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Nikwax Basefresh Wash-in Conditioner

By Dave Roberts   

on August 19, 2012    No ratings yet.

Posted in Other Suff, Outdoor Clothing Reviews, Outdoor Gear ReviewsBaselayers, Kit care, Nikwax

Nikwax Basefresh Wash-in Conditioner

Admit it, we’ve all got a few running, cycling or walking tops that have been pushed to the back of the kit drawer or dumped completely due to baselayer stink. I’ve a couple of cheapo tops that I can’t wear anymore as after a good run they start to stink like an incontinent cat has used them as bedding. So this new product from Nikwax seemed to be the solution.

Nikwax Basefresh is a deodorising wash-in conditioner for baselayers that claims to eliminate stink and to protect and enhance their wicking properties. If like me, you overlooked the word ‘conditioner’, you add this to your normal wash like conditioner along with the detergent. I’ve been told on good authority, that means it should be added into a special section of the washing machine drawer specially allocated for ‘conditioner’.

So that’s what that little bit’s for…. Can also be used to dish out a perfect double ‘measure

The best test for this would have to be to use this on the offending baselayers, along with a few others, and see how it fared. As you can wash a full load with this, it was the ideal opportunity to give my entire set of baselayers a wash. I put the lot in the washing machine, including some various brand name running tops that stink if you wear them after a workout and usually have to be removed immediately. After a run, I decided to wear them for an hour or so after, and they were fine. By the next day however, they were starting to hum a little, so while it’s helped a little this isn’t a miracle product that will totally eliminate stink. I did manage to get three runs out of one treated top while on holiday, with only one rinse in between. It didn’t exactly smell great afterwards, but was tolerable enough.

And that’s just the ones that still fit me….

The cost of this stuff is higher than your usual detergent, but if you’ve invested in expensive baselayers you’ll want to look after them and you only need 50ml per load. That works out at about 50p a go, which is a bargain. Use it on all your shirts every month or so, and it should keep them fresh in the long term, but we have only been able to test this as a one off at the moment so only time will tell. I’d be more than happy to pay significantly more for something that adds a serious antimicrobial treatment to my tops.

The Nikwax Basewash wash in conditioner is a welcome addition to the upkeep of my running kit, keeping things fresher than they’d be without. It won’t perform miracles though, and if you’ve got cheap and exceptionally stinky tops then this will help keep you civilized after the run, but don’t expect your synthetics to miraculously take on the properties of merino. The main downside is that it doesn’t appear to be widely available (not at all online) so you’ll need to keep an eye out for this.

For a demonstration of how it improves wicking, then see the video below.

And that’s just the ones that still fit me….
So that’s what that little bit’s for…. Can also be used to dish out a perfect double ‘measure

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Dave Roberts

Dave Roberts founded Walk Eryri in 2004, with the aim of providing routes that are off the beaten track. Walk Eryri is now part of Mud and Routes which continues to provide more off beat routes and walks in Snowdonia and beyond. Dave has been exploring the hills of Eryri for over thirty years, and is a qualified Mountain Leader. Dave also established Walk up Snowdon, Walk up Scafell Pike and Walk up Ben Nevis just to mention a few.

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