Here's a great tip for cleaning textile gear...

[IGETAROUND]

Here is a work around for those of you who use textile riding gear. The instructions with my Aerostich jacket say to launder in warm water and after spin drying to dry in the dryer on low heat for 20 minutes to reactivate the waterproofing. This is all great for lightly soiled gear. I had asked SpyderAnn how often she laundered her and Joe's gear; the answer after returning home at the end of each trip.

My jacket was very heavily soiled and had not come clean with previous washings. After some exploration on the web I stumbled across this motorcycle officers tips for laundering.

Mix one part Dawn dish soap with four parts hydrogen peroxide. Scrub as needed with brush (I used a tooth brush) on the stained/soiled areas. Rinse until water is clean and soap free, approximately two wash an spin cycles, then launder as usual with liquid detergent designed for textile garments.

I was highly impressed with the results, my jacket looks lik it was just removed from it's shipping container!!!

Al in Kazoo

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

. ... I Loooooooooove DIY'ers ...... Mike

[Fat Baxter]

Just a warning: the newer washers use less water. Less water means less "lubrication" among the clothes in the tub, with the result that the clothes get banged around -- a lot. It's akin to banging your clothes on a rock in the river. I washed my Aerostich in our new machine and the process removed large chunks of the reflective material.

Ain't doing that again. From now on, it's hand-washing and hand-scrubbing. And hang to dry.