Waders are notoriously difficult to clean, and since they are infrequently washed, they get pretty disgusting. There are many different types of washing methods, and each has its benefits and drawbacks.
Yes – you can wash your Orvis waders by hand or in a washing machine. Simply use a solution of warm water and mild detergent. You can use the gentle cycle on the washing machine, but it is highly recommended that you allow your waders to air dry after you’ve removed them from the washer.
Orvis waders should be treated as a good pair of boots—cleaned after each use, stored in a dry place, and given annual professional repair. It’s always good to extend the life of your gear…
How Do You Machine Wash Orvis Waders?
If you have any waders made from breathable materials, you know that they can quickly become heavy with water weight. The best way to clean such garments is to rinse them thoroughly and then machine wash them in a tub of cold water with laundry additive-free powdered detergent or liquid detergent designed for synthetic, breathable fabrics.
Machine wash warm or cool water. Agitate moderately. Use a synthetic clothing detergent. An automatic front-loading washer has an advantage over top-loading models since this type of machine has a longer agitation cycle that will help loosen dirt and mud more effectively than a top-loader.
Orvis waders are made from a synthetic, breathable fabric. Because of their material, they will keep you warmer in cold weather and cooler in hot weather compared to nylon or cotton. The greatest advantage of the breathable fabric is that it can be machine-washed after use with no damage to the waders.
In between the occasional machine wash you should clean them a garden hose which is the easiest solution. Use a hose nozzle set to a gentle stream, and avoid direct sprays at seams. Brush the inside of your waders with your fingers as you rinse, which will help loosen and remove most things that collect in the fabric, including sand, dirt, leaves, and small sticks.
How Do You Hand Wash Orvis Waders?
Orvis waders are designed and built with the finest components, then tested to withstand serious fishing punishment. So when your waders arrive, you can be confident that they’re made to last season after season. Proper care is just as important as fish-catching technology.
Orvis waders are a personal piece of gear that might be passed down from generation to generation. It’s important to take good care of your waders with proper storage and regular cleaning, but there might come a time when you need to hand wash them too.
Orvis waders are designed to be field-worthy without sacrificing comfort. While they do not need to be washed after each use, if your waders have been in a particularly dirty environment or you take them out on colder days, you’ll want to clean them more often. Hand washing Orvis waders is a simple process, they only require soap and warm water.
Hand washing your waders can be a daunting task. There are several important ways to ensure you are washing your gear correctly, but if you don’t follow them there is a risk of bacteria build-up and breakage.
Washing your gear between uses prevents bacteria, dirt, stains, and smudges from affecting the material’s properties.
Washing Breathable Waders
Contrary to advise you may find elsewhere, it is OK to wash your breathable waders. Breathable-wader material is highly refined and treated with DWR (durable water repellent) coatings.
These coatings make the fabric waterproof and durable when new so that your waders should last for years and years. If new waders are properly cared for, breathing ability can be retained for many seasons.
Washing your breathable waders will remove physical dirt and other grime, as well as marine growth. Each time you fish, you’ll add more oils, salt, and sweat to your waders. These must be periodically removed or the DWR coating of your breathable pair will eventually fail.
DWR (durable webbing) is a popular coating on many outdoor gear products including skis, boots, and poles. In general, it is recommended that you let items air dry before wearing them to prevent the PU (spandex) from being removed.
Often a thin layer of wax can be removed with a soft cloth; this will not take away the DWR but will help preserve the PU. You should also avoid using harsh detergents or fabric softeners on your clothing or footwear.
In summary, Orvis waders are made of tough, smooth-treated cotton canvas that is relatively easily cleaned when compared to more delicate textiles.
YES, you can wash your Orvis Waders. Most waders can easily be washed in a washing machine and dried in a clothes dryer.
Orvis H2O water repellant and all of our other treatments are completely safe to use in the washing machine, as long as they are washed on the “gentle” cycle with cold water and cleaned out thoroughly before drying them by air or in the clothes dryer.
You may also be interested in… Is Orvis A Good Brand? (Fly Fishing & Outdoor Clothing Company) and Is Hunter A Good Brand? (Waterproof All-Weather Boots)
Allan Wilson who in the offline world has an extensive background working in research, analyzing statistics, improving work processes, team leading, and implementing training to improve results and now thanks to more than 3 years dedicated to this site is now also a highly regarded researcher of brands.
Allan has a long history of developing brands online way back before blogging existed creating websites using HTML code in Notepad. Allan established brands in the Info Product Marketing arena such as infoproductmarketing, ebookresellerkit, reprintrightsmarketing, along with many other successful websites (and a few failures along the way). Allan has also authored numerous ebooks, owned and operated membership sites, created eLearning courses, and more.
