What's Happened to my Waterproof?

[stephec]

I've got a Karrimor weatherlite jacket that's about ten years old. For the past seven or eight years it's been sat in the wardrobe, when I got it out recently it had a funny white coating on it like this -

http://www.flickr.co...N07/4979706157/

I've washed it at thirty degrees in non bio liquid but there's no change.

And to make it even worse the jacket's no longer waterproof!


Anyone got an idea as to what's happened, and can I rescue it?

 

[downfader]

I've got a Karrimor weatherlite jacket that's about ten years old. For the past seven or eight years it's been sat in the wardrobe, when I got it out recently it had a funny white coating on it like this -

http://www.flickr.co...N07/4979706157/

I've washed it at thirty degrees in non bio liquid but there's no change.

And to make it even worse the jacket's no longer waterproof!


Anyone got an idea as to what's happened, and can I rescue it?

Looks like natural stress on the fibres causing the colour change. Could also be a natural breakdown of the plastic fibres used to make the product reacting to things like heat or UV. It most probably has lost some or all of its water repellancy from that time also, so you may need to try a tech wash. If the tech wash doesnt work that means new coat, too.

My rain coats only last about 2-3 years, but they're used a lot.