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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    Washing your duds in suds

    General Chat
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    • JimJ
      Jim
      Joined:

      @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,  😎

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
      • BloodnThunderB
        BloodnThunder
        Raw and Unwashed
        Joined:

        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.

        IG: Shadesofindig0

        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • JimJ
          Jim
          Joined:

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

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • C
            chbronsonx
            Raw and Unwashed
            Joined:

            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.

            Gesendet von meinem SM-A505FN mit Tapatalk

            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • GilesG
              Giles
              IHUK Crew
              Joined:

              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.

              "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • C
                chbronsonx
                Raw and Unwashed
                Joined:

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

                Gesendet von meinem SM-A505FN mit Tapatalk

                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • ChapC
                  Chap
                  見習いボス
                  Joined:

                  @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.

                  God has blessed you richly, so get down on your knees and thank him. Don’t forget the less fortunate or God will personally kick your ass. I’d love to do it for him, but I can’t be everywhere. Willie Nelson

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • D
                    DrPat
                    Iron Heart Deity
                    Joined:

                    @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.

                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • SeulS
                      Seul
                      Joined:

                      @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).

                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • UnTuckedU
                        UnTucked
                        Joined:

                        @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

                        In search of:
                        IHV-04, med.
                        IHSH-185, large
                        IHSH-186, large (khaki, and green)

                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • gaseousclayG
                          gaseousclay
                          Joined:

                          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.

                          WTB:
                          IHSH-129 size L (blue)
                          IHSH-19

                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • JimJ
                            Jim
                            Joined:

                            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…

                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • WhiskeySandwichW
                              WhiskeySandwich
                              啓蒙家
                              Joined:

                              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.
                              IMG_3815.jpeg

                              "The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today...The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately."
                              -Seneca

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                              • WhiskeySandwichW
                                WhiskeySandwich
                                啓蒙家
                                Joined:

                                @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.

                                "The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today...The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately."
                                -Seneca

                                last edited by WhiskeySandwich OaktaviaO ? 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • OaktaviaO
                                  Oaktavia
                                  見習いボス
                                  @WhiskeySandwich
                                  Joined:

                                  @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.

                                  IG: electricindigowizard

                                  "Possibly splitting hairs, but I consider @Oaktavia to be the beardy, dank High Magus of this denim game…" @neph93

                                  WTB: IHJ-32 - XL/XXL

                                  last edited by Oaktavia WhiskeySandwichW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                  • ?
                                    A Former User
                                    @WhiskeySandwich
                                    Joined:

                                    @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 😎

                                    last edited by WhiskeySandwichW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                    • WhiskeySandwichW
                                      WhiskeySandwich
                                      啓蒙家
                                      @Oaktavia
                                      Joined:

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

                                      "The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today...The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately."
                                      -Seneca

                                      last edited by OaktaviaO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • WhiskeySandwichW
                                        WhiskeySandwich
                                        啓蒙家
                                        @A Former User
                                        Joined:

                                        @Heavy_blue thanks man! I really only started doing it a particular way because I found it’s kinda streamlined my methods. Laziness and results lol

                                        "The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today...The whole future lies in uncertainty: Live immediately."
                                        -Seneca

                                        last edited by ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • ?
                                          A Former User
                                          @WhiskeySandwich
                                          Joined:

                                          @WhiskeySandwich yeah we all have our ways! I’m nearly in 50 days straight in the 361 and i’m done with spot cleaning so i’m gonna soak now

                                          last edited by WhiskeySandwichW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                          • OaktaviaO
                                            Oaktavia
                                            見習いボス
                                            @WhiskeySandwich
                                            Joined:

                                            @WhiskeySandwich makes 'em crispy like a nice piece of bacon.

                                            IG: electricindigowizard

                                            "Possibly splitting hairs, but I consider @Oaktavia to be the beardy, dank High Magus of this denim game…" @neph93

                                            WTB: IHJ-32 - XL/XXL

                                            last edited by WhiskeySandwichW 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
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