DNase I: The Enzyme That’s Safe for Wool, Silk, and Delicates
Delicates · dnase
The odour removing enzyme that's safe to use on animal fibres.
Traditional detergents rely on multi-enzyme blends built to attack blood, food and body oil. Those blends usually include protease, which breaks down proteins. Excellent on protein stains. Less excellent on natural animal fibres.
Wool, silk, cashmere and angora are made of proteins. Wash them week after week in something designed to digest protein and you get fuzzing, thinning, and a fabric that stops feeling like the one you bought.
Gentle on nature's finest fibres
Gear Guard is built differently. Our active ingredient, dnase I (deoxyribonuclease I), doesn't touch protein fibres at all. It breaks down extracellular DNA — the sticky biological residue that traps odour deep in the thread.
It's science borrowed from nature, made safe for the most delicate materials in the wash.
Safe on
Merino wool Silk Cashmere Alpaca
GG Original
"There are other enzyme boosters with dnase, but this is the only one that is just dnase and that means I can use it on silk, wool and other natural fabrics… especially my finer fabrics — silks, bras, woolens, etc."
★★★★★ VS · ✓ Verified buyer
Gear guard · Two formulas
How dnase I works without damaging the fibre
| 01 |
Targets DNA, not fabric It breaks the phosphodiester bonds in eDNA that hold odour-causing residue together. |
| 02 |
Leaves proteins untouched Wool and silk are protein-based. dnase I doesn't act on those bonds, so fibres stay intact and soft. |
| 03 |
Rinses cleanly away After it has done the job the enzyme washes out in the rinse cycle. No buildup, no residue. |
When regular detergent is too harsh
Plenty of detergents promise a deep clean. What they often do is strip, weaken or stress a natural fibre, because the enzyme blend was chosen for stains, not for fabric health.
Protease
Breaks down proteins. Good on blood and grass. Risky on protein-based fabric like wool, silk and cashmere. Advise against using it on natural animal fibres.
Amylase
Targets starch soils. It doesn't attack wool or silk directly, but it usually ships inside a multi-enzyme system that includes protease.
Lipase
Breaks down fats and oils for body-oil and grease removal. Fibre-safe, the concern with delicates is the protease alongside it, not lipase itself.
Cellulase
Used to brighten and soften cotton, but it degrades cellulose — which can thin plant-based fabric like bamboo or viscose over time, depending on dosage.
Heavy fragrance
Masks the odour instead of addressing its biological source. That's the clean stink that returns after one wear.
Why Gear Guard works when others haven't
Odour doesn't come from the fibre. It comes from sweat and bacterial residue trapped in the fibre structure, and eDNA is a key part of the sticky matrix holding it there. Break the glue and the smell has nothing to cling to.
Gear Guard is one of the first laundry additives powered by dnase I, an enzyme found in every living organism, including us. It is nature's way of clearing DNA fragments away. We brought it to the laundry.
The guarantee
Love the wash or it's on us.
Full refund, shipping included, no time limit and you keep the bottles.
Edit: this article previously suggested that amylase and lipase may be too aggressive for natural fibres. That was incorrect and has been corrected. Thanks to the r/laundry community for pointing it out.
