Storm Care Products Review

I'll set the scene - I have just returned home from an 8 mile jaunt along bridleways and footpaths. They were extremely muddy following all the recent rain and I was faced with cleaning two full sets of filthy waterproofs and two disgustingly dirty pairs of walking boots.

We won't mention the two Golden Retrievers that now resemble Chocolate Labradors!

Storm's range of cleaners and proofers were certainly going to be 'put through their paces' on both our waterproof clothing and our boots.

Founded in 2003, Storm offer high performance cleaning, waterproofing and aftercare treatments for outdoor gear, clothing and footwear. The products are colour coded for ease of selection, green for cleaning and blue for waterproofing. Added to this their sprays have clear caps and coloured caps are wash-in treatments.

I considered washing the waterproof clothing first to remove the mud but decided against this as I wanted to see what the products were really capable of. I was pleased to note that the Wash-in Cleaner (green cap) and Wash-in Eco+ Proofer (blue cap) could be used together as a one-wash system. Other products that I have previously used have necessitated washing the garment first before using a wash-in proofer. This is neither ecologically friendly nor cost effective if you are on a water meter.

Price wise, there is not a lot of difference with competitor products. The stand all-in-one proofer I had previously used (Wash n Proof from Mountain Warehouse) was £14.99 and this cleaner was £5.99 and the proofer £9.99. (Those prices are all for 300ml bottles.)

I was pleased to see that the product sported a 30 degree wash instruction, although further advice given on the web advocated using a 40 or 50 degree longer wash cycle so that the product stayed in contact with the garments for longer.

The 300ml bottle stated that 75mls or 1.5 capfuls were to be used of each of the Wash-in Cleaner and Wash-in Proofer for each load. The cleaner was placed in the detergent drawer and the proofer in the conditioner drawer.

There was however no mention on the label as to what constituted a load either by number of garments or weight of garments.

Checking the company's website, I discovered that a load was either a full set of adult waterproofs or three child-sized jackets. As the waterproof trousers were particularly filthy I opted to wash these as one load with the less dirty jackets making up a second load.

The previous proofer that I had used had given a volume of proofer per weight of garment up to a maximum weight. It was a similar amount, but I did feel that having a weight would have been advantageous. Had I not researched their website, I would have been tempted to wash both sets of waterproofs together which might have affected the cleaning effectiveness.

I chose a 30 degree wash cycle, for both quickness and also to be eco friendly, and actually I was extremely pleased with the cleaning performance.

Having allowed the garments to drip dry, I then finished them off in the tumble dryer on a low heat as the products needed to be 'heat activated'.

Whilst they were drying I chose to re-proof another jacket. This, in contrast was not allowed to be tumble dried so once it had drip dried I heat activated the products by ironing the jacket on a low setting (as per manufacturer's instructions) without steam, using a cotton tea towel to prevent it going shiny.

No residue from using the products was left on the garments, as promised.

Now re-proofed, the garments needed to be tested to see if they were indeed waterproof. I had a dilemma, do I wait for another downpour surely guaranteed by the typical British weather we are having, accept my husband's offer to be assaulted by the pressure washer, stand under the shower, or come up with something more scientific?

Science won!

Placing each of the garments across a bowl, I poured 150mls of cold water into a 'bowl' of the fabric. I left each for 3 minutes and observed. In each case the material darkened but no leakage occurred through the fabric. After the 3 minutes the water was removed and soon the fabric was dry. I also threw water at the garments, and beads of water ran straight off the fabric.

I was impressed with the results, and particularly pleased with the one coat that has been known to let water through during a downpour. Three minutes of concentrated water on one spot feels like a good test of heavy rain to me!

(Update: I have since had cause to wear all of the garments that have been treated and am delighted to report that they survived a downpour and I remained totally dry.)

I certainly would not hesitate in buying these Storm products and would recommend their use to family and friends.

Although not particularly cheap, they are comparable in price to other brands. The ease of use makes it suitable for anyone who wears waterproof outdoor clothing, though one possible improvement would be a slightly larger font size on the instruction panel - and to explain what constitutes a load.

Next to be trialled were Storm's Footwear Cleaner, Spray–on Deodoriser and Leather Cream products. And these products were certainly put through their paces on some very muddy boots!

I struggled with the 'easy to apply' sprays, which weren't in fact easy to apply. Both the Footwear Cleaner (£5.95 for 75mls) and deodoriser (£4.99 for 75mls) had pump action spray tops which refused to retract after the first spray.

I managed to pull the spray top back up and they stuck again on re-use and this continued to the point of being irritating. Neither would work at all unless in the upright position.

Replacements were sent but again, both were faulty.

Mechanics aside, I was delighted with the product itself. I had loosely brushed the mud from my walking boots and applied the Footwear Cleaner directly to the boots. There was a lovely citrus smell to the product (also evident in the deodoriser).

I used a damp cloth to rub the cleaner in before rinsing off in cold water and the cleaning process took no longer than five minutes. Ideal, but any longer and I would have considered it hard work!

Having rinsed the boots, I left them to dry before using the Leather Cream (£5.50 for a 100ml tin).

The tin had useful a screw lid which meant opening and closing it was simple. I applied a small amount of the cream using a dry cloth, used the neutral wax and then buffed the boot using a shoe brush which I had wrapped inside a soft cloth. And actually, I was delighted with the results.

The application of the cream and buffing took no longer than five minutes - I was even tempted to clean my Husbands boots too! (I did say tempted!)

I would have no hesitation at all in buying the Leather Cream, but would have concern with the Spray-on Deodoriser and the Footwear Cleaner due to the faulty spray actions.

The last product that I trialled in the Storm range was the Fast Dry Proofer. This is priced at £8.95 for a 300ml spray canister and is a quick drying waterproofer for all fabrics, including breathables. It has a non-staining finish, is intended as suitable for all materials, is oil and stain resistant and does not affect the breathability of fabrics.

When walking I carry a Maxpedition rucksack and I decided to spray this with the Fast Dry Proofer, along with a pair of trainers. Neither is officially waterproof, but during a recent downpour I am pleased to report that the water 'rolled off' the rucksack nicely. I've also been caught in a shower whilst wearing the trainers, but my feet remained happily dry.

All in all, I'm very pleased with the products.