How to Take Care of Your Ski Outfit This Spring

The season is coming to an end, and with it the last spring runs. Before your ski kit goes into storage until next winter, it’s worth giving it a proper wash: even without visible stains, cleaning it properly extends its life and keeps the waterproofing working. Here’s our step by step spring cleaning routine.

Washing in the machine

Even if your outfit doesn’t look dirty, washing it properly helps preserve the fabric and extend its life. Apparently, the most common Google search at the end of the season is exactly this: how to wash a ski jacket and ski trousers. Here’s how to do it, step by step.

• Read and understand the care labels before you start, they tell you the right temperature and programme for each fabric.
• Empty the pockets: a stray snack or bank card has no business in the drum.
• Close all zips and velcro to protect the fabric during the wash.
• Turn the garment inside out before loading the machine.
• Use a dose of ordinary liquid detergent, the one you already use, never powder, and skip the fabric softener.
• Select a “synthetic” programme at 30 degrees, with a maximum spin of 800rpm. For down jackets or any feathered garment, add four tennis balls to the drum.
• Take the garment out and hang it up as soon as the wash cycle finishes.

Drying: it depends on the fabric

Synthetic garments

• With a tumble dryer: leave the garment inside out and use a gentle “synthetic” programme at 60 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. If that’s not quite enough, finish drying on a hanger. The heat also reactivates the fabric’s water repellent treatment.
• Without a tumble dryer: hang the garment inside out. To reactivate the water repellent treatment and keep good protection against water and snow, lightly iron the outer fabric on a gentle setting (synthetic mode, 110 degrees maximum), with a towel in between.

And that’s it, your outfit is waterproof and clean again.

Down and feathered garments

A tumble dryer is essential to fluff the feathers back up: without one, a trip to the dry cleaner is the better option. Don’t leave a gap between washing and drying, the feathers can stick together and dry in clumps.

• Put the garment in the tumble dryer with four tennis balls, to fluff the feathers up properly.
• Select a gentle “synthetic” programme, 60 degrees maximum, and run it again until the garment is completely dry and has regained its loft. This usually takes three to four cycles.

You’re now set up to look after your ski clothes and get another season out of them.

A note on Gore-Tex

Gore-Tex garments follow a different process from the one above. Before washing a Gore-Tex jacket or trousers, it’s best to follow the manufacturer’s own instructions rather than this routine: the technical fabric needs specific care to keep its waterproofing intact. It takes a little extra time, but you’ll be glad to find your outfit clean and ready for the slopes when the snow starts falling again.

What’s next

Your kit is ready to go back into storage until next winter. If it needs topping up or replacing, head to our Ski Shop to kit out the whole family before the next season. And to start planning your next ski holiday, take a look at our lessons for every level.