Help! I NeedTextile Jacket Cleaning Tips

Any you guys have textile jacket cleaning tricks I have over 8000 miles of bug hits! Thanks for any hints you may have.

 

My textile jackets have a tag that says you can machine wash them. So I took out all the pads and washed them, then air dryed on the back of a chair. Now they are just like new.

 

Mine says "do not machine wash" and "do not dry clean".... apparently I am supposed to use a damp cloth to wipe it clean.

 

I take all of the padding out and soak it in a sink (any large container would work). Use luke-warm water and a very small amount of laundry soap (about 1 teaspoon). Soak it for about 15 minutes, and then start massaging it all over to circulate water through it. Do that for a couple of minutes, and let it soak for about 5 more minutes. Massage it again, drain the water. Fill the container with cold water, soak it for about 5 more minutes, massage it a couple of times, and then hang it to dry somewhere with a towel on the floor beneath it. Avoid hanging it in direct sunlight.

This method, albeit a pain in the backside, works really well.

Here's a link to the Cortech suggested stuff;

http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/pages.php?pageid=36

 

I've had just about every bug explode on my jacket that's out there.

Front loading washer work's just fine. Take all the armor out and zip everything up. Has a hand-wash cycle and gets everything out. No fabric softner or dryer sheets!

I usually re-treat with Scotch Guard spray after. Water resistance decreases with time, regardless of whether you wash it or not.

 

Thanks !

It's just not cool walking around with bug guts hanging off of you!

 

I see them as a mark of pride. It shows I actually ride and not just 25mph from cafe to bar.
When I came home from my ride yesterday, I almost could not see out of my shield there were so many bugs.
Good Times.

 

Yesterday was a sad day for the bug community. Many, many young bugs lost their lives against my new textile jacket.

I sat down with a sponge and plain water and set to work. 5 minutes later there was no visible sign of the slaughter that had taken place. :smile:

 

I throw mine in the shower & hit them with cold water to remove the bugs. I then hang them in my garage to dry. I've never had a problem with this process. If you want to add some soap to the equation, use Woolite, fill up the tub & swish them around for a minute or two.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

I use a pressure washer, when its not working ,just the garden hose and soap..pressure works good! then just hang em in the sun..

 

Not knowing what gear you are using, the washing instructions should be on a tag. Knowing that most tags are on the outside anymore so we essentially are paying for ads for some stuff, you might have to look inside..

If this is machine washable, run it through two complete cycles. First one can be with no detergent and about a half cup or so of plain old bicarbonate of soda. Then hit it again with your detergent.

The bicarb and water are also good for getting bugs off the paint and windscreens.

 

Yah after my trip to New York and back, those "marks of pride" stunk up the whole garage.

 

My attitude is God put them (bugs) in my way and he can take them away. I get caught in the rain enough they mostly get cleaned off.:biggrin:

 

I own a variety of Joe Rocket and FirstGear textile riding gear, ranging from heavyweight cold weather gear, to middleweight gear and lightweight mesh gear. In my experience, the label warnings about cleaning these gear are way too conservative. After all, this stuff is supposed to hold up well in a fall/slide, so why should it be babied when it comes to washing it?

My 2006 General Electric Profile, super large capacity, top-loading washer has many settings, including several "delicate" settings, etc. It's agitator's fins are very short in terms of circumference, which means that the agitator can't much claw at the contents. Moreover, when the GE Profile washer is set to delicate mode, the agitator moves at a very slow pace, and there are water jets within the tub that rhythmically squirt water into the tub during the wash cycle, and this is a very gentle yet effective method of cleaning. (My large capacity GE Profile dryer also has a large number of settings.)

On the other hand, if you own an older model washing machine with an agitator with long fins, and it lacks a truly delicate wash-cycle setting, beware. The risk here is that the agitator may well abrade and fray the textile fabric due to chafing.

I routinely wash my textile riding gear, as needed, in my washer, with excellent results. And, depending on which piece of textile gear I wash, I will dry it to some extent in my dryer. That said, I offer the following suggestions based upon my experience.

1) Use only a washing machine that has a large capacity. Use only liquid detergent such as Tide. Select the delicate setting, along with the warm/cold water setting. Also, select the "second rinse" and "extended spin" settings if your washer is so equipped. Wash only one garment at a time.

2) Before you place a textile riding garment into the washer, close and lock- down any and all Velcro strips! Otherwise, any free "hook and loop" Velcro strips will tend to stick to the wrong parts, resulting in the garment being all wadded up when you remove it from the washer.

3) In my experience, it's not necessary to attempt to take out all padding and plastic armor from the garment in question. First of all, some of this armor may be sewn in and not easily removable. Secondly, the one piece of protective padding/armor that you might want to remove (if possible) is the spine protector found on most jackets. Many of these spine pads are typically bulky, and made from a bouyant foam that resists submersion in water, and when left in place they will just create problems as the garment is washed. Because they resist submersion, they create opportunities for the agitator to chafe and abrade certain areas of the garment.

4) Once washed, many riding garments are probably best air-dried, rather than being placed in a clothes dryer. If you need to rapidly dry an item by placing it in your dryer, do not place any fabric softener sheets into the dryer because these sheets will quickly become attached to any exposed pieces of Velcro, and the result may be messy.

 

Honda Spray Cleaner/Wax.
Cleans everything!

Mac

 

Thanks!!!

Thanks for all the great jacket cleaning tips guys!

 

Naw, just havin' a joke, Dude.:team2:
It may work though-

Mac

 

Ride in the rain.