Wonderfully simple – care tips for your Schöffel performance clothing

General washing advice

The life of your clothing depends on the correct care. Dirt and perspiration (salts) can attack the membranes and/or dissolve the seam seals. Regular care prevents this.
A special care label is therefore sewn into every Schöffel product, and you must follow the instructions on it. In our jackets this can usually be found in the inside pocket at breast level or sewn into an inner side seam. On trousers it is at the back of the waistband and on blouses, shirts and fleeces on an inside side seam. Contrary to popular belief, the performance of the Gore-Tex® and Venturi® membranes remains undeteriorated if the garment is properly cared for, and therefore provides permanent protection!

Here are a few basic rules for the proper care of your Schöffel clothing:
As a general rule of thumb, it is better to use a little detergent often, than to wash infrequently using a lot of detergent.
Please use the gentle wash setting.
Detergent: You can use a liquid detergent or a special detergent for clothing made with membrane fabrics (available from your specialist dealer).
Please do not use a fabric softener (this may damage the membrane which gives the performance clothing its waterproof properties).
Please always follow the instructions on the care label. These take precedence over any instructions on the special detergent label! Above all, this may specify different washing temperature details!
Please fasten all zips and Velcro fasteners.
Do not overfill the washing machine.
Use detergent sparingly. In order to prevent detergent residues, please rinse until clear, if necessary repeating the rinse cycle.
The garment may be spun briefly after washing.

Please do not dry your Schöffel garment in direct sunlight, as the aggressive UV rays may damage the textiles.

General waterproofing advice

A waterproofing finish is not, as often assumed, solely responsible for the waterproofing of the garment;it ensures that the surface repels water and dirt. The actual waterproofing of a garment is ensured by the membrane and the heat-welded seams.

A finish is applied to your Gore-Tex® and Venturi® articles from new. Waterproofing involves applying a finish to the outer fabric, which wears away or washes out over time, and so is not permanent. We basically recommend a new finish after every three to four washes.
However it is easy to tell when it is time to do this –when the water no longer forms beads and drips off the surface of the fabric, but is absorbed in a few seconds. At this stage, a jacket will usually feel damp and clammy on the inside and heat will be lost.

You can reapply the finish in two ways: washing in or spraying on. You can obtain the finish from your specialist sports dealer.

When washing the finish in, always follow the instructions on the garment care label. These always take precedence over the instructions that come with the finish, for example concerning the water temperature!

If spraying the finish on, please take care to ensure that the spray reaches right to the edges, especially at the hemline and waist of the jacket – otherwise moisture may 'seep up' at these locations. As a general rule we recommend the spray-on finish, as this is applied to the fabric from the outside only, exactly where it is needed.

N.B. The water- and dirt-repellent properties may be reactivated by applying heat, either by ironing or tumble drying in accordance with the instructions on the care label.

So if you are not reapplying the finish to your Schöffel garment after washing, be sure to apply heat! This will ensure that the remaining finish is reactivated. Use a tumble dryer, iron or hairdryer – in accordance with the instructions on the care label!

Pretreatment of stains

We recommend ox-gall soap for the pretreatment of stains. Rub ox-gall soap into the stain, leave it for a short while to take effect and then put the garment in the washing machine. Wash as instructed on the care label.

To go – download our general care instructions

The general care instructions for the various Schöffel products can be found here – to download or print out.

• Venturi
   
• Gore-Tex
   
• Soft Shell
   
• Windbreak
   
• ACF-MTS