Yeah.. mine's due..

I don't have any care instructions with my Sparco suit that I could find.. How do you guys have yours cleaned? I would assume that they are not Machine Wash cold with like colors or anything along those lines, but could be wrong..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mstewar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yeah.. mine's due..
I would assume that they are not Machine Wash cold with like colors or anything along those lines, but could be wrong..</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yep, your wrong!

It's been posted before and you could probably find it in a search.

I do the following with my sparco.

I turn the suit inside out. Then I safety pin the waist strap, and collar together where they velcro so they wont come apart. Then I use the washing machine set on cold/delicate and wash it nice and clean!
Then I hang it up and let it air dry away from the sun. You don't want to have it in the sun, nor do you want the washing machine set on hot or warm. Heat is not good for a fire suit!

 

my suit has the info on a tag inside it. basically it tells me to machine wash set on cold/delicate, than hang dry, NOT machine dry.

 

My Sparco instructions say dry clean only, do not wash inside out because it will degrade the inner fabric, and fasten the velcro straps so they won't wear out the fabric by abrasion.

Also says patches should never be ironed on, only sewn with nomex thread through the first outer layer of fabric. (NASA has iron on patches.)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sidtc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> and fasten the velcro straps so they won't wear out the fabric by abrasion.

Also says patches should never be ironed on, only sewn with nomex thread through the first outer layer of fabric. (NASA has iron on patches.)</TD></TR></TABLE>

my gforce suit came with several notices to always attach and pin the velcro together so the hooks wont rip up the fabric, so I think that definately deserves repeating.


its actually better to sew on patches with regular thread. So if you are on fire, the flammable patches will fall off, not stick to you while burning

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sidtc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My Sparco instructions say dry clean only</TD></TR></TABLE>

this is what my old suit said on it(non-sparco - I think it might've been a simpson.. can't remember).. and the new one said nothing on it.. so this is why I asked.. machine wash guys, which model do you have?

 

I think the "machine wash" vs. "dry clean only" has to do sometimes with the material finish. My current suit is a normal Nomex 3 layer that was the Racer Wholesale predecessor to G-Force (brain lapse at the moment) and it is the inside out, machine wash, hang dry kind and has a more course and heavy weave material.

My first suit about 15 years ago was a Stand 21 Nomex that was a very shiny and slick outer shell material and they suggested that it was dry clean only. They even mentioned that the residual effects of the dry cleaning chemicals could help reinforce the burn resistence of the Nomex.

So I think the answer would be to contact Sparco directly with your model of suit and see what they suggest.

 

I have a 3 layer (nomex, kevlar, nomex) Simpson. I dry cleaned it for the first couple of years and it developed a 'funk' that wouldn't leave. I took someone's advice and tried handwashing/rinsing it in the bathtub with Woolite and hung it dry. This first wash turned the water turned Road Atlanta clay orange and the suit never stunk again.

I don't think the dry cleaning worked worth a damn and I've gentle machine washed it and dripped dry ever since. I've had this suit for 15 years and it looks like its two years old.

 

You're supposed to wash your suit?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by LBHgti &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You're supposed to wash your suit? </TD></TR></TABLE>

LOL. Now you know why no one will set up next to you in the paddock!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sidtc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My Sparco instructions say dry clean only</TD></TR></TABLE>

I've heard nore than once that you should not dry clean a fire suit because there's a risk that the dry cleaner may use chemicals that are flamable. I can imagine that wouldn't be a good thing for a fire suit.

 

OMP suit, machine wash using delicate cycle and use a really gentle cleaner for delicates (something like Woolite). Hang dry

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sidtc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Also says patches should never be ironed on, only sewn with nomex thread through the first outer layer of fabric. (NASA has iron on patches.)</TD></TR></TABLE>

Ban

*snicker*

 

It's best to always follow the manufacturer's instructions. I believe Sparco recommends dry cleaning all of their suits. G-Force recommends washing in cool water, on gentle cycle with a mild detergent (like Woolite), then hang to dry.

As far as sewing on patches, most seamstress's don't have access to nomex thread. You can use an unwaxed cotton thread like evan55 said. The cotton thread will ash away in a fire.

Howard Bennett
Racer Wholesale

 

Just wanted to follow up on this since I ended up calling Sparco USA and asking them..

They said dry cleaning or washing at home is fine..

For dry cleaning - they recommended reminding the dry cleaner to use as low heat as possible and that the suit is a very delicate fabric..

For washing at home - Delicate cycle or hand wash with woolite in cold water. They also suggested making sure the velcro parts are secured so as to not damage other parts of the suit. Air dry, not in the sun, and not in the dryer. They said turning it inside out was not necessary.