but typically wash your ski thermals and ski wear in a machine.
• You should use a detergent that is gentle but good at cleaning like our Clothes Doctor products
• Did you know you can wash your gym gear in the same way?
• Nikwax do amazing detergents for base layers and sports gear too. 
• Air dry or dry flat (or follow the drying instructions inside the garment.)
• If the garment label allows and you want to, you can use a cool iron for smoothing.
• Please don't store in bright light for months at a time. 

Washing cashmere

Clothes Doctor Knitwear Mist with Cedar Wood and Vanilla

£12.15

Clothes Doctor knitwear mist repels moths Scented with Cedar Wood and Vanilla Effective at preventing moth damage Contains cleaning agents, reducing the need for washing Infinitely recyclable bottle  Made in Britain Spray directly onto clothes with the atomiser head or… read more

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• Read the care label, but typically wash by hand or on a wool wash programme.
• Select a wool wash programme at no more than 30 degrees and no more than 800rpm spin. 
• Use a wool detergent (but Marielle from Wyse London uses Johnson's baby shampoo as it is mild and inexpensive.)
• Put cashmere in a mesh wash bag (available from John Lewis)
• Air dry or dry flat (or follow the drying instructions inside the garment.)
• If the garment label allows and you want to, you can use a cool iron for smoothing. Founder of Winternational,Tamsin, always uses a cool iron but she is a bit obsessive. 
• Store flat softly folded or on a wide shouldered hanger.
• To protect your knitwear and cashmere from moth attacks and moth damage, use a great spritz to deter them. 
• Please don't store in bright light for months at a time. 

Caring for fur trimmed ski jackets

• Fur trims and fur collars on hoods are easily removable by zippers or studs/snaps, poppers or elastic loops. 
• Fake/faux fur may be hand washed or in the machine at 30 degrees and then left to air dry. 
• Brush through afterwards to revitalise and give back body. 
• For real fur, a tiny amount of talcum powder can be brushed through gently and then shaken to release. 
• Alternatively, a product like "Terre de Sommière" which removes dirt, can be shaken on, brushed through, left for a few moments and then gently vacuumed off. 
• Shake and smooth to revitalise. 
• Please do not store fur in bright light or sunshine for long periods. 

Looking after ski mittens and gloves

• Machine washing can really damage the membranes of mittens and gloves, so we don't recommend it unless the product says they can be washed
• Waterproofing makes up a key part of the performance of fabric. Regular washing detergents can damage this. 
• Hand/spot wash synthetic mittens/gloves once a season using a tech wash, like Nikwax Tech Wash. 
• Open wide, put your hands inside to position the interior and then dry on a radiator or line. 
• Once a season, sponge on a waterproofing agent, like Nikwax Glove Proof. 
• Leave for 5 minutes and then wipe off excess.
• For leather mittens and gloves, we suggest using a neutral leather softener or polish to moisturise the outer layer. 

Clean your ski helmet and goggles safely

• Wipe the outside of the ski helmet with a damp cloth and dry with a soft cloth.
• Wipe over the interior with a barely damp cloth, particularly the ear pieces.
• Spritz with this gorgeous white tea and mint spray to freshen up the interior.
• Leave to dry.
• Clean ski goggles visor using a soft cloth like a lens cleaning cloth and this amazing visor spray
• Replace product in the aerated bag /goggle box.
• Ensure visor is well protected during storage. 
• Replace goggles in goggle box they were delivered in.
• Make sure goggles are protected from damage whilst in storage. 
• Tip: we've been informed that ski helmets should be replaced every 5 years because of exposure to the elements (UV, moisture) and unseen damage.

Tech wash and reproofing

• Various products exist for adding technical capabilities back to your garments, like NikWax.
• These products on mean you can wash your ski wear easily.
• They can help improve performance and make your ski wear last for years.
• We've tried down proofing wash on products as well as tech wash on products and found them to be successful in prolonging the life and performance of our ski wear.
• Down filled ski jackets are not typically as water repellent or resistant as other ski jackets so look after them.
• To wash your down ski jacket, these great Nikwax products will add water resistance and improved performance to your ski

How to wash a white ski jacket?

Clothes Doctor Stain Removal (TOUGH LOVE) 250mls

£8.45

Powerful Clothes Doctor TOUGH LOVE stain removal Neutral scent  Powdered formula  Effective at lifting stains  Chlorine free  Contains over 30% oxygen-based bleaching agents Infinitely recyclable Packaged in 100% aluminium bottle with a compostable label Do not use on leather, suede, silk… read more

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• We get it...it is really annoying if you get dirt on your white ski jacket.
• A great stain remover can help you wash your white ski jacket. 
• If you are on your ski holiday and urgently need to clean your white ski jacket, we recommend using a make up remover wipe or baby wipe!

Help...I'm away skiing and my ski outfit is dirty and smells!

• Skiing is a sport and let's face it, on occasion your ski jacket is going to get dirty and smelly. 
• Even worse is when this happens on your ski trip!
• A great stain remover can help you clean up your ski gear. 
• If you are on your ski holiday and urgently need to clean your ski wear, we recommend using a make up remover wipe or baby wipe!
• You can make your ski jacket, ski helmet and ski pants smell good again with a quick spray of a deodourizing spritz like this one. 

Help...I'm away skiing and my ski outfit is getting wet!

• Did you forget to respray your ski jacket or ski wear before your ski trip?
• Is your ski jacket letting in the damp and cold?
• A quick spray from this reproofer can make all the difference to your enjoyment of your ski trip.  
• If you are on your ski holiday and urgently need to reproof your ski wear, we recommend this!
• If your softshell ski wear is letting in water, then this spray will return it to a high performance garment. 
• You can make your softshell items smell good again with a quick spray of a deodourizing spritz like this one. 

Nikwax Softshell Proofer Spray

£12.30

Nikwax Softshell Proofer spray Softshell Proofer to add back water-repellency and revives breathability Prolongs lifespan and improves performance of softshell clothing or softshell ski wear Specifically formulated to optimise performance of softshells Easy to use spray-on waterproofing for softshell clothing… read more

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Have you got any great suggestions for how to take care of your ski wear?

Take care of your ski wear properly and it won't take long and your ski wear will last for years if you do!

We'd love to hear your tips on how you take care of your ski wear. Please get in touch with your suggestions and we will post the best ones!

Please send an email to lookgood@winternational.co.uk