Washing Smelly Waders

[cpraud]

Does anyone know of a good way to wash the inside of a pair of breathable waders? I pulled mine out of my bag and pulled them on and the smell was definitely none too fresh. I was thinking about just turning them inside out on the bathtub with some liquid dish soap and letting them soak for a while. Has anyone figured out a better way? Any ideas would be appreciated.

[bigbowtrout]

My front load washer has a cycle called hand wash. I turn my waders inside out and wash them with a small amount of soap then I turn them back and do one more wash. Hang to dry and repeat as needed.

[bhurt]

What the heck people wash their waders????

 

I always at the end of the day hang them upside down in my laundry room unless I know I am going out the next day.

 

Between the farts and the waders I do not know who is more stinker, lol.

 

I would suggest turnning them inside out in the backyard and hosing them down with a hose.

[ÜberFly]

Are they neoprene or trip-lam membrane (like goretex)?

 

If the former, MEC, scuba shops and anywhere that sells wet suits will sell some special soap to clean neoprene, if the latter use a specific wash (like Granger's) for goretex (or other laminents) and follow the instructions to also restore waterproofness, etc.

 

P

[cpraud]

Thanks for the ideas gents, I'll have to try them out because I could hardly stand the smell of my clothes on the way home the other day and my wife definitely couldn't stand it when I walked in the door. Couldn't even try to blame it on the dog this time.

[slingshotz]

Turn them inside out once in a while and put them in the sun, it's is a natural odor and bacteria killer. Also use the freshener spray that is used on hockey gear, only had to do it once a year but I rarely sweat much to stink the waders.

[vhawk12]

Actually, washing your waders will help to restore the waterproofing qualities of the gore-tex (or other breathable material). It's the same with Ski Jackets made of waterproof-breathable material. As you kneel down in the river, or fall on your ass on the bank, silt will wedge itself between the fibers of the fabric, thus increasing size of the holes that allow normally allow vapor out, but prevent water droplets from entering. Washing them gets rid of the silt and allows the fibers to tighen up again. I called BS on this until I started getting wet in my gore tex jacket, washed it and the water would just bead off of it again. Once washed, you can actually feel the difference, the fabric feels much smoother again.

 

You can go to a ski shop and find some Nikwax detergent for use with Gore-Tex (or a mild detergent), wash your waders in your machine on the gentle cycle and hang to dry. This way, your waders will keep you dry and only smell like farts for a long time.