Pure soap - washing technical gear

Hi, just arrived in the US after previously living in the UK. For washing waterproof and technical soft shells I used a pure liquid soap that was cheaply available there: https://www.amazon.com/Dri-Pak-Liquid-Flakes-750ml-bottle/dp/B0020353VG (you could get a bottle for around $5 or so).

It was also great having that stuff around to wash merino base layers and whatnot - I know you can use regular detergent on those but I still prefer to use softer cleaners on more expensive gear when I can.

A quick look online in the U.S. doesn’t seem to reveal an equivalent around the same price point. Pure flakes etc are advertised but seemingly for more like $10-$15? Obviously nikwax etc are also available but a lot more expensive than my now missed budget option.

What do people use here when running technical clothing through a wash? Any budget options or just spend the money on nikwax etc? I’ll have a look next time I’m at a big supermarket too but just thought I’d ask. Thanks!

For items I really want to baby, anything with down, I like Dr Bronner's soap.  It sounds like it might be similar to the Soap Flakes product you linked.  Might suit your needs- mild but concentrated, biodegradable, available scent free (always dye free as far as I know).

Woolite or Dr. Bronner are typical budget options for wool or down clothes that need a gentle touch. Technical clothing like shells, fleece, or synthetic insulation don’t need babying and any powdered detergent is probably fine. (Powders mess with DWR treatments less than liquid detergents.)

Whoops editing my comment because I got it backward.

Which washing detergent should I use? No need for special detergents, any normal household wash detergent is fine. What is important is to use liquid detergent and then just sparingly (about 30ML). Powder detergents and fabric softeners can reduce the breathability of the product. Of course, you can also use special detergents that are available at any good outdoor retailer that also carries GORE‑TEX products.

https://www.gore-tex.com/en_uk/blog/outdoor-fabric-care-guide-part-1-how-to-wash-gore-tex-apparel 

I always do an extra rinse as well.

The process for washing anything that you want the water (snow or rain) to bead up on the surface is not super complicated but there are some general guidelines.

1. Wash once a year if used regularly + dry them in a dryer, heat helps the DWR (durable water repellent) treatments work better due to the heat.
2. Don't use anything with detergents. Detergent chemicals are engineered to reduce the surface tension of water helping it better soak into the fabric and clean the material. 
   1. If you have used a detergent, double rinse and dry in a dryer. 
   2. Follow the instructions of the label of the garment for temperatures for the wash and dry cycles. 
3. The products offered by NIKWAX and others are made available as there are very few alternatives available to detergent based laundry products. The good thing is that you don't need a lot to clean your gear. Try washing all of your technical stuff at the same time to save money on these non-detergent soaps. Usually a capful will take care of 3-4 garments. 
4. Think seasonally - wash you winter ski / ice gear in the fall to prep for the ski or ice season. Think about gloves, hats, etc while you are gathering items for the wash cycle.
5. There are great videos on YouTube from Arc'teyx  and they have worked very closely with many key players like W.L.GORE to develop these training tools.
6. Lastly, know that there is large shift in the DWR chemistry to eliminate "forever" chemicals like PFOAs and PFAAs which are being legislated as toxic to humans.  The upside is the health benefits but they haven't yet found a replacement as effective as the previous versions. 

Best advice I can offer, send your jacket to somewhere well reviewed  and get it washed by them. Basically, if your washing machine is over a year old you will have detergent build up in your machine that you will never be able to remove without disassembling the whole machine(trust me I've tried).

The only other alternative is that you wash your jacket by hand in a clean bucket. 

Go for grangers or nikwax, the formulas are better for your jacket. 

Atsko sport wash is what I use marketed towards gortex/technical clothing/hunters.   It performs the same as nikwax & other tech washes at a fraction of the price.   A half gallon is 20 bucks IIRC.  Great stuff, have been using it for years without issue.  

I've used everything in this thread, I like atsko and Sal suds, which is dr. Bronners for laundry. But these days, I usually use a small amount of dawn dish soap and hand wash and hang to dry. If it's something big, Sal suds or atsko sport wash in a front loading washing machine. If you use regular bronners regularly, it fades colors really fast. 

Also, if you have an HE washing machine, you're almost certainly using too much of anything, be that regular detergent or not. 

Thanks all for the replies, sorry for my late response. Atsko is the sort of thing I was looking for, so I'll give that a shot.

Cheers,

Michael