Removing PFAS from clothing is difficult, and no household method will eliminate these chemicals completely. Standard washing does reduce PFAS levels over multiple cycles, but the chemicals are designed to bond tightly to fabric fibers, which is exactly what makes them effective as stain and water repellents. Here’s what actually works, what doesn’t, and how to minimize your exposure.
Why PFAS Cling to Fabric
PFAS are applied to clothing as a durable water-repellent (DWR) finish. This coating is engineered at the molecular level to resist breakdown from water, heat, and friction. That durability is what makes PFAS so useful in outdoor gear, stain-resistant work clothes, and school uniforms, and it’s also what makes them so hard to wash out. The chemicals don’t dissolve easily in water and aren’t broken down by standard detergents.
Clothing categories most likely to contain PFAS include waterproof jackets and pants, stain-resistant school and work uniforms, some athletic wear, and firefighter turnout gear. If a garment was marketed as waterproof or stain-resistant (especially before 2020), there’s a reasonable chance it was treated with PFAS-based coatings.
What Repeated Washing Actually Does
Research published in Environmental Science & Technology found that washing does cause a measurable decrease in certain PFAS concentrations in treated textiles. Volatile PFAS compounds, in particular, are partly washed out over successive cycles. However, the picture is more complicated than “more washes equals less PFAS.”
In the same study, some fabric samples actually showed higher concentrations of certain PFAS breakdown products after five wash cycles compared to unwashed aged fabric. This happens because the original coating degrades during washing into smaller PFAS compounds that can become trapped in the fibers. So while the original water-repellent chemicals decrease, their breakdown products may accumulate.
The practical takeaway: repeated washing reduces the performance of the DWR coating (you’ll notice water no longer beads up on the surface), and it does lower levels of some PFAS compounds. But it does not make the garment PFAS-free. Michigan’s state sampling guidance notes that clothing needs to be washed at least six times before it’s considered low enough in PFAS contamination for use in sensitive environmental sampling work, and even then, fabric softener must be avoided because it can contain its own fluorinated compounds.
How to Wash for Maximum Reduction
No special detergent or additive has been proven in peer-reviewed research to strip PFAS from fabric the way, say, a stain remover tackles red wine. Activated carbon is highly effective at pulling PFAS from drinking water, but no consumer laundry product currently uses this technology in a validated way for textiles. That said, you can optimize your regular washing routine to remove as much as possible.
- Wash repeatedly. Plan on at least six full wash cycles for heavily treated items. Each cycle removes a small additional fraction of the original coating.
- Skip fabric softener. Some fabric softeners contain fluorinated compounds that can redeposit onto clothing. Use plain detergent only.
- Use warm or hot water when the fabric allows. Higher temperatures generally increase the rate at which chemical coatings break down and release from fibers, though no specific temperature threshold has been identified for PFAS in home laundry settings.
- Skip tumble drying between cycles if your goal is removal. Research data compared washed fabrics with and without tumble drying, and the drying process may affect how breakdown products redistribute within the textile. Air drying between wash cycles is a reasonable precaution.
Cross-Contamination in Shared Loads
PFAS released from treated garments during washing don’t just disappear down the drain. Some of those chemicals end up in the wash water and can transfer onto other items in the same load. If you’re washing a brand-new waterproof jacket alongside your cotton T-shirts, some PFAS from the jacket’s coating will end up on the T-shirts.
For the first several washes of any new water-repellent or stain-resistant garment, wash it separately or with other treated items you’re trying to strip. This is the same principle behind Michigan’s environmental sampling protocols, which flag any clothing washed with stain-resistant chemicals as potentially contaminated. After six or more solo washes, the rate of PFAS shedding drops significantly and mixed loads become less of a concern.
Firefighter Gear and High-Exposure Workwear
Firefighter turnout gear presents a unique challenge because PFAS aren’t just a surface coating. They’re embedded throughout the moisture barrier and outer shell of traditional bunker gear. The International Association of Fire Fighters recommends that all protective equipment be cleaned after any exposure to combustion products, following the NFPA 1851 standard for cleaning and inspection. But even professional-grade cleaning doesn’t fully remove PFAS from this gear.
The IAFF’s current position is straightforward: legacy turnout gear containing PFAS should be replaced with PFAS-free alternatives as they become available. Cleaning reduces surface contamination and limits how much transfers to your skin, but it cannot extract chemicals that are built into the fabric itself. If you work in a profession with PFAS-containing uniforms or equipment, the most effective long-term strategy is transitioning to PFAS-free gear rather than trying to decontaminate what you have.
What Happens to PFAS in Your Wash Water
Every wash cycle that pulls PFAS out of your clothes sends those chemicals into your home’s wastewater. Standard municipal water treatment plants are not designed to remove PFAS, so most of it passes through into rivers, lakes, or groundwater. Home microplastic filters for washing machines, which are increasingly popular for catching synthetic fibers, have not been validated for PFAS capture. The molecules are far smaller than microfibers and pass through most filtration media.
This creates an uncomfortable tradeoff: the more effectively you wash PFAS out of your clothes, the more you contribute to PFAS contamination in the water supply. There is currently no consumer-level solution to this problem. It’s one reason environmental agencies increasingly focus on stopping PFAS from being used in clothing manufacturing rather than trying to manage them after purchase.
The Most Effective Strategy: Avoidance
Because no washing method fully removes PFAS from treated textiles, the most reliable approach is buying clothing that was never treated in the first place. Many outdoor brands have shifted to PFAS-free water-repellent coatings based on silicone or wax, and several major retailers now label products as PFAS-free. Look for terms like “PFC-free DWR” or “fluorine-free” on product tags and descriptions.
For clothing you already own, repeated hot washing without fabric softener is the best available option for reducing (not eliminating) PFAS levels. Wash treated items separately for the first six cycles, then integrate them into regular loads. Accept that some residual PFAS will remain in the fabric for the life of the garment. If a piece of clothing is heavily treated and you’re concerned about skin contact, particularly children’s clothing or items worn against the skin for long periods, replacing it with a PFAS-free alternative is more effective than any washing protocol.