Best DWR Spray for Rain Jackets (2026)

A rain jacket that seems to leak may not have failed at all. Often the outer fabric has stopped shedding water, so it soaks through and the jacket feels wet from the inside. The fix, in order: wash it, heat it, and only then add new water repellent.

The treatment comes as a spray you put on the outside or a wash-in you add in the machine, and the choice depends on whether your jacket has a liner.

How we chose: we have not tested these treatments. We read the makers' directions and the GORE-TEX care pages, and kept only products sold by Amazon.com and in stock on September 29, 2026.

Six DWR treatments side by side

Prices are Amazon's, as of the time shown, and subject to change. Details

Directions and doses come from Nikwax's pages for TX.Direct Spray-On and TX.Direct Wash-In, GEAR AID's Revivex DWR page and the Amazon listings.

Why a waterproof jacket "wets out"

A waterproof-breathable jacket has two layers of defense. The membrane or coating inside stops liquid water. The durable water repellent (DWR) on the face fabric makes rain bead up and roll off, so the outer fabric stays dry and sweat vapor can still pass out through it.

When the DWR stops working, the face fabric soaks up rain. GORE-TEX's DWR page says that without DWR "garments can feel cold and clammy when water saturates the outer layer," but "your GORE TEX Product will still be waterproof." The wet you feel is sweat that can no longer get out through a soaked face fabric.

Nikwax puts a number on it: on its TX.Direct Wash-In page it says a garment whose outer fabric absorbs water "can lose up to 70% of its breathability." That is Nikwax's figure, and it gives no test method with it.

Dirt, not wear, is often the first cause. Nikwax's rain jacket guide says that most times "it's dirt and crud that are covering the water-repellent coating," and that household detergents leave "residues that attract water."

Step 1: wash it the way GORE-TEX says

Start with a wash, even if you plan to re-proof. GORE-TEX's outerwear care page gives the routine:

• Close the front zip, pockets and pit zips.
• Machine wash at 105°F (40°C) with a small amount of liquid detergent.
• No powder detergent, fabric softener, stain remover or bleach.
• Rinse twice and keep spinning to a minimum.

GORE-TEX allows a liquid household detergent. Nikwax and GEAR AID both sell a technical wash instead, on the argument that ordinary detergent leaves water-attracting residue. Our technical wash guide covers that choice and down gear too. Always read the jacket's own care label first; GORE-TEX says the same on its care hub.

Step 2: heat it, then check for beading

Heat often brings an old DWR back. GORE-TEX's outerwear page says to tumble dry on a warm gentle cycle, or line dry, then "once dry, tumble dry for a further 20 minutes to reactivate the durable water repellent (DWR) treatment." If the label bars the dryer, it suggests ironing on a gentle setting with a towel between iron and jacket, and no steam.

Then sprinkle water on the shoulders and forearms. If it beads and rolls off, you are done and you have spent nothing on treatment. If it spreads and darkens the fabric, GORE-TEX says "you'll need to reapply a durable water repellent (DWR)," as a pump spray or a wash-in.

One exception: GORE-TEX SHAKEDRY garments have no DWR at all. GORE-TEX says not to tumble dry, iron or apply DWR to them.

Step 3: spray-on or wash-in?

Spray-on treats only the outside. Nikwax says its TX.Direct Spray-On is for waterproof clothing "with wicking liners," the mesh or fleece inside many jackets that you want to keep absorbent. It is also the way to hit high-wear spots harder: GEAR AID says to spray its Revivex "liberally to high wear areas like shoulders and cuffs."

Wash-in coats every fiber, inside and out, in one machine cycle. That is fine for an unlined shell or rain pants and quicker for several garments. The GEAR AID wash-in listing limits it to outerwear and gloves "with no insulation or lining," and Nikwax recommends spray-on when a jacket has a liner.

If you have an insulated jacket with a waterproof shell, spray the outside. Down needs its own wash and proofer, covered in the technical wash guide.

How to spray a jacket, per the makers

Nikwax and GEAR AID differ on two points: whether the jacket should be wet, and whether it needs heat.

• Nikwax TX.Direct Spray-On: spray evenly onto the clean, wet jacket from 6 inches, wait 4 to 5 minutes, wipe off the surplus with a damp cloth, then hang dry or tumble dry low if the label allows. Nikwax says no heat is needed.
• GEAR AID Revivex: hang the wet or dry jacket, spray from 5 to 10 inches in a ventilated area, then machine dry on medium heat or air dry for 24 hours, checking the garment's label before the dryer.

Both say to clean first with their own wash: Tech Wash for Nikwax, Revivex Pro Cleaner for GEAR AID.

How often you will buy it again

This is a consumable, so plan the repeat cost.

Nikwax's Tech Wash page says that with regular cleaning "you should be able to clean your gear 5-6 times with Nikwax Tech Wash before it requires re-waterproofing." GEAR AID's DWR FAQ points the same way: clean first, because dryer heat often revives the repellent without more product.

For the product itself, the doses are on the label:

• GEAR AID Revivex spray: 5 oz treats 1 to 2 jackets, 10 oz treats 2 to 4, 16.9 oz treats 4 to 6, per the listing.
• GEAR AID Wash-In: one ounce per garment, per GEAR AID, so a 10 oz pouch is about ten.
• Nikwax TX.Direct Wash-In: 3.5 fl oz (100 ml) per garment by hand; a top-loader dose is 10 fl oz (300 ml) for up to three garments.
• Nikwax TX.Direct Spray-On: Nikwax does not give a coverage figure.

Which one to buy

• Buy Nikwax TX.Direct Spray-On for a jacket with a wicking liner, or one whose label rules out the dryer.
• Buy GEAR AID Revivex DWR Spray if your jacket can take a warm dryer and you want a coverage number on the label.
• Buy the Nikwax Hardshell Duo-Pack if you own no technical wash yet and have an unlined shell.
• Buy a wash-in (Nikwax TX.Direct or GEAR AID) for rain pants and unlined shells, several at a time.
• Buy Nikwax Softshell Proof only for stretch softshells.

To see the two brands' full ranges side by side, including washes, down care and boot treatments, read our GEAR AID vs Nikwax comparison.

What "PFAS-free" means on these labels

All six products here are sold as free of PFAS, the fluorinated chemicals that older DWR finishes relied on. Nikwax describes its products as "PFAS-free, water based, non-persistent" on its listings, and GEAR AID says its Revivex spray is "PFAS-free with zero fluorocarbons." Those are the makers' claims; we have not seen third-party test data for either.

GORE-TEX's own wording on its newer DWR is more careful: "made without intentionally added per- and polyfluorinated substances; may contain trace amounts," per its DWR page.

Nikwax also says, in a reply on its rain jacket guide, that heat activation "is a remnant from when factory-applied DWR were PFAS-based," which is why its own treatments air dry. Either way, regular washing, not more spray, is the cheapest way to keep a jacket beading.

A torn jacket needs a patch, not spray

DWR does nothing for a hole. For a snag in a shell, see our repair tape and patch guide, which covers GORE-TEX fabric patches. The GORE-TEX repair page explains the brand's own repair options.

Related: waterproofing hiking boots and tent seam sealer and fly spray.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put a DWR spray on a jacket that is still dirty?

No. Nikwax says all items "must first be cleaned with Nikwax Tech Wash before waterproofing," and GEAR AID's directions start with a Revivex Pro Cleaner wash, because the repellent has to bond to clean fibers.

Does the jacket have to be wet when I spray it?

For Nikwax TX.Direct Spray-On, yes: Nikwax says to spray onto a clean, wet item. GEAR AID's Revivex directions say to hang the wet or dry garment, so either works for that one.

Can I use a wash-in on a sleeping bag?

Nikwax lists synthetic sleeping bags among the uses of TX.Direct Wash-In on its Amazon listing. Down bags are different: Nikwax sells Down Wash and Down Proof for those.

Will tumble drying damage an older jacket?

It can if the label says no. Nikwax says on its TX.Direct Wash-In page that skipping the dryer "protects more vulnerable, older, garments from heat," and GORE-TEX says not to dry at a high temperature.

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