Hardshell Cleaning & Waterproofing Duo-Pack

I’m kind of amazed at how well this product works and how easy it is to apply. Followed the instructions on the bottles (kind of) and got great results. I had two old Simms Goretex raincoats, one of which was 20 years old, the other about 10 years old. I got wet whenever I wore them, but they were expensive so I didn’t want to just buy a new one. Over the years both have been through a lot of weather and a lot of fish slime. Then I searched on YouTube on how to re-waterproof rain coats and found Nikwax. I put both garments in the washer and used a full bottle of tech wash, then a full bottle of Tx Direct. Then put them in the dryer on air/low heat for 30 minutes. And they look and feel like brand new. And water just flies off the surface. Going to do my well-worn Orvis waders next. Highly recommend this duo!

I strongly recommend this product to revive waterproof clothing!!! My waterproof hardshell jackets and pants were purchased 6 years ago for heavy use on long walks (1-2 hours) during the rainy season here in Seattle. Over the years, I have maintained waterproofness by using the Nikwax hardshell cleaning detergent a few times per year, which seemed to be enough to revive decent beading during rainy walks. By the end of the last rainy season, I was still able to walk about 1 hours in light rain and only about 15 minutes in consistent, moderate to heavy rain before I felt any moisture seep in. However, the water beading at the start of the current rainy season was almost non-existent. I did not want to chance walking around and getting soaked as the season progressed and heavier rains arrived. I asked Gemini about alternatives to spending hundreds on new waterproof clothing; a suggestion was the Nikwax Hardshell Cleaning and Waterproofing duo-pack. After reading many reviews, I bought the duo-pack as I had already run out of the cleaning detergent last season. I followed the easy instructions for washing/treating and drying my clothing exactly as described on the bottles. After washing, treating, and drying as described, I did not observe any weird smells or residues on my clothing, although my clothing did feel a little softer, a good thing! The first test of waterproofness was the next day as an Atmospheric River arrived. Before starting my walk, the forecast predicted only occasional light rain for a few hours, but it actually started raining moderately to heavily just a few minutes after I walked out the door, and it rained like that for my entire 1.5 hour walk. Importantly, in terms of the clothing: 1) the rain beaded amazingly on my jacket and pants, maybe even better than when new. 2) I stayed completely dry! 3) I am confident I could have walked for much longer and still stayed dry! The easy to use Nikwax cleaning and treatment has given me the confidence that I will stay dry through unexpected rain, and the major bonus was that I saved hundreds versus buying new clothing!

The waterproofing worked fine. The cleaner did not get out spots.I had to go back and use a different cleaner to prewash first. Granted, the color of my jacket is light red. The spots were very obvious. I was able to get it waterproofed again though.

You have any waterproof outerwear, like ski jackets or pants, or even rain jackets, this is a must have!! We all know that a good ski jacket isn't cheap, especially for brands like Arcteryx, Marmot, Mountain Hardware, Patagonia, or mid-price range brands like the North Face. If you're out on the mountain a lot during winter time, or hike during summer time, the Nikwax is a must to help keep the jacket/pants look like new. I'm not going to explain how waterproof jacket works, you can read it here ( www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/rainwear-how-it-works.html), but essentially, you CAN'T use regular detergents to wash your waterproof outwear or else you'll ruin the DWR layer that help prevent the water from getting in. This Duo-pack comes with 2 different bottles. And I'll briefly summarize the different usages. Tech wash - This is the first one to use in washing your outerwear. It cleans the dirt that's blocking the tiny pores on the surface of the outerwear so that it revives the breathability (so excessive heat can escape). It claims to add water repellency back to the outerwear as well, meaning renewing the layer of DWR, but not enough to restore the waterproofness back to optimal conditon. T.X. Direct - this is where you need to perform the second step after the Tech wash. Essentially T.X. Direct contains mostly DWR material to further waterproof your washed outerwear. And that's why this pack comes with 2 different bottles to completely wash and renew your outerwear. **interesting fact** If your something like a backpack, and it doesn't have waterproof ability, you can wash it first (with regular detergent or Tech wash), and then use T.X. Direct. It will help repel light rain. It's useful if you hike in the summer and encounter light rain. If you want an easier way, you can also try the spray version (http://www.amazon.com/Nikwax-Fabric-Leather-Spray-On-Waterproofing/dp/B0028EFBLY/ref=sr_1_1?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1449154066&sr=1-1&nodeID=7141123011)

Excellent for cleaning and waterproofing skiing and riding gear.

Several of our water proof jackets started to absorb water instead of repelling. Used this to clean and fix the waterproofing.

Wish I had learned about this years ago. 1. The wash really cleans road grime off my motorcycle rain gear. 2. The re-activation also really works. Super simple to use.

I have used this on some Gortex that is about 15 years old as well as on a nylon hat that I wear for outdoor rainy times which is pretty much all the time here in the NW. The hat does pretty well with waterproofing using these products but my Gortex rain jacket still doesn't retain that 'water off a ducks back' level of shedding of water that new Gortex has. After walking in steady rain the jacket does get soaked in water and it is no longer 'rolling off' the jacket. Most of the time I don't use the jacket for more than an hour so I didn't know if it would eventually result in me being 'soaked' if I stayed out in it. This is cheaper than new rain gear for sure and better than not using it, but for the price I wished it could make the waterproofing 'as good as new' but realistically it just doesn't/ A year later....I've bought this product again a couple of weeks ago after getting totally soaked while using the rain gear that I used the Nitwax tech wash and water repellent on a year ago. It did not handle 3 hours of heavy rain on a boat! Ever the optimist, I decided to 'redoing' the waterproofing by getting 'fresh product' so I bought this duo again. I have the same impression as a year ago.. This product did look like it improved water resistance but I wouldn't call this 'waterproof.' I have both used this product via a 'wash in' the washing machine (a year ago) as well as trying it as a 'hand wash-in' cleaner and water proofer. (this past week) \\ Results are about the same. I also just bought some Nitwax TX direct spray on waterproofer from Amazon and will check with Nitwax to see if they advise using both the 'wash in ' and then the 'spray on!'

Tolles Wasch- und Imprägniermittel für jegliche Motorrad- und Outdoorbekleidung. Zusammen mit dem Imprägnierspray der Firma hält es sowohl Nässe als auch Schmutz sehr gut ab bzw. erleichtert die Reinigung.

Great product

Works just as intended…. We used it to clean our ski pants and jackets to keep it clean and water repellent… tried the clothes in our second trip and it was better than the original manufacturer coating Highly recommend

D’excellents produits pour laver et réimperméabiliser les vêtements « techniques », je m’en sers depuis des années sans problème. Existe aussi pour les vêtements en duvet et tout aussi efficace. Le sèche-linge optimise les résultats.

Excelente producto, lo use para una chamarra repelente al agua que lamentablemente se dañó con un lavado con detergente normal que le dejo manchas de jabón, nikiwax redujo las manchas, y aunque no las quito completamente creo que en próximas lavadas con este producto las manchas se van a reducir poco a poco.