I know this should be in another section but not much results there. My cover which is about 5 years old is getting a thin film on the outside of the cover. It is always used indoors. It is a evolution 4 cover. Has anybody washed there cover and how did you do it. With a hase or take it to a big washer and do it. Let it dry in the sun or dryer? It just seems a little dingy and with rolling it up I don't want the film to get in the inside.

 

I took mine to a laundry mat with a large capacity machine and ran it through two cycles. My cover is made from evolution 4, and per recomendation of the manufacture I used Simple Green in the wash cycle.

 

The Evolution material is a multi-layer polypropylene fabric. The middle layers are a very small fiber structure that provides the water, fine dust, etc. barrier properties. If you machine wash this fabric, the agitation will damage this layer and reduce the barrier characteristics. Also be aware that polypropylene fibers melts at a fairly low temperature (approx 160 deg C). If you decide to wash it make sure that it is on a gentle cycle w/ cold water or you may get some deformation of the cover. However, if you only use the cover indoors this might be the easiest. Just remember that you might change the advertised properties of the cover.

The recommended cleaning proceedure is to use warm water and hand clean the cover. Then rinse with a hose. If you want to use soap, only use a small amount diluted in water. If you do not rinse all the soap out, the soap will act as a surfactant and cause the fabric to wet-out (allow water to pass through) if ever used in a rainy situation.

If you haven't already guessed, I have worked about 17 years in the Nonwoven fabrics industry. Many of those years were in development of protective fabrics for car covers. I don't work for Kimberly-Clark (manufacurer of the Evolution fabrics) anymore, but I still have a lot of stock! So do the real easy thing.....Go buy another Evolution 4 or Noah Car Cover!! :yesnod:

 

A cover was the first item I wanted to buy but since we just purchased a king size bed those queen size flannel sheets were just looking to be used. I would only cover it right after washing/waxing. If I drove the car anywhere I was afraid that dirt/dust would leave scratches while putting the cover or sheets on top of it. Thoughts.

 

Can the water-resistance be restored? My Noah cover now let's the moisture through. Spray Scotch-Guard on the exterior surface?

 

Paul,
The barrier for the Noah is a micro-porous film coating. The film prevents the water penetration. The micro pores allow breathability. If your Noah cover is letting water in you have somehow damaged the film coating. I would not recommend using ScotchGuard. DuPont does make a similar treatment that is used on nonwoven fabrics to improve liquid repellency, but just spraying ScotchGuard on the cover may leave a residue that could hurt your paint. I think there is an 800 number that you can call and a Kimberly-Clark rep will tell you what can be done.

Good Luck!!

Mark

 

I also have a Noah cover and the instructions state "Do not machine wash or dry as this will distroy your cover. Hand wash or rinse with garden hose only and air dry." It also states "Do not be alarmed if moisture collects between the cover and the vehicle surface as the breathing quality of the cover allows the dampness to evaporate without damage to the vehicle surface. Water proof covers may trap moisture and cause paint and vinyl top damage"

 

Thanks for the info guys. I will just hose wash it and let it air dry.

 

That is exactly what happens. A little bit of moisture gets through after a rain but it disappears very quickly with wind and sun. Perhaps that is normal and my memory is failing me.

 

Koz

Just going through old posts and saw this! Probably not a good idea to put a cover on the car when it's "dirty". I'd say at least run over it with a "California Duster" type thing. I have a Noah cover that I use when we're travelling with the car. I usually wash and dry the car at the end of a days drive and then cover it. We also have to cover ours in rented the garage here (UK) and that means that it has to be washed and dry before it goes away every time. With our weather that makes life intersting!