Cleaning Race Suits
Discussion
I'd have thought the end of every meeting rather than the end of the season! Still, better cleaned once a year than not at all. Whatever the washing instructions label says will be ok. Dry cleaning is likely to do a better job than a household machine, and Johnsons will charge something like £11 and call it a jump suit.
Well that's utter rubbish. I think that the people who make Nomex/Aramid might know a thing or two about washing it.
Cold washes are not going to do the trick. Dry cleaning may well get out any inflammable contaminants.
My race suit stinks after use as I sweat a lot. So every time after the race weekend it goes in the wash on a normal wash.
Bert
Cold washes are not going to do the trick. Dry cleaning may well get out any inflammable contaminants.
My race suit stinks after use as I sweat a lot. So every time after the race weekend it goes in the wash on a normal wash.
Bert
Nomex is pretty good at withstanding heat, so I don't understand the "don't tumble dry" mentality. I wash mine at 40 deg C with the extra water option, and then stick it in the tumble dryer at full heat. Once or twice a year I spray on Molecule Protector and air dry it. Seems to work a bit like Scotchguard which means the stains don't sink into the fabric.
carl_w said:
Nomex is pretty good at withstanding heat, so I don't understand the "don't tumble dry" mentality. I wash mine at 40 deg C with the extra water option, and then stick it in the tumble dryer at full heat. Once or twice a year I spray on Molecule Protector and air dry it. Seems to work a bit like Scotchguard which means the stains don't sink into the fabric.
+1I think the don't wash/tumble dry thing comes from the old cotton treated suits. Nomex itself is inherently fireproof, and not a coated material
What you forget is the particular nature of the garments we wear.
Heat transfer is one of the most arduous of the FIA tests. Flames retardancy is easy. The DuPont leaflet refers to single layer garments which protect from flashover flame, our multi-layer garments also protect from heat transfer.
Much of the heat protection in the suits is from the air pockets trapped within the layers of material, plus within the fluffing of the fibres themselves. Harsh washing and tumble drying is a potential cause of flattening the fibres and hence reducing the thermal protection properties. They won't affect the flame retardancy.
Therefore you should avoid harsh mechanical handling (such as tumble drying) to avoid the suits being damaged by the process right down at fibre level. I would always wash at low temperatures and hang up to dry by the shoulders and ankles. Let them air dry rather than be thrown violently around in a tumble dryer and the air pockets will remain intact.
Also always wash with a detergent powder not soap-based as that risks leaving chalky deposits on the fabric which can sustain flame.
We used to manufacture our own suits with FIA homologation, it's a fascinating subject for a nerd like me!
Heat transfer is one of the most arduous of the FIA tests. Flames retardancy is easy. The DuPont leaflet refers to single layer garments which protect from flashover flame, our multi-layer garments also protect from heat transfer.
Much of the heat protection in the suits is from the air pockets trapped within the layers of material, plus within the fluffing of the fibres themselves. Harsh washing and tumble drying is a potential cause of flattening the fibres and hence reducing the thermal protection properties. They won't affect the flame retardancy.
Therefore you should avoid harsh mechanical handling (such as tumble drying) to avoid the suits being damaged by the process right down at fibre level. I would always wash at low temperatures and hang up to dry by the shoulders and ankles. Let them air dry rather than be thrown violently around in a tumble dryer and the air pockets will remain intact.
Also always wash with a detergent powder not soap-based as that risks leaving chalky deposits on the fabric which can sustain flame.
We used to manufacture our own suits with FIA homologation, it's a fascinating subject for a nerd like me!
MaxRacewear said:
What you forget is the particular nature of the garments we wear.
Heat transfer is one of the most arduous of the FIA tests. Flames retardancy is easy. The DuPont leaflet refers to single layer garments which protect from flashover flame, our multi-layer garments also protect from heat transfer.
Much of the heat protection in the suits is from the air pockets trapped within the layers of material, plus within the fluffing of the fibres themselves. Harsh washing and tumble drying is a potential cause of flattening the fibres and hence reducing the thermal protection properties. They won't affect the flame retardancy.
Therefore you should avoid harsh mechanical handling (such as tumble drying) to avoid the suits being damaged by the process right down at fibre level. I would always wash at low temperatures and hang up to dry by the shoulders and ankles. Let them air dry rather than be thrown violently around in a tumble dryer and the air pockets will remain intact.
Also always wash with a detergent powder not soap-based as that risks leaving chalky deposits on the fabric which can sustain flame.
We used to manufacture our own suits with FIA homologation, it's a fascinating subject for a nerd like me!
With this in mind. Surely the washing machine spin dry could effect the fibres.Heat transfer is one of the most arduous of the FIA tests. Flames retardancy is easy. The DuPont leaflet refers to single layer garments which protect from flashover flame, our multi-layer garments also protect from heat transfer.
Much of the heat protection in the suits is from the air pockets trapped within the layers of material, plus within the fluffing of the fibres themselves. Harsh washing and tumble drying is a potential cause of flattening the fibres and hence reducing the thermal protection properties. They won't affect the flame retardancy.
Therefore you should avoid harsh mechanical handling (such as tumble drying) to avoid the suits being damaged by the process right down at fibre level. I would always wash at low temperatures and hang up to dry by the shoulders and ankles. Let them air dry rather than be thrown violently around in a tumble dryer and the air pockets will remain intact.
Also always wash with a detergent powder not soap-based as that risks leaving chalky deposits on the fabric which can sustain flame.
We used to manufacture our own suits with FIA homologation, it's a fascinating subject for a nerd like me!
Is dry cleaning the safest way to go
carl_w said:
Nomex is pretty good at withstanding heat, so I don't understand the "don't tumble dry" mentality. I wash mine at 40 deg C with the extra water option, and then stick it in the tumble dryer at full heat. Once or twice a year I spray on Molecule Protector and air dry it. Seems to work a bit like Scotchguard which means the stains don't sink into the fabric.
Might be more to do with increased wear from being bounced around in a tumble dryer.Dr JonboyG said:
Might be more to do with increased wear from being bounced around in a tumble dryer.
graemel said:
With this in mind. Surely the washing machine spin dry could effect the fibres.
Is dry cleaning the safest way to go
Dry cleaners aren't going to hand wash your race suit in a bucket of the finest organic solvents, they're going to stick it in an industrial-sized washing machine that uses those organic solvents. Most household washing machines should have a delicates or wool setting, which is completely fine to use with nomex.Is dry cleaning the safest way to go
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