Do you wash your wet socks?
- Thread starter Babyhagrid
- Start date
Pitlamp
Well-known member
I wash them frequently; bucket of warm water and dash of Domestos. Two reasons; it stops that certain aroma (dead skin cells trapped within the nylon lining are loved by nasty microbes, which can then go on to find your feet appealing) and keeping the neoprene clean allows you to spot blemishes early (so you can intervene with Aquasure in time to prevent more serious degradation).
For storage between trips, turn them inside out so the surface that goes next to your skin is always dry (which stops the fungi & bacteria from doing what they do best). This also applies to wetsuits.
For lazy people; if your neoprene socks are single lined; wear them inside out, so there's no absorbent material next to your feet to accumulate dead skin cells. If they're double lined. wear them the "wrong" way around on alternate trips (so the nylon gets "washed" by being in a welly full of water). The latter also distributes the wear on the nylon so your neoprene socks last longer.
For storage between trips, turn them inside out so the surface that goes next to your skin is always dry (which stops the fungi & bacteria from doing what they do best). This also applies to wetsuits.
For lazy people; if your neoprene socks are single lined; wear them inside out, so there's no absorbent material next to your feet to accumulate dead skin cells. If they're double lined. wear them the "wrong" way around on alternate trips (so the nylon gets "washed" by being in a welly full of water). The latter also distributes the wear on the nylon so your neoprene socks last longer.
PeteHall
Moderator
In answer to the first question, it does depend what you've been doing. When I had a muddy dig, I washed my socks in the steam afterwards, or a bucket at home. Now, I'm more frequently in wetter caves and I just hang them out to dry.
Once in a while, I do put them through a rinse in the washing machine with a good dose of fabric conditioner to keep them soft. This really does help. And likewise, I think I got that tip on UKC as well
TheBitterEnd
Well-known member
I them wash in the machine with detergent almost every time, I think grit, fungi, bacteria, etc. do more harm than a bit of detergent and they wear through at the big toe anyway. Same with the rest of my kit, I think it lasts longer if the amount of embedded grinding paste is kept to a minimum.
thehungrytroglobite
Well-known member
Is there no risk of them shrinking in the machine?
Wet suits and sock do, indeed, shrink over time, but I doubt whether that has anything to do with washing, more to do with getting wet and then dry over and over again, and general aging. I remember buying a wetsuit in an end-of-season sale from a beach shop in Cornwall, that was a perfect fit on me; two or three years later, it was getting very tight on me, even though I'd actually lost more that half a stone in weight.
Anyway, even if washing does shorten the life of 'stuff', then I reckon you're talking of a very small effect, and personally I'd rather have clean clothes to put on before going underground, even if they last a (little bit) less time.
Anyway, even if washing does shorten the life of 'stuff', then I reckon you're talking of a very small effect, and personally I'd rather have clean clothes to put on before going underground, even if they last a (little bit) less time.
Pitlamp
Well-known member
Pretty sure the shrinkage of neoprene is due to the nylon shrinking rather than the neoprene itself. (It's the same effect as with ropes.) I don't think washing neoprene socks frequently is a factor in their shrinkage and there's very little you can do about the nylon shrinking with age, other than what Pete Hall said (use fabric conditioner to make them go on slightly easier.)
It's a particular problem with neoprene drysuits, which are very expensive. When I get measured up for mine I always tell them to add to the dimensions they record, to allow for it. (I once ended up cutting a drysuit in half and glueing in a 75 mm wide piece of neoprene to extend it as it'd reached the stage where I was struggling to do up the back zip. That shouldn't really be necessary when you've forked out a small fortune to get the suit made to measure.)
It's a particular problem with neoprene drysuits, which are very expensive. When I get measured up for mine I always tell them to add to the dimensions they record, to allow for it. (I once ended up cutting a drysuit in half and glueing in a 75 mm wide piece of neoprene to extend it as it'd reached the stage where I was struggling to do up the back zip. That shouldn't really be necessary when you've forked out a small fortune to get the suit made to measure.)
badger
Active member
If not going to be in mearsed in water, I wear wool or seal skins, only put wet socks on if immersed in water.
All my kit goes into a washing machine, temp set to 20 degrees, spin set to 400. Always with softener and occasionally with powder.
Never had any issues apart from wear and tear.
All my kit goes into a washing machine, temp set to 20 degrees, spin set to 400. Always with softener and occasionally with powder.
Never had any issues apart from wear and tear.
JoshW
Well-known member
Wait, does neoprene actually shrink? I always thought it was an ongoing joke about the user enlarging 😂
thehungrytroglobite
Well-known member
rarely
caving_fox
Active member
As to no detergent - I've been on more than one trip accompanied by delicate lilac smells emanating from someone's washed kit. Caves are so remarkably free of other aromas that it takes very little to stand out.
underground
Active member
I might be totally wrong but I'm fairly sure I heard that there's also a nitrogen bubble shrinking factor involved as neoprene ages, and 'good' neoprene is pre-aged on the roll for a long time before use to counteract that effect. Entirely likely the nylon then continues to shrink with wet/dry cycles too so may not be a total mitigation
Cantclimbtom
Well-known member
Ahhhh makes sense! I got a super cheap Chinese wetsuit jacket and despite washing it on cold super quick wash (so face fabric shrinkage seems unlikely) it dropped a size after about 4 or 5 washes or something. Was wondering how that was possible, maybe the above is the explanation
Jim MacPherson
Member
I wonder if neoprene normally used to be pre-aged in 'ye olden days'. I got through 2 suits between 1968 and 1983/4, they were generally just washed in the nearest stream and apart from knees/elbows/crotch being regularly wrecked (with very average repairs ) and becoming a bit tighter on the zip as I progressed into my 30's I don't recall any obvious shrinkage problem.
Maybe just rose-tinted old age??
Can't stand having the socks being put into the washing machine with the under-suits as it makes the under-suit smell of stale feet & neoprene. 🙁
I use a small amount of non-scented washing liquid as I find the (chemical) "delicate lilac smells" obnoxious in a cave.
What is really funny is following someone who has used too much washing product and they have bubbles coming out of their boots 😁
I use a small amount of non-scented washing liquid as I find the (chemical) "delicate lilac smells" obnoxious in a cave.
What is really funny is following someone who has used too much washing product and they have bubbles coming out of their boots 😁
