This is on a garment’s label which I’m just about to wash. It’s shellwear, which is waterproof.

Is wool wash OK to use?

Our fire resistant clothing is the opposite.
Wash with detergent not soap as soap clogs the pores of the material with an inflammable substance.

I rang the manufacturer’s outlet and they tell me to use pure soap flakes. Woolwash is no good.

I didn’t know that soap was not a detergent.

Hopefully we won’t combust during our next camping trip.

Speedy said:

I rang the manufacturer’s outlet and they tell me to use pure soap flakes. Woolwash is no good.

I didn’t know that soap was not a detergent.

Hopefully we won’t combust during our next camping trip.

I think the main worry is maintaining the water proofing.

Speedy said:

I rang the manufacturer’s outlet and they tell me to use pure soap flakes. Woolwash is no good.

I didn’t know that soap was not a detergent.

Hopefully we won’t combust during our next camping trip.

detergent is a different beast a true complex molecule

soap is simply the reaction between potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide and fat/ oil

Speedy said:

I rang the manufacturer’s outlet and they tell me to use pure soap flakes. Woolwash is no good.

I didn’t know that soap was not a detergent.

Hopefully we won’t combust during our next camping trip.

There are a whole range of detergents, pure soap is a specific type of detergent.

I would guess that the manufacturer has never actually tried washing its product in wool wash, they would have tried pure soap – that worked for them and so to hell with any customer who wants to try anything different. Mrs m says that she knows of no fabric that can’t be safely washed in wool wash, and this includes wools, silks and nylons.

mollwollfumble said:

Speedy said:

I rang the manufacturer’s outlet and they tell me to use pure soap flakes. Woolwash is no good.

I didn’t know that soap was not a detergent.

Hopefully we won’t combust during our next camping trip.

There are a whole range of detergents, pure soap is a specific type of detergent.

I would guess that the manufacturer has never actually tried washing its product in wool wash, they would have tried pure soap – that worked for them and so to hell with any customer who wants to try anything different. Mrs m says that she knows of no fabric that can’t be safely washed in wool wash, and this includes wools, silks and nylons.

The fabrics are fine…what about the coatings put on the fabrics to waterproof them etc? My guess is Speedy has some sort of rain shell that probably cost somewhere between $100-200 and damaging the waterproof coat would make it useless.

This website says

- Select a gentle machine wash or hand wash your garment in warm water using a mild detergent

- Do not use bleach or fabric softener

etc.

According to Mrs m, wool wash is a mild detergent that contains no fabric softener. It should be OK.

Soap vs Detergent

Coles Woolwash Ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Sodium carbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Eucalyptus Oil, DEA Dodecyl Benzene Sulphonate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone & methylisothiazolinone, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, CI 42090, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamide Dea, TEA-Lauryl Sulfate.

An old fashioned tallow-based soap might contain up to 23% sodium stearate. Modern soap from palm oil for instance may be 46% sodium laurate.

So one main difference is that woolwash contains antibacterial and anti-fungal compounds (such as Methylchloroisothiazolinone & methylisothiazolinone) than are missing from pure soap. You DO want antibacterial and anti-fungal compounds because the main degradation method for shellwear is biological attack.

just use lux soap flakes

Arts said:

just use lux soap flakes

my mother swears by this stuff

but she is mad

they just clog any washing machine and it requires multiple rinses/ vinegar to finally remove the stuff from your clothing – hopefully, unless it has congealed into balls of soap in the nooks of your clothing

Mollwoll hS it right. Woolwash is perfectly usable for the job. As to waterproof, knit with handspun and washed but not scoured wool and it will be warmer and drier than any oilskin.

Just got back home from holidays. The washing fairy hasn’t yet sorted the shellwear in the laundry, so I guess I’d better do it myself afterall.

Thanks for your replies. I’ll use the wool wash.