Clothing Care

If you demand the best from your garments and expect them to function as well after five years as they did on the first day, you need to devote sufficient time to care and understand the basic steps of proper maintenance.

For products with membranes, it’s crucial that the water-repellent (WR) treatment works effectively. Only with functional repellency can the garment perform correctly. 

If the WR treatment isn’t working, the outer material absorbs water, leading to an imbalance in moisture levels, where the outside moisture surpasses the inside moisture (sweat), causing the membrane to reverse its function (i.e., it starts pulling moisture in instead of pushing it out).

Our products use DWR (Durable Water Repellent) treatment, which lasts through several washes. This treatment can also be renewed with heat application. Therefore, after washing and drying, we recommend ironing the jacket or other membrane product on a very low setting (up to 110°C) or using a hairdryer on a low heat setting, keeping a distance of about 20-30 cm from the fabric to restore the treatment from the outside. If the garment has been washed many times, it’s important to apply a new water-repellent layer using a suitable high-quality impregnation.

For membrane materials, we recommend using a spray impregnation, while non-membrane clothing can be treated with immersion impregnation.

Washing Membrane Garments

When washing, it’s important to use a suitable detergent (gel) specifically designed for membrane garments, rinse it thoroughly, and avoid using fabric softeners, which could leave residues in the laminate and impair the membrane’s functionality. We recommend using a sportswear program or another shorter and gentle washing program at 30°C. Prolonged soaking, high temperatures, and high spin speeds can damage the membrane material (and not just that, as zippers or other accessories can also be damaged).

It’s best to wash membrane garments separately, or at least ensure that they are not damaged by heavy or sharp parts of other garments (e.g., metal buckles, hooks, etc.). Zippers, Velcro, and other types of closures should be fastened to prevent snagging and material damage. On the other hand, drawstrings should be loosened as much as possible to avoid tangling, wrinkling, or breaking the material, or snagging and tearing the drawcord. Note that dry cleaning with perchloroethylene is forbidden for membrane products as it would damage the membrane! Therefore, it’s unnecessary to take the garment to a dry cleaner (even if they “professionally” wash it for you and renew the impregnation if you wish).

We generally do not recommend tumble drying for membrane garments (unless your dryer has a special program for membrane clothing). You risk damaging the membrane and the integrity of the laminate!

After washing, it’s ideal to let the garment drip-dry and lay flat to dry. Never wring the product by twisting, as this could damage the laminate. Be careful with direct sunlight during drying (or anytime). Prolonged exposure to UV rays can not only cause the material to fade, but also damage the membrane (especially if you dry it inside out).
If you sweat heavily, washing should be more frequent. Frequent and prolonged exposure to sweat can also significantly degrade the membrane.

Be sure to strictly follow the care instructions (symbols or additional verbal instructions) provided on the care label. The meaning of each care symbol can also be found on our website HERE.

Finally (though it may not occur to anyone 😉), never store a sweaty and damp product in a closet without adequate airflow, or even in a plastic bag! This would ensure not only a “pleasant” odor (or possibly mold) upon retrieval but also damage to the laminate.

Washing Down Garments

For clothing with standard down fill, it’s highly recommended to visit a dry cleaner, where they will professionally clean it and, upon request, renew the impregnation.

However, in our Uniq and Uniq Lady jackets, we use a unique THINDOWN^® fill, which means you no longer need to visit a dry cleaner. These products can be machine washed on a very gentle cycle at 30 °C. You only need to avoid using high spin speeds (max. 400 rpm) and do not wring the product by twisting. We recommend using a gentle detergent designed for down products. Do not use fabric softener, as it would ruin all the positive properties of the down. The jackets can be tumble-dried on a low heat setting or simply left to dry flat on a drying rack. It’s also necessary to maintain the water-repellent treatment to ensure the product works properly and keeps you comfortable while wearing it.

Do not leave the product soaked or damp for long, and store it perfectly dry and clean after the season.

HOW TO PROPERLY APPLY WATER REPELLENT TREATMENT – more on our blog.

For maintaining DIRECT ALPINE brand clothing, you can use products such as TOKO, Granger's, TOKO, Nikwax, Sport-Wash, or Atsko. Before applying, carefully review the recommendations from the manufacturers of individual repellents and follow the attached instructions.

Care symbols

Washing
	maximum temperature 40 °C, normal procedure
	maximum temperature 40 °C, moderate progress
	maximum temperature 30 °C, normal procedure
	maximum temperature 30 °C, moderate progress
	maximum temperature 30 °C, very gentle process
	hand wash, maximum temperature 40 °C
	the product must not be washed
Bělení
	the product must not be bleached
Drying
	the product can be dried in a tumble dryer at a reduced temperature, max. 60 °C
	the product must not be dried in a tumble dryer
	drip drying in the shade
	drying spreaded in the shade
	drying spreaded
Ironing
	ironing at a maximum ironing surface temperature of 160 °C
	ironing at a maximum ironing surface temperature of 120 °C, steam ironing can cause irreversible damage
	the product must not be ironed
Professional dry cleaning
	professional dry cleaning in perchlorethylene, dibutoxymethane, hydrocarbons and decamethylpentacyclosiloxane, normal procedure
	the product must not be chemically cleaned
Additional care symbols
	the product must not be squeezed by twisting