Posted: 6/13/2013 2:03:46 PM EDT
| What do you guys use to clean the inside of vest? Need something that gets rid of the odor!!! |
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Body armor I'm guessing.
I take out the panels and wash the carrier on delicate cycle and hang dry(outside weather permitting) usually works well. Also wipe down panels with a little bit of water soap solution. And dry very well before putting back together. It's a special kind of funk. |
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Quoted:
Body armor I'm guessing. I take out the panels and wash the carrier on delicate cycle and hang dry(outside weather permitting) usually works well. Also wipe down panels with a little bit of water soap solution. And dry very well before putting back together. It's a special kind of funk. this ^ and a heaping supply of Febreeze at the end of the shift. I hang it inside out under a ceiling fan between shifts. I work 8 10's in a row followed by 6 days off. If I didn't it would never dry. |
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Dry between uses....completely dry. If it stays damp, the musty odor will increase.
When you wash the carrier, put a capful or two of bleach into the wash water. I know the carriers usually say not to wash with bleach but you need some bleach to help kill the mold and bacteria. Then use a LOT of Febreze between wearing. Wearing a moisture wicking shirt such as Under Armor can help cut down on the musty odors as well. |
| Costco is selling Adidas Climalite moisture wicking shirts for about $10.00 each. I found em to work great. See if your agency will entertain the idea of an external carrier. For my whole career I wore a standard vest carrier under the uniform shirt. Then, I moved and went to a different agency and they allow external carriers. I couldn't be happier with that as it's much cooler. Plus, if your gonna be in a secure area of the station, you can take it off while writing reports and doing paperwork. |
| Delicate cycle on the outer carrier and Febreeze the panels, maybe hand-scrub them with warm water and a mild soap. I don't use my vest as much as I did before (currently working Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) at the POE's cargo facility; so my vest its now in a tactical outer carrier and on hot stand-by in case I have to throw it on me in a hurry. |
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We lucked out and got two carriers last time so I can rotate mine pretty regularly. I do wash my carrier every couple of months and febreeze inbetween. I also use a damp cloth to just wipe down the outside of my actual balistic panels when I wash the carrier.
Also make sure u are wearing a good wicking layer under your vest. keeps you comfortable and also seems to keep your vest less funky too. J- |
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Also forgot to mention....wash in the hottest water that you can get. Also not a bad idea to pour a couple quarts of nearly boiling water in the wash to raise the temp of the wash water since water heaters are usually set at 125 degrees and that's not hot enough to kill bacteria.
Get the wash water up to 140 degrees or so and use a couple capfuls of bleach and you should have an odor free vest carrier. |
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Quoted:
We lucked out and got two carriers last time so I can rotate mine pretty regularly. I do wash my carrier every couple of months and febreeze inbetween. I also use a damp cloth to just wipe down the outside of my actual balistic panels when I wash the carrier. Also make sure u are wearing a good wicking layer under your vest. keeps you comfortable and also seems to keep your vest less funky too. J- This^ We get two, I rotate about every week during the summer (can get away with a bit longer during the winter). Febreeze or Lysol at EOT, and in good amounts. I follow the directions on the wash tag, as if I don't and something happens, guess who won't cover me? Wipe plates with Lysol wipes. UA is a big help underneath as well. |