FAQs
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Q: Why don't you have different products for different fabrics? A: Our formulation has been designed to work on all textiles, this make your product choice simpler and saves your money in the long run as you can mix garments on the washing machine. Our Cleaners and proofers work on your waterproof fabric, fleece, Polartec, soft shell. The finished result can differ depending on the surface of the textile. Q: Can Mars Products be used on Gore-Tex® garments? A: Yes, Mars products use chemical technologies which replicate those used in the original manufacture of garments which have Gore-Tex®, Sympatex®, eVent® and many other leading brand names as well as those lesser known membrane and coatings. Q: How much do I need? A: We have developed our cleaning and proofing products based on a machine loading and not a number of garments. Each machine load requires only 75ml of each product, so depending on the size and weight of your garments you could treat three or four garments per wash. Q: How often do I need to reproof my garments? A: The only real answer that we can give you here is to take a look at the fabric and when water touches the outer surface does it run off in beads or seem to soak in and darken the fabric. If the latter is visible then itís time to re proof. Q: Do I need to tumble dry or heat my Garments to activate the proofing? A: The Mars proofer plus does require heating to cure the finish. Although this may feel like an extra thing to do; our proofer plus provides longer last resistance to abrasion and wear and tear. Heat can be applied through tumble drying which is best or ironing through a tea towel. If heating is not your choice, try the air curing wash in waterproofer in the Storm collection. Q: Do I use more cleaning and proof product in hard water areas? A: No. As our products have been developed to be Ph neutral and don't break down or become affected by hard water, so there is no need to use different amounts in different areas, another good saving for those in most of us in this country. Q: What is your one wash system? A: Our cleaning and proofing products have been designed to use the systems of your washing machine, and clean and condition in one cycle. Our cleaner (green cap) replaces your household detergent and our proofer replaces your fabric conditioner in the product tray of your washing machine. Set your machine off as per garment care labels and when your machine has finished your garments only need to dried, no need to set them off on another proofing cycle. Saving you huge amounts of water, energy and not to forget time. Q: Will I see any residue or colour change on my garments? A: No. As our wash in products have never been solids and also are Ph neutral they donít get affected by the Ph level of the water being used which is often the cause of unsightly marks. Q: Can I use a household detergent to clean my jacket? A: Not Really, as these can damage the surface waterproofing previously applied by either the manufacturer or yourselves. Household detergents are for more aggressive than specifically designed products for waterproof gear .Another thing to bear in mind is that household detergents often contain optical brighteners to enhance garment colours and perfumes, these are not good for garments being used for many country sports as these brighteners and perfumes could be picked up by more sensitive animals senses. Our products don't contain either of these components. If you have washed with a household detergent all is not lost, put your garments through a treatment cycle using Storm products and these will aid the removal of any detergent residue and also replace the surface waterproof finish to the garment. You may need to reproof your garment slightly than if no household products had been used. Q: Can I hand wash using Mars products? A: If you prefer not to use a washing machine our products are suitable to be used in a bath, use 75ml per fill (50 litres max), in other words, fill bath to just cover garments with tepid water. Agitate for a few minutes and rinse with clean water, follow by a proof mix if required. Q: Why don't you use silicone in your spray proofer/defender? A: Silicone is a good waterproofer, however we feel that it has other properties that we don't like; silicone changes the feel of fabric by leaving a slippery residue, which makes packing a tent away much harder. Should you need to repair a fabric that has been previously silicone treated, many adhesive products won't stick to silicone. Silicone leaves a visible residue when dry so when reproofing a large area a wet edge must be maintained to reduce that chance of unsightly patterns, this also makes part treating a no no. Our non silicone tent proofer leaves no residue that changes the look or feel of the fabric and dries without the need to maintain a wet edge. Q: Why should I clean and reproof my garments? A: To maintain the maximum performance of your garments they need to be clean and repel water, if water is able to build up within the surface of the fabric ìWet Out then any perspiration is unable to escape effectively, a condensation build up is noticed on the inside of the garments also garments will become heavier and take longer to dry once wet. Cleaning the garment correctly will remove any dirty yet maintain any active DWR finish. DWR stands for Durable Water Repellency is finish to the fabric that makes water run off, should that finish become damaged or worn then water will soak in to the fabric, this is called wetting out. Q: What temperature should I use on my machine? A: Our products work equally well at 30° as they do at 40° or 50°, first think of the environment then check the care label of all garments to be washed. Q: What can I use in replacement to Mars Oil? A: Unfortunately we are no longer able to manufacture the original Mars Oil, however we have manufactured some synthetic replacement products. Try Mars Leather Dressing or Mars Leather Balm. Q: What other outdoor and leisure gear can I care for with Mars Products? A: We manufacture products for the aftercare for clothing, footwear; fabric and leather; cleaners, waterproofers, deodorisers and conditioners there's even a sponge; check out our full product range for more information. Q: Can't find the answer you are looking for please email us? A: Please use our contact details to get the answer you are looking for. |