How to take care of your BDU
Originally Written by nightsniper on the MSEP.
Battle
Dress Uniforms (BDU) comes in two types, the Temperate Weather (TW) and
the Enhanced Hot Weather (EHW). Both uniforms are a 50/50 Cotton Nylon
blend, but the EHW uniform is a lighter weight ripstop poplin design.
The EHW on an average will not last as long as the TW uniform because
of the lighter weight design. Basic care calls for machine washing the
BDU, inside out, in warm water, and dry on medium heat. The trick to
drying is to not let the dryer continue to run once the uniforms are
dry. A dry uniform that is subjected to heat begins to shrink and break
down. You should use a "Fluff" sheet in the dryer, or a liquid fabric
softener in the washer during the rinse cycle. Although both will
soften the feel of the uniform and take out static, the liquid softener
is actually much better for your clothes. Hanging or folding your
clothes when they come out of the dryer goes a long way to getting
wrinkles out. If you are going to iron the uniforms without starch, be
sure to use a iron that has a steam setting. After a few ironings the
uniforms will begin to "memorize" how you want them to iron. Starch can
be used on uniforms during ironing to get a crisp effect. Starch of
course has a few drawbacks. Number one is that it breaks down the
ability of the BDU to protect you from IR detection. Number two is that
you stand out in a field environment, because of the crisp straight
angles that it produces. The fibers also tend to break down faster.
Some people have separate field uniforms and garrison uniforms. A
alternative to starch is Spray Sizing. Spray sizing is similar to
starch without most of the side effects. Many people like to take BDU's
to the Dry Cleaners for cleaning and pressing. You have to watch
cleaners very closely with a BDU. Usually what I see happen is that
they either crush the buttons, press them right through the material,
or put a big starch crease on the uniform.
http://www.augustweb.com/~teone/clothin ... 20Uniforms
The
new ACU and the BDU they replace are both highly engineered protection
systems. They feature the latest technology to maintain comfort and
minimize visibility in the Ultraviolet, Visible, and Infrared spectrum.
They are both manufactured under Military Specifications to be free of
Optical Brighteners. The most important care instruction is to wash in
a detergent that contains no UV Brighteners.
The published
lists in the “Army Times” and on “The Patriette” website of Safe and
Unsafe Detergents for the Laundering of ACU is incorrect. They are not
safe for ACU’s or BDU’s, they are full of Optical Brighteners.
The
lists are apparently based on reading of label ingredients. The
originators of the lists have apparently been mislead by the
inconsistent naming or total lack of identification of Optical
Brightener Dyes or Fluorescent Whiting Agents on the product packages.
Detergent
manufacturers are not proud of the fact that it is cheaper and easier
to add brighteners and fragrances than to remove dirt and odor. So they
add them, to make your laundry look “Whiter and Brighter” and “Smell
like a Spring Day”, but not cleaner. The detergent manufacturers
renamed Optical Brightener Dyes used in detergents to Fluorescent
Whitening Agents (FWA’s), Chromic Enhancer's, or worse yet, just leave
them off the label all together. This was done as a marketing tool to
take out the word “Dye” so they could call them “Dye FREE” and make the
detergents appear more user and earth friendly.
For many years
our company, Atsko Inc., has been making products for the outdoorsmen
that include Optical Brightener Free Detergents and Ultraviolet Killer
products. UV Brighteners are of grave concern to Hunters because they
gather UV energy and release it in a bright band of blue at the peak of
sensitivity of game animals. The Military has restricted the use of
Optical Brighteners in the manufacturing of uniforms since 1984 because
of how brightly they show up.
People come to us for answers
because we are the leading maker of UV control items for the Hunting
industry for the last 20 years. People have been asking about safe
detergents for the new ACU uniforms. So we went to “The “Army Times”
and on “The Patriette” website and found the following detergents
listed as safe: Bold Powder, Cheer Liquid, Cheer Powder, All Powder,
Surf Powder, and Woolite. THEY ARE NOT SAFE FOR ACU’s or BDU’s, they
are full of Optical Brighteners. (Please see the attached un retouched
photos of different brands of Laundry Detergents. The left side of each
pair is under standard incandescent light while the photo on the right
is under 350BLB fluorescent light. You will notice that every detergent
glows under UV light except for SPORT-WASH. SPORT-WASH has no
brightening agent of any kind, Never had it, Never will.)
The
easiest way to be sure these brighteners are not present is to check
your detergent with a Black Light, a light source that produces
Ultraviolet energy which causes the Optical Brighteners, if present, to
glow. We tested the listed detergents. With the exception of only one
type of Woolite (Hand & Machine) that has a small amount of
brightener present, they are all full of Optical Brighteners or FWA’s.
You can easily see this for yourself by checking them with a 350 nm.
Black Light, They all glow! This brightness will be permanently
transferred to the uniform. The only way to undo the damage is to cover
up the Optical Brighteners by applying a UV absorbing Dye. This may
sound complicated but it is really easy. Hunters have been doing it for
years by spraying their camouflage with U-V-Killer. U-V-Killer is also
permanent. As long as you wash the uniform only in a detergent without
brighteners (SPORT-WASH) your problem is solved. If you wash your
camouflage in a detergent containing Optical Brighteners you must
rewash it in Sport-Wash and retreat with U-V-Killer.
ACU under normal light conditions
ACU under UV Light conditions
This
unretouched UV Photo was taken with some visible light added so you can
see the fabric washed in Sport-Wash. With only UV light the shirt would
not even be visible.
For washing ACU’s and BDU’s we recommend the following:
WASH INSTRUCTIONS FOR ADVANCED COMBAT UNIFORM
1.
Before washing, remove all patches from the coat, and all items from
the pockets. Close all hook-and-loop fasteners to prevent snagging.
2.
Turn the jacket and trousers inside out before you wash them. (This
will help avoid damage to the Velcro and reduce color fading.)
3.
Machine wash in cold water with SPORT-WASH, using permanent press
cycle, or hand wash using SPORT-WASH. (SPORT-WASH does NOT contain
optical brighteners.)
4. Rinse completely (SPORT-WASH is the only detergent University tested and proven to rinse completely).
5.
DO NOT WRING OR TWIST. Hang dry or machine dry on low to medium
setting, between 140-160 degrees Fahrenheit (for cap do not exceed 130
degrees Fahrenheit).
6. DO NOT USE BLEACH. (CHLORINE or NON- CHLORINE)
7. DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENERS.
8. DO NOT DRY CLEAN, STARCH, or COMMERCIALLY HOT PRESS.
9. DO NOT APPLY HEAT OR IRON TO ANY HOOK OR LOOP FASTENER AREAS.
SPORT-WASH
Residue-Free Laundry Detergent rinses completely. It leaves nothing
behind to reduce fabric performance and also removes the residue from
other laundry products. Lost features like water repellency (DWR),
wicking of perspiration (Under Armor), low friction, insulation,
breathability (Gore-Tex), rapid drying and elasticity are restored and
odor-holding residue is eliminated. SPORT-WASH works so well you do not
need to use Fabric Softener.
SPORT-WASH is cheaper to use,
out-cleans other detergents and does not contain Optical Brighteners,
Dyes, FWA’s or brighteners by any other name. Yes, it is “Safe” for
BDU’s and ACU’s and made in the USA. SPORT-WASH is available all over
the country and around the world. It is readily biodegradable, made
from renewable vegetable based surfactants and conserves resources by
cleaning an entire wash load of clothes with a single ounce of product.
From ordinary cotton to the latest polyester and microfibers,
all fabrics deliver more comfort, performance, and durability when
cleaned with SPORT-WASH. SPORT-WASH performs well in cold water, is
safe for all washables and can replace most dry cleaning. When
performance counts, count on Atsko/Sno-Seal. We’ve been caring for
clothing, footwear, and outdoor equipment since 1933.
The Army
has an outstanding uniform, let’s try to keep it that way by keeping
the Optical Brighteners and FWA’s out and the troops safer.
For
more information about UV Brighteners and UV Vision you can read our
book "How Game Animals See” and download copies of laboratory tests on
rinseability, flammability, or repellency on our web site
http://www.atsko.com To view the full size high quality images please click the thumbnails.
1) All
2) All Free and Clean
3) Cheer with Bleach
4) Cheer Color Guard
5) Dreft
6) Fab Sensiive Skin
7) Sport-Wash
Surf All
9) Tide with Bleach
10) Woolite Hand and Machine
11) Woolite Improved
12) Woolite Original
ACU under normal light conditions
ACU under UV Light conditions
also i dont know if this is in there or not but i saw somewhere that you wash them inside out.
