There are several types of jackets, including bomber, biker, denim, and Gore-Tex.
Jackets can completely change your outfit, giving you a unique look. They can improve your outfit’s overall look and look pretty classy in person and in photos.
If you do not know what Gore-Tex is, it is a breathable, durable, and waterproof fabric often added to outdoor clothing, accessories, and footwear.
Gore-Tex is composed of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), a material created by Bob Gore back in 1969 when he randomly experimented with ePTFE, stretching it under different conditions.
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Why Does my GoreTex Jacket Smell?
A GoreTex jacket might smell due to a wide variety of reasons, including breeding bacteria, sweat, accumulation of excessive moisture, cigarette smell, enclosed in a small space for long periods, leaving it in the laundry for long, and a smelly washing machine.
7 Reasons why a Gore-Tex Jacket Smells
There are various reasons a Gore-Tex Jacket may smell. The commonest ones include the following:
1. Breeding Ground for Bacteria
Bacteria can accumulate from various sources. We are surrounded by several contaminated things, especially doorknobs, remote controls, and elevators.
Clothes are always rubbing against these surfaces.
Similarly, you may wipe your hands on your Gore-Tex jacket every time you touch a surface. This will add to the bacteria on your Gore-Tex Jacket, encouraging their colonies.
As the bacteria accumulate, they give off an unpleasant and strong smell, making the Gore-Tex Jacket smell bad.
2. Accumulation of Sweat
Sweat is again a great bacteria breeding ground.
If you are wearing your Gore-Tex jacket to a run, sports, gym, or outdoors, there is a high probability sweat will accumulate in the jacket.
Once the Gore-Tex jacket is ironed or put on again, butyric acid is released.
Sweat is unpreventable if you are playing sports or involved in daily-life activities; however, you can save it from smelling bad.
Even after the Gore-Tex jacket dries, the butyric acid remains within the cloth, adding to the unpleasant smell. Unless the jacket is washed and dried properly, it will continue to stink.
3. Excessive Moisture
Excessive moisture is another frequent reason why your Gore-Tex jacket may stink. Several people learn this the hard way when they leave wet laundry in a closed space or room.
As the Gore-Tex jacket remains wet, bacteria and mold begin to form colonies on it. As the microorganisms accumulate, your Gore-Tex jacket begins to stink.
Unfortunately, taking out the stench even after drying the Gore-Tex jacket does not help, and the only way to get rid of it is by washing it.
4. Cigarette Smell
Cigarette smoke smell is not only uncomfortable for the wearer and those in the surroundings but also harmful to health.
Often referred to as passive smoke, cigarette smoke can linger on your clothes hours after you have smoked or have been sitting in such a company.
Apart from the Gore-Tex jacket, the cigarette smoke also occasionally clings onto the hair, skin, and even your accessories.
As you go around wearing the Gore-Tex jacket with the smell, you continue to release an active substance that further contaminates the air.
The Gore-Tex jacket can accumulate this smell unless washed or put in good aeration.
5. Clothes Enclosed in a Small Space
While a dirty Gore-Tex jacket will surely stink, a clean Gore-Tex jacket may also release an unpleasant odor.
This often happens if the Gore-Tex jacket is left in enclosed spaces such as cupboards and drawers for too long.
The fabric of such a Gore-Tex jacket may harbor mildew, bacteria, or mold, leading to an intolerable stench.
Mold and bacteria form within drawers and cupboards often when they remain closed for too long or lack ventilation.
Excessive moisture within enclosed spaces can also lead to smelly Gore-Tex jackets.
If this happens, search where the moisture is coming from, which may be from water leaks in the ceilings or walls.
6. Clothes Left in the Laundry for Long Periods
If you have left your Gore-Tex jacket in the laundry for too long after washing, chances are it may begin to stink.
This is again due to excessive moisture that keeps on adding to the laundry if the clothes are not sorted out soon.
Another reason is inadequate aeration or ventilation in the laundry room, which encourages mild growth on the Gore-Tex jacket and other clothes, even when washed.
7. Smelly Washing Machine
If your washing machine has not been washed for long, chances are it has become a breeding medium for bacteria.
Smelly washing machines will not only add an unpleasant smell to your Gore-Tex jacket but also make other clothes smell bad.
Therefore, clean your washing machine every now and then, and don’t forget to clean it behind and under the machine’s doors.
Ways to Reduce Unpleasant Smells from Your Gore-Tex Jacket
You can try one of these hacks to get rid of the unpleasant smell coming from your Gore-Tex jacket:
- After every wash, pour two cups of vinegar into your washing machine’s detergent drawer. Let it run empty for several minutes to get rid of the smell.
- Clean your washing machine with a sponge every few days, ensuring you wipe the corners and behind the door.
- Run a hot water cycle throughout the machine’s washing space to wash away the vinegar.
- Maintain good ventilation in your laundry room.
- Let your Gore-Tex jacket dry after each use either in the sun, in a window, or hang it on a chair or hook.
- Wash the jacket every few days to get rid of toxins
- Use detergents with a fragrance or add fragrant sprays at the end.
- Avoid ironing wet clothes.
Frequently Asked Questions about Why My GoreTex Jacket Smells
What is Gore-Tex material?
Gore-Tex is a breathable, durable, and waterproof fabric that is mostly added to outdoor clothing, accessories, and footwear. Gore-Tex is composed of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), a material created by Bob Gore back in 1969 when he stretched it under certain conditions.
How long do Gore-Tex jackets last?
The lifespan of a Gore-Tex jacket depends on usage. However, it lasts frequent users 3 – 5 years, while those using it occasionally can wear it for 10 – 15 years without much trouble.
What are the ways I can do to keep the washing machine I use clean?
For clean clothes, keeping your washing machine clean is also necessary. Wipe it every few days with a sponge and add vinegar after a few washed in the detergent drawer. Let the vinegar run for 10 minutes to dearomatize the washing machine thoroughly.
