SuzukiSavage.com - Washing my jacket

prechermike Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Kalashna Kitty, from Skat Posts: 1190 Ponzer, NC Gender:	Washing my jacket 06/27/12 at 06:52:40 I have a Firstgear Mesh Tex 3.0 jacket. It needs washing, but the tag says hand wash only. I guess that is what I will do, but my thoughts are this. If this thing is supposed to protect me while I am sliding down the asphalt at 50mph, why can't it stand a round in the washing machine? Anyone have any thoughts?
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babyhog Serious Thumper Offline Find a Cure for Breast Cancer! NOW!! Posts: 3802 WV Gender:	Re: Washing my jacket Reply #1 - 06/27/12 at 06:57:29 Could be shrinkage, color bleeding? Is there armor in it? Wouldn't want a piece of armor getting wedged on your machine's agitator. Or maybe rip through the mesh. On the other hand, I wash alot of stuff that labels say not to.
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gerald.hughes Serious Thumper ModSquad Offline FSO Posts: 1100 Tucson, Az Gender:	Re: Washing my jacket Reply #2 - 06/27/12 at 07:06:59 Wash it in cold water, with Woolite, on the gentle cycle. Air dry it. Do not put it in the dryer. All will be well.
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Boule’tard Serious Thumper ModSquad Offline Master of the Obvious Posts: 1620 Austin TX Gender:	Re: Washing my jacket Reply #3 - 06/27/12 at 07:10:14 Yep, it's probably to do with the armor possibly getting wedged somewhere in the machine. Mine is similar, a Shift Aero. I just spray it out with the hose, pads and all. If it ever starts stinking I'll give it a good hand washing with detergent.
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prechermike Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Kalashna Kitty, from Skat Posts: 1190 Ponzer, NC Gender:	Re: Washing my jacket Reply #4 - 06/27/12 at 07:36:47 I should have said the pads come out and I would not run them through the machine. The inside is a softer material, but not unlike other things that get washed. 'Tard, I thought about the hose thing and Piglet, I often disregard the instructions on things like this. Thanks for the input, you are all confirming what I suspected.
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Savage_Rob

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Re: Washing my jacket
Reply #5 - 06/27/12 at 07:53:09

On any of my mesh, I just use Simple Green, a garden hose and a brush to clean the armor and the jacket, though I remove any removable armor inserts and wipe them down separately. I just let everything drip dry. Speaking specifically of FirstGear, I have a mesh jacket (don't remember the specific model) and a couple of different sets of mesh overpants. I've done all of them this way.

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sjaskow - FSO Senior Member Offline Posts: 365 Frozen Tundra of MN Gender:	Re: Washing my jacket Reply #6 - 06/27/12 at 10:10:54 I have a FirstGear Mesh Tex that is almost 3 years old. To wash it, I take the armor out and run it in the machine on the "Extra Delicate" cycle in cold water using Simple Green for soap. So far, it looks as good as it did when I got it.
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Midnightrider Serious Thumper Offline Alliance Member Posts: 3244 Winston Salem, NC	Re: Washing my jacket Reply #7 - 06/27/12 at 14:34:31 I had a leather jacket dry cleaned once. I'll never do that again. They shrunk it down about 2 sizes.
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Dj12midnit Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline If you'r here and I'm here isn't this our time? Posts: 1036 Lynden Wa. Gender:	Re: Washing my jacket Reply #8 - 06/27/12 at 23:07:40 I never wash my riding jacket or vest. Just would not be right.
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mpescatori

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Re: Washing my jacket
Reply #9 - 06/28/12 at 02:50:51

Many items have the recommended "hand wash only" not because of soaps or the spin cycle...
...but because the synthetic fabric with which they are made suffer heat.

If I wash something by hand, the temperature of the water will be anything from lukewarm to mildly hot - never more than 50°C.

So I can put the item in the washer and use the "wool" cycle, which will ensure 40°C max and a very gentle spin, no problems.

But to wash anything synthetic at 60°C... calls for disaster... Lips Sealed

PS Midnight Rider, if your jacket shrunk after "dry cleaning", it wasn't dry cleaned, it was shoved into a washing machine by mistake and washed in water.

Dry cleaninig means they use a solution of specific acids in replacement of water.

You can smell the difference, dry cleaning smells acidy, like battery fluid.

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Boofer Serious Thumper Offline Nearly too old. Posts: 1760 N Ms Gender:	Re: Washing my jacket Reply #10 - 06/28/12 at 03:46:58 Mike, I washed my Joe Rocket Phoenix V mesh with armor in place. I put it in the bath tub with Dawn dishwashing liquid, wiggled it around, rinsed it thoroughly outside with a water hose and hung it up to dry. Maybe right maybe wrong. Just how I do it.
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babyhog

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Re: Washing my jacket
Reply #11 - 06/28/12 at 13:48:57

mpescatori wrote on 06/28/12 at 02:50:51:

Many items have the recommended "hand wash only" not because of soaps or the spin cycle...
...but because the synthetic fabric with which they are made suffer heat.

If I wash something by hand, the temperature of the water will be anything from lukewarm to mildly hot - never more than 50°C.

So I can put the item in the washer and use the "wool" cycle, which will ensure 40°C max and a very gentle spin, no problems.

But to wash anything synthetic at 60°C... calls for disaster... Lips Sealed

PS Midnight Rider, if your jacket shrunk after "dry cleaning", it wasn't dry cleaned, it was shoved into a washing machine by mistake and washed in water.

Dry cleaninig means they use a solution of specific acids in replacement of water.

You can smell the difference, dry cleaning smells acidy, like battery fluid.

My father owned a dry cleaning business when I was little. I still love that smell!

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Boofer Serious Thumper Offline Nearly too old. Posts: 1760 N Ms Gender:	Re: Washing my jacket Reply #12 - 06/28/12 at 20:15:21 bh, you're still little!
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prechermike Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Kalashna Kitty, from Skat Posts: 1190 Ponzer, NC Gender:	Re: Washing my jacket Reply #13 - 06/29/12 at 03:35:05 Boofer wrote on 06/28/12 at 20:15:21: bh, you're still little! BWAHHH!
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