Musty MUSTO

[StoneCrab]

I have some Musto weather gear">foul weather gear that smells so bad I want to throw up before I put it on.

I've washed them in a clothes washer with laundry detergent and then air dried. The smell was not diminished.

I looked on line and got some tips but don't want to take a chance on ruining the gear. Some of the tips were bleach, borax, vinegar, baking soda, and freezing it in the freezer.

I contacted MUSTO by email. What a seriously disappointing experience. They did the china thing of responding to each email with a request for another useless piece of information and of course photos. It is like they never heard of mold or mildew. Their answers weren't helpful or informed.

Does anyone have some suggestions? I believe the inside is a heavy duty Gore-Tex with taped seams.

What would you use to get rid of the smell?

[Seymore]

Try Shout, the laundry stain remover. Its active ingredient is a complex alcohol. It's meant for clothes, so it shouldn't damage the Musto gear.

I've used it to clean up mold on my deck, the marine mold removers I've seen also being complex alcohols. It worked beautifully. .

[StoneCrab]

Well after four email exchanges with Musto, I gave up. Their customer service doesn't really read the emails and gives boilerplate answers that are not helpful. To be specific, every email said a version of follow the washing instructions found on the product's label. This label was not present.

I specifically was asking if vinegar, borax, alcohol or ozone would destroy the fabric or Gore-Tex liner. They just replied that I shouldn't use anything that isn't recommended in the washing instructions found on the label.

They don't seem to know their products.

I asked for a recommendation for a professional cleaner. The one they recommended is located in Scotland. This is not a good option for me.

Scottish Mountain Gear

After giving up on Musto, I contacted G.W. Gore, who is the manufacturer of Gore-Tex. They gave me very comprehensive answers, recommendations and links for additional reading.

Their recommendation was to soak the garment in a 50/50 mix of White Vinegar and water overnight. Then wash with a liquid, non scented detergent and run it through the rinse cycle twice. The recommended drying it in the clothes dryer until bone dry. Then to renew the DWR coating with a spray application of a hydrophobic liquid.

They included some links to videos showing how to prep stains and test the DWR coating and what to look for.

They also recommended two repair centers if I just wanted to send it out:

RAINY PASS REPAIR
4415 Stone Way North
Seattle, WA 98103-7422
Tel. 206-523-8135
Tel. 888-747-7867
Web: www.rainypass.com

GEAR RE-STORE
Unit #340, 12351 North Grant Street
Thornton, CO 80241
Tel. 303-632-7203
Web: www.gearrestore.com

It is notable that on the Gore-Tex pages, they do mention that if you don't stay on top of any mold growth, it is possible for the mold to penetrate the Gore-Tex membrane and ruin its water repellant properties.

The vinegar 50/50 mix does not harm the Gore-Tex.

So kudos to the G.W. Gore company for their customer service and a thumbs down to Musto.