How to Waterproof and Wash Your DIY Wearable Tech (Video)
Here's a question I get a lot: "Can I put my wearable in the washing machine?" The honest answer is: not as-is. But with a bit of planning at the design stage, you can make wearables that survive real life. This post follows my recent video How to Waterproof and Wash Your DIY Wearable Tech, with the parts and steps written down so you can follow along.
Step 1: Decide what has to come off
The biggest rule: if a part is sensitive, design it so it's removable. Batteries are my number one worry, and I always take them out before washing. Screens such as e-paper and OLED displays should come off too. Waterproofing everything is hard; taking the delicate bits out of the garment is easy.
Step 2: Build in a way to detach
There are a few tricks I use again and again:
- A buttonhole access slot. Sew a buttonhole (a sewing machine makes this easy) so wires can pass through to a pocket or compartment. No machine? A buttonhole-style press tool punches a clean opening with a metal rim. You don't need sewing skills for that.
- A little Velcro pocket. Put your ESP32, battery and display in a small pocket fixed with hook-and-loop tape, then lead the wires out through the slot.
- Ring terminals and a small screw. Ring terminals are a favourite of mine. Fix one end to the garment, the other to your module, and join them with a screw and a metal ring. Unscrew, pull out the module, and wash the garment.
Step 3: Protect what has to stay
Some parts live in the garment, like LEDs and the connections between them. For these:
- Heat shrink tubing. Slide it over every solder joint. For LED strips, a larger piece of tubing can cover the whole strip. Our Side-Emitting RGB LED Strip has no weather protection, but I often place it in heat shrink, and it diffuses the light as a bonus.
- UV resin. There are resin pens you squeeze onto delicate joints and then cure with a small UV light. Handy for connections that flex.
- Liquid electrical tape. Painted over joints; I've seen others use it with good results.
- Pre-sealed strips. If you want a head start, the 60/meter IP65 RGB Pixel Strips are already coated for splash protection. IP65 isn't "put it through a wash cycle" waterproof, so still hand-wash and treat the ends carefully.
A note about conductive fabric
Conductive fabrics are my favourite material, but they're not all equally happy in the wash. Some can start to corrode. If you wash them, do it gently and by hand, and consider distilled water. Let them air dry fully before you power anything on.
Step 4: Washing day checklist
- Power off and unplug the battery.
- Detach the removable module (ESP32, display, battery).
- Check that all joints are covered with heat shrink or resin.
- Hand-wash gently, no wringing or twisting.
- Air dry completely, then test before reconnecting the battery.
Make it last longer, too
Washing isn't the only thing that wears wearables out. I made a separate video, How to Make Your Wearables Last Longer, covering strain relief and general durability. It's a good one to watch next.
Projects to practise on
Want a project that already uses a removable design? The Flight Glove Video Kit has everything used in the build, including an OLED display that's perfect for practising "take the screen off before washing". The Wearable Simon Game Video Kit is another good fit (limited quantities).
Have a washing question I didn't cover? Leave a comment on the video and I'll answer. I don't know everything, and there are always other ways to do things, but I'm happy to share what I've learned from experience.