what do you fellow racers do to clean your nomex socks, suit, balaclava?? or what works best??

 

I was curious about this myself. I was told (by a firefighter actually) that nomex starts to lose its fire proof properties after its washed X number of times...I don't remember how many he said.
This true for the nomex balaclava's and things?

 

I don't think that is correct. He might have been talking about Proban or some similar cotton treated fabric. What does damage nomex, kevlar & similar products is heat. Don't use a dryer. @ work, we actually machine wash our turnouts using liquid detergent & then let them air dry.

For my race stuff, I use to take them to the drycleaners. That got to be too much hassel. I started machine washing (cold/cold cycle) everything using the gentle/delicates cycle with a small amount of liquid detergent. After washing, I let it all air dry. For small items, you can also use woolight or similar in the sink.

 

There are few fabrics that will stand up to washing abuse like Nomex - you would be hard pressed to hurt it. Drying heat won't hurt the heat resistance but it will beat on it physically. Hang your suit dry but not in the sun - Nomex is not particularly colorfast and colors bleach quickly under UV light, so don't hang it in the sun from the awning to de-stinkify. If you do dry your suit, turn it inside out so patches and embroidery don't get beat up in the dryer. Nomex undies are bulletproof. Wash and dry them like you would jeans or a T-shirt.

Proban DOES require specific laundering only in that you must not use - I THINK - "soap," as opposed to "detergent." Read and follow the label directions explicitly.

Kirk

 

I was told the same things about Nomex having heat issues and to wash in warm water and hang dry inside out in a dark spot. My first suit was a Stand 21 that had the shiny, slick Nomex and the manufacturer suggested that you not machine wash that material as it would degrade. They suggested that you dry clean it, and even said that some of the dry cleaning chemicals helped assist the fire retardent characteristics. I do the nomex undies, socks and balaclava with my normal wash.

 

As I recall from the textile people, the theory regarding dry cleaning is that it is more certain to remove oils (human and/or car) that are in themselves flammable... FWIW.

K

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Your NOMEX® apparel should be kept clean to eliminate contamination from any other chemicals or fibers, which may compromise the flame resistant characteristics. Paint, oils and other flammable chemicals can pose a significant hazard if they are not removed from the garment.

Garments of NOMEX® should be washed separately from other articles. This will help prevent contamination of lint from other fibers, which may be flammable.

Regular household laundry detergent may be used to wash NOMEX® Apparel. Tests show that detergents designed for use at a temperature of 140°F (60°C) or less adequately clean NOMEX® and will provide the best color retention.


Do not use chlorine bleach on NOMEX® Apparel. Only oxygen-based bleach should be used. Chlorine bleach will not diminish the flame resistant characteristics of NOMEX®, but it may cause the fabric to lose strength and color over time.


NOMEX® may machine dried. It is best to use a low temperature setting. A temperature setting between 140°F (60°C) and 160°F (71°C) is sufficient to dry garments quickly and thoroughly while preventing excessive shrinking and color loss.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

Dry Cleaners, 15 bucks

 

Years ago I regularly dry cleaned my 3 layer suit; until it developed a funk and just didn't seem to be getting very clean at the dry cleaners. I tried hand washing with Woolite and warm water in the bath tub....you wouldn't believe the dirt that came out! Turned the tub water Road Atlanta clay orange/brown! Since then, I've machine washed with the gentle cycle and air dryed it with great results. I personally don't think dry cleaning cleans multiple layers worth a damn.