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Clean up my act?

paulsibek

New member
I have a Joe Rocket Ballistic jacket which is an ideal jacket for my commute into Los Angeles each morning.

While the jacket is in physically great shape, is is (how you say...) filthy.

Usually in order to clean it I remove the armour and throw it in the washer, using whatever detergent my wife is using. Warm water, regular cycle.

My question is; what do you do/use to get your jackets sparkling clean?
 
I use Nikwax Tech Wash. It is a non detergent soap. It supposedly doesnt break down the waterproofing that is on your jacket. It cleans well, and I am happy with it.
 
Mr. Clean

Pine-Sol. No joke. For whatever reason the stuff works wonders on all things nylon. I've washed all sorts of grubby nylon things over the years without a single problem. You may then just wash with "regular" detergent to take care of the pine smell. It seems to "stick" more to some things than others...

RW
 
I use the lowest-priced liquid detergent and cold water. Warm might work better in theory but I've had no failure to clean as yet with cold. I'm not worried about detergent as waterproofing is nonexistant in my mesh gear, and my Kilimanjaro uses and internal membrane rather than a coating on the shell-fabric to keep water out. Of course I do remove all the padding except for those odd bits in the mesh jacket that are sewn in. If I think a stain might be tough, I'll spray it with a solution of Simple Green before washng. This worked well with the red dirt stains after my get-off a couple of weeks ago.
I've had my mesh gear for 11 months now and it has been washed more times than I can count (takes only one ride to get it *FUNNNKAYYY* down here in TexSux during the hot seasons) with the above methods and no problems yet save for a seam that has come loose on the inner arm near the armpit. More ventilation. ;)
 
I use liquid Tide and cold water. The trick is to let the suit soak for a few hours as the washcycle in my laundry machine is way too short.
In Ouray I even used the jacuzzi :idea in my room to clean my riding suit. The suit had somehow :dunno taken on a life of its own after a few weeks on the road :D
 
Bump - Anyone looking for Nikwax Tech Wash Cleaner in Canada can find it at MEC (in store or online). They also sell the Nikwax TX Direct wash-in or Spray On water-proofer to restore the water repellent capability.
 
Hey, Ken, thanks for the tip! My Rev-It suit is certainly due for a wash. When it was brand new, took it to New Zealand for three weeks of fantastic riding. Had one day of heavy rain and though it kept me dry (like many suits, this one has a removable rain liner,) I swear the sucker gained ten pounds of weight! Clearly something that caused it to "repel" rain would be a big benefit.
 
I have a high viz yellow Joe Rocket Phoenix 4.0 Jacket which I took to the cleaners 3 weeks ago and it looks as good as new.
 
Wash my jacket and pants in Woolite and cold water, repeat rinse cycle. Leave all armor in ensure all zippers and snappes closed. Air dry hanging on hanger, spray with 303 fabric protectant. Good to go, it has also been recommended while on a ride your jacket/pants get really ugly climb in the shower with them, a good rinsing then hang in shower to drip dry
 
If you are going to use a washing machine for your riding clothes I would highly recommend a front loader. The front loader that we now have cleans better and causes much less violence to our clothing than any of our agitator machines over the years. Try the local laundromat for a test.
 
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