Cleaning jerseys

buffalo

Plenty of mud on the nice white sections of my jersey after the Orwell spin today. Anyone any tips to get it out? Vanish on a cloth? Sponge it? Do they still sell those Vanish bars of soap? I reckon that might do it.

Thanks in advance!

Caroline_ie

... just stick it in the wash.

buffalo

Caroline_ie wrote: »

... just stick it in the wash.

But it has all those giant "don't wash me!" warnings... but if you say so.

DirkVoodoo

buffalo wrote: »

But it has all those giant "don't wash me!" warnings... but if you say so.

Find some white dirt, like a chalk quarry, roll around in it for a bit. Presto!

Caroline_ie

Oh ,,, is it one these super expensive white jerseys? ... what kind is it?

Raam

Rub ice-cream on it.

abcdggs

try some cake...

to be taken orally, a dirty jersey will seem much less important when you have some cake

doozerie

Yes, Vanish is still available in a number of forms but I'm not sure about in bar of soap form. You can certainly get "sticks" of it, like deodorant sticks, for spot application but that's tedious to use on a large area. You can also buy a powdered version of it that you can add to your regular washing powder when washing stuff in the washing machine to give the regular powder a bit of a boost (you can get a cheaper variety of it in Lidl's own brand which seems to be just as effective). Best to check the instructions though to see if they mention whether it is safe to use on synthetics.

But, most importantly, remember that this:



really isn't suitable cycling attire to start with. It'll lead to nasty stains. And chafing.

petethedrummer

doozerie wrote: »

Yes, Vanish is still available in a number of forms but I'm not sure about in bar of soap form.

You can still get it in bar form. I have some in my kitchen.

markdrayton

Does it really say "do not wash"? How have you been cleaning it so far?! I'd chuck it in the washing machine. I've yet to find any cycling gear that won't take a 30 degree wash. The worst that happens is over time they get a bit fluffy from the abrasion. I wash about 5 a week.

Cabaal

Put them on a handwash program at 30c and you should be fine, won't be too rough either

buffalo

After a closer examination and a quick google for the symbols this morning, it turns out I should've taken Home Ec after all. Washing at 30 degrees is okay apparently, the symbols I was concentrating on are "Do not bleach" and "Do not tumble dry".

This is clearly why I should still be bringing my washing home to my mammy in a big black sack, because I am incapable of doing it properly.

I must also examine my washing machine to see if it has a handwash mode. To the best of my knowledge, it doesn't have any hands. Thanks for all the advice, though the chalk, cake and ice cream didn't quite work out. I probably shouldn't have tried them all at once though.

I couldn't even eat the cake afterwards, it was all chalky!

doozerie

Different machines label the equivalent of "hand wash" differently. My machine is a 10-yr old Zanussi and on it the only 30 degree wash is labelled as "worn once", which works fine for cycling kit for the most-part. I'd look specifically for the 30 degree wash rather than relying on whatever that is labelled as on the machine. Also, the sooner you get your kit in the wash after use the better as smells start to develop the longer you leave used kit unwashed (bacteria kicking in) and it can be hard to get rid of such smells on a wash as mild as 30 degrees.

Possibly the "kindest" washing detergent to use is soap flakes. It can be tricky to find (Tesco no longer stock them in any stores near me as of a couple of months ago) but Superquinn currently sell boxes of it.

cdaly_

I use the 30 degree 'synthetic' cycle (rather than the 'cotton' cycle) as there's less agitation and hence less abrasion. I also use a half cap of milton liquid in the fabric conditioner drawer for the anti-bacterial effect. All zips get closed ('cos they'll scratch). Chamois gets a spray of vanish for stain removal.