Washing your duds in suds

[Jim]

Hi everyone,
I know I don’t visit the forum often but I hope it’s ok still to pop in occasionally to see what’s up or ask the random question; which I’m about to do.
I have a IHV-22 in Navy from around W2016 which has been worn quite often (more than quite).

I’m thinking about giving it a wash after this winter ends and was wondering if anybody has any tips, experience or any other advice to share or washing deck jackets (vests).

P. S.
Shout out to The guys in service! Thanks for the help with my recent purchase. I’m very pleased 

[neph93]

@Jim:

I know I don’t visit the forum often but I hope it’s ok still to pop in occasionally…

Good to see you here buddy… of course it is ok. There are no barriers to participation here (with the exception of unnecessary rudeness, something which you are certainly not known for  ).

I'll let others answer your question in full, but I will say that I know many have done it so it isn't a problem. Looking at principles, the outer is cotton and the inner a wool mix, so I'd go for a machine wash on a wool program, or a gentle hand wash. That way you can be sure the windproof layer isn't going to be damaged at the same time. I'd also recommend a trawl through some of the N-1 jacket threads though. It has definitely been discussed there in the past.

[UnTucked]

Crazy guy checking in…

I machine washed and dried an N-1 jacket a couple of years back... There was some slight shrinkage, but alas I didn't take measurements. I assume that could be avoided if washing on cold and line drying though.

I've not had any issues with the alpaca shedding after the wash/dry, aside from the typical amount it sheds anyway even when new.

[Jim]

@UnTucked:

Crazy guy checking in…

I machine washed and dried an N-1 jacket a couple of years back... There was some slight shrinkage, but alas I didn't take measurements. I assume that could be avoided if washing on cold and line drying though.

I've not had any issues with the alpaca shedding after the wash/dry, aside from the typical amount it sheds anyway even when new.

@neph93 @UnTucked
Hey Guys, good to hear back from you!
Thanks for the input. Yeah I think that is my main concern, that the layers separate. I once washed a Daun jacket and some of the feathers got redistributed in the confines of the jacket. So now there are some places where there’s no insulation and in other places too much. My vest doesn’t really “need” to be washed. I just kind of want to see how it will look, fade/patina afterwards.
I haven’t made up my mind yet but I’m 70% at this point that I’ll do it. Will send pics after to show the outcome.
Until then, 

[BloodnThunder]

Personally, I would hand wash.  But this is coming from someone with a washing machine that is incredibly hard on clothes.  If the main reason for washing is patina then I would probably just do a gentle cycle with cold or maybe warm? water.  I would also make an effort to pull the vest prior to the spin cycle if the machine setting you use has one.

I would also hang dry post wash.

[Jim]

Yeah I was thinking about spinning at 200 which is the lowest setting. Thanks for the input @BloodnThunder

[chbronsonx]

I just washed my n1 deck jacket three days ago. I just put it in the machine and used the wool mode + spinning to 0. Guess it's almost as gentle as a hand wash but to be honest I don't have a clue.
Nothing happened, no shrinkage (didn't measure) or damage. Just cleaned. Ok, it took 3 days to get it dry but yeah… almost 10°c outside, no need for a deck jacket.

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[Giles]

I would imagine almost the last thing on the mind of the deck crew on an aircraft carrier during WW2 was whether they should hand wash their N1 or send it to the laundry.  I really do think we worry way too much about washing our clothes, most of what we all wear (including jeans) is functional workwear, it's designed to take abuse. I don't suppose cowboys give/gave a lot of thought as to how they should wash their jeans either.

[chbronsonx]

Totally true !! But well , i guess they didn't pay 750$ for their jacket.

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[Chap]

@Giles:

I would imagine almost the last thing on the mind of the deck crew on an aircraft carrier during WW2 was whether they should hand wash their N1 or send it to the laundry.  I really do think we worry way too much about washing our clothes, most of what we all wear (including jeans) is functional workwear, it's designed to take abuse. I don't suppose cowboys give/gave a lot of thought as to how they should wash their jeans either.

[DrPat]

@Giles:

I would imagine almost the last thing on the mind of the deck crew on an aircraft carrier during WW2 was whether they should hand wash their N1 or send it to the laundry.  I really do think we worry way too much about washing our clothes, most of what we all wear (including jeans) is functional workwear, it's designed to take abuse. I don't suppose cowboys give/gave a lot of thought as to how they should wash their jeans either.

Maybe….but there are well documented cases of people destroying IH gear by washing it incorrectly.

@DougNg destroyed a jacket and wanted to get it redyed

@hectic destroyed his superblack western

@UnTucked destroyed a denim shirt and bleached it

@Giles  spun an indigo dyed shirt and it came out looking tie dyed

I washed my first generation N1 after some idiot on a ski trip cooked fish and managed to make everything in the apartment smell like fish oil.  Even though I washed it on the delicate cycle there were still a few white lines visible.

[Seul]

@DrPat:

Maybe….but there are well documented cases of people destroying IH gear by washing it incorrectly.

@DougNg destroyed a jacket and wanted to get it redyed

@hectic destroyed his superblack western

@UnTucked destroyed a denim shirt and bleached it

@Giles  spun an indigo dyed shirt and it came out looking tie dyed

It's also well documented that aforementioned people are complete idiots. Except for DougNg (who has a lot of guns).

[UnTucked]

@DrPat:

@UnTucked destroyed a denim shirt and bleached it

"Destroyed" is a relative term, I guess…

If I wanted a shirt that would be pristine forever, I wouldn't have bought a denim shirt, and if I wanted a shirt that would look pretty much like everyone else's who owns one, I wouldn't have bleached it.

I like to think that I brought life to an otherwise "normal" piece of clothing! lol

But, I pretty much get your point... though, I've also never bought into the obvious irony of pampering "over-engineered workwear".

Wear it...

Wash it...

Have fun...

Own your clothes... don't let them own you

[gaseousclay]

I don't pamper my clothes per se…I just try not to abuse them for the sake of abusing them. Wear, wash occasionally, repeat. Also, IH is one of the few brands that holds its value, so in the event that I decide to part ways with something I stand a better chance of getting more money for a piece than something that were beat to hell. I know most of us are very particular about the condition of our clothes - the second hand market is no different imo.

[Jim]

Well some more feedback came in. Since I wasn’t tagged I stopped looking after the second day lol.
I know all kinds of peeps. From hardcore to softies. Working in a denim shop you get all kinds.
Of course I wash my jeans and shirts and have never worried about it but I would also point out that an enlisted man on a carrier didn’t have to buy his jacket. I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t going to be any drastic shrinkage or anything else unexpected. Turning my jeans inside out and not using bleach is just common sense and a little wear and tear is what we’re going for anyway isn’t it?
Keep it coming fellas…

[WhiskeySandwich]

After a wash I hang my shirts by the sleeves to let them dry with the added weight of the water to hopefully keep the sleeves from shrinking. Got them long arms.

[WhiskeySandwich]

@Heavy_blue moved my response for the 362 habits here, because it applies to pretty much everything I have.

first was a soapy soak with minor agitation in hot water around wear 35 I guess. Then I did a cold wash in the machine and towel dried it, wore it damp for a few minutes, then threw it in the dryer, around 70-80 wears. Then a moth or so later I did another hot soapy soak. I probably won’t put it in the machine again. I don’t like putting anything that fades in the machine. Results are far more predictable with a hand wash. Gonna stick to bathtub soapy soaks with lots of hand agitation, then a rinse.

For stuff like the 362, that gets hard creasing, I find handwashing to retain creases better.

Not sure if I said somewhere previously, but my thing goes: close fasteners, turn inside out, place in clean tub, turn on water, usually takes a while to heat up, so it helps to get a cold presoak, then I drain and fill with hot water and a tiny dab of soap. Then I agitate it by scrunching it up and spreading it back out, without stretching it, several times and let it sit for like 20 minutes, then drain and refill, agitating again to get soap out. After draining I hang from hooks on my shower curtain, sometimes rolling it in a dry towel first. I smooth out any bad wrinkles before leaving to dry. While it’s halfway dry, I usually shake it loose and put it on to try and get the good creases back and get rid of the bad ones.

It may seem like a pain and it probably doesn’t get them that clean but, I dig the results and it’s really not a bad process.

Edit to say I dont really put anything fadable into the machine, but I do put uhfs in.

[Oaktavia]

@WhiskeySandwich I would like to add that if you hang dry, doing so on a warm or hot sunny day dries the fabric 2 or 3x as fast. My T2 slubby dried in just a few hours last week in the sun with 65F.

[A Former User]

@WhiskeySandwich thanks! I have my share in washing and soaking several denims! But yours looks so damn good that i really would like to try your angle! Thanks and i’ll share results in a bit

[WhiskeySandwich]

@Oaktavia yeah I need to set up a laundry line. Nothing like sun dried, really freshens thing up nicer.