From September 21 to 25, Arcteryx is hosting a GORE-TEX Wash Week at all of its stores. Customers can bring in Arcteryx jackets and get them both washed and DWR-treated for free. The brand will then mail your jacket back to you by October 21 — just in time for cooler weather. But before you sign up, check your local stores availability. Some locations are already full and are no longer accepting appointments.

　　GORE-TEX shells get dirty like any other garment. Oils, grime, and mystery stains inevitably appear when you use jackets, pants, or bibs through seasons of outdoor adventure. Some brands recommend washing GORE-TEX products after every 150 hours of use. Arc’teryx recommends washing its GORE-TEX products every 5 to 8 days of use and after every 10 to 20 days of use for jackets with lighter day-to-day wear.

　　You can wash and DRW your Arcteryx GORE-TEX jackets at home on your own. But for 4 days this September, the brand will do it for you free of charge. All you have to do is sign up online, drop your dirty gear off at the Arcteryx location of your appointment, and before the end of October, your garment will arrive back at your front door, clean as a whistle and as waterproof as the day you bought it.

　　There are some caveats, though, as not all Arcteryx GORE-TEX gear will be accepted.

　　Arcteryx Wash Week: A Shoulder Season Spa Session for Your Gear

　　(Photo/Erika Courtney) To get your GORE-TEX washed for free through Arcteryx Wash Week, check to see if there are any locations near you that still have available appointments. Visit the brands webpage for Community Events and scroll through your options. When you find one, select it and press Secure Your Spot. Enter some basic information, and your appointment is set.

　　For this promotion, Arcteryx will wash and DWR treat up to two garments per customer. But it will only accept Arcteryx GORE-TEX jackets and insulated jackets — no GORE-TEX rain pants, ski pants, or bibs. If the jacket you bring has any visible signs of delamination already happening, Arcteryx told GearJunkie it will not be eligible for Wash Week.

　　When you drop off your jacket(s), youll sign a waiver and fill out a form directing the brand where to ship the jacket once its washed and waterproofed. Then, Arcteryx does the rest. By October 21, the brand will ship it back so you can get after upcoming fall and winter adventures in a crisp, clean GORE-TEX shell.

　　How to Wash GORE-TEX Apparel at Home

　　The Patera Parka is also made with a Bluesign-approved GORE-TEX outer; (photo/Josh Boulton) If there arent any available appointments at an Arcteryx store near you, you can still wash and DWR treat your GORE-TEX gear yourself at home. GORE-TEX offers a guide on its website. So does Nikwax.

　　Essentially, the process goes like this: Zip up the zippers and close all jacket pockets. Wash it with a small amount of liquid detergent at 105 degrees. Then dry your jacket on a tumble cycle. After the first dry cycle, GORE-TEX recommends tumble drying for another 20 minutes to reactivate the DWR.

　　You can apply additional spray-on DWR after that if water still isnt beading off the GORE-TEX membrane. Some brands, like Nikwax, also offer wash-in waterproofing treatments that are added directly into the washing machine.

　　Do not use powder detergents, fabric softeners, stain removers, or bleach on your GORE-TEX. Do not dry at a high temperature. And do not wash your GORE-TEX jacket alongside other heavily soiled garments.

　　Free Washes All Year —But Only at Select Locations

　　Arcteryx opened its new service center/store in Boulder on Sept. 17; (photo/Arcteryx) While September 21-25 are the only days when all Arcteryx locations will be offering washing services, the brand does offer free washes for GORE-TEX gear all year round. Any location with washing facilities allows customers to bring in Arcteryx GORE-TEX garments and get them washed free of charge.

　　Some of these locations, like the Boulder Pearl Street Arcteryx store, also offer ReBird repair services. So, if you have a broken zipper, busting seam, or some other problem, they can fix it for you right there in the store.

　　The Boulder Arcteryx location is currently the only store in the U.S. that has washing facilities and offers free washes for its GORE-TEX gear year-round. If you cant make the trip there but need your GORE-TEX Arcteryx gear washed before things start cooling down, check out the brands Community Events page and sign up for your Arcteryx wash week appointment.

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