Washing Tyvek to Soften it?

[Mark Ryan]

I know there's info on the forum about this but the search engine is horrible.

How many time should I run Tyvek through the washing machine to soften it up a bit? I heard 2-8 times.

Any ideas?

[Aaron Reichow]

If it were me, I'd wash and dry it once. Wash and rinse using COLD water only, and DO NOT stick it in the dryer. Hang it up to air dry. Some folks iron the softened Tyvek to smooth out the wrinkles, but

I've been pleased with the results of a single wash on standard Tyvek HomeWrap. I've always used run of the mill top loader at home on Heavy Duty, which differs from a Regular cycle only in that it agitates at a faster speed. Some folks recommend using the Delicate cycle, but there's no real justification for that.

If it isn't soft enough after the first run through do it again- doesn't have to be any more complicated than that!

Here is some info…

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=hjJ&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=site%3Abackpackinglight.com+tyvek+wash+soften&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

[Mark Ryan]

What cycle should I run it through and how long? Thanks

[Joe Kuster]

Depends on your particular piece of tyvek an how picky you want to be. If it's the home wrap and you want it soft enough to make clothing out of it, it can take upwards of 4-8 washes. If it's the stuff used in painters disposable clothing, once is usually enough if it isn't nice enough to start.

I usually toss it in with a bunch of tennis balls. Cold Wash only, dry with no heat as well if you really want to, but the wash is what does the bulk of the work. It really doesn't absorb water so drying is kind of pointless aside from drying it out before storage after washing.

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