BDU maitenance

[AngelWings]

We all have little tricks on keeping our BDU's looking perfect. Why not share some good tips?
My tip is to iron inside-out if you starch. Stops that weird shine that develops.

[Hawk200]

I don't starch BDUs. It's a working uniform. If I feel like being fancy, I'll give it a light ironing.

If you want to look pretty, wear blues.

[AngelWings]

I don't want to look pretty, I just want to be wrinkle-free and have sharp creases on my sleeves when I wear my BDU's. I'm talking about keeping things looking right, like thread-removal, blousing, and such. I've been taught that way by my squadron and a sad personal experience of having someone glue on a patch(I did want it to be sewed on) sideways.

[DC]

I don't want to look pretty, I just want to be wrinkle-free and have sharp creases on my sleeves when I wear my BDU's. I'm talking about keeping things looking right, like thread-removal, blousing, and such. I've been taught that way by my squadron and a sad personal experience of having someone glue on a patch(I did want it to be sewed on) sideways.

Sharp creases = trying to look pretty

Iron them, make sure your patches are on right, keep loose strings clipped and shine your boots. That's all you really need to do; like Hawk200 said, BDUs are a WORK uniform.

[MICT1362]

Are creases necessary, not really.  BDU's is a working uniform, but that doesn't mean that your uniform should be full of wrinkles, that your pockets should have folded corners and the like.  So do us all a favor and take care of them.

A good way to keep from having the button ring on the pocket flags is to take a dark colored wash cloth.  Get it damp, and place it over the top of the pocket flap.  Then iron the wash cloth.  The heat transfers through and does a great job!  I also know some people who took a piece of carboard, and cut button sized holes in it, and placed under the flap for a flat ironing surface.

If you will burn your strings, instead of clipping them, they wont come back.  At least not from the same starting thread.  You are going to get them regardless.

Tacking the bottom corners of pockets down with a couple of stitches allows them to remain functional, but keeps them looking sleek.  I know some people who have gone to the extreme and cut the side flaps out of the pockets and had them sewn straight down.  Then there was no wrinkled pocket, ever...

-Paramedic

[AngelWings]

Hey, I'm not trying to look pretty. Even if I do look that good, still. It just come naturally! Joking, joking.
Creases are not neccesary, but they sure do make you look sharp, and they don't get in the way of functionality. It is more of a personal preference than anything, one of the rare things that are not shunned down upon.

Thanks MICT1362 for the tips. I've actually tried sewing some folded corners on the pocket, and pocket flap. But that was on a set of red camouflage BDU's that I use has guinea pig for anything insane or new to me. The other tips are great idea's too.

[Sapper168]

Coming from a old Army vet i will just say this, its true in CAP as it is in the Army, While the BDU is a 'work' uniform, it is still a military uniform and as such should present a military appearance.  If it is faded, threadbare, ripped, torn, stained or ill fitting it is replaced precisely because of appearance.  A neat and crisp uniform is a sign of disipline.

[AngelWings]

I'm happy to see someone who thinks the way I do about the uniform . I always do my absolute best pressing  and creasing the BDU and polishing the boots, after I inspect everything for any damage. I've gone has far has to get a High and Tight haircut like the military style.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

Coming from a old Army vet i will just say this, its true in CAP as it is in the Army, While the BDU is a 'work' uniform, it is still a military uniform and as such should present a military appearance.  If it is faded, threadbare, ripped, torn, stained or ill fitting it is replaced precisely because of appearance.  A neat and crisp uniform is a sign of disipline.

+1

If your uniform looks bad, you look bad. If you look bad, your unit looks bad. If your unit looks bad, your commander looks bad.

I am embarrassed when I am in public in a uniform with someone who is not wearing their uniform properly, ironed and with a haircut that is out of Reg. Take some pride in your uniform and wear it right. Take an hour a week to iron your uniform shine your boots and get a haircut when it is time, ie touching your ears or your collar or when it is long enough on top to poke out the front. And ladies, keep your hair up as you are supposed to, pony tails are against regulation.

[AngelWings]

I spend about 2 hours on uniform care a week. Mostly ironing and shining.
recommendation: polish in a ventelated room, unless you want to wind up in the hospital because a little bit of dried blood came from your mouth, like me. Also, be smart about what you use for polishing. Don't do what I did before and set a bunch of cotton balls on fire because I accidently moved one too close to a open flame.
Tip's: Iron at full heat
Iron and polish while having some music or talk-show playing in the backround
Keep a small kit of uniform repair items and polishing( like shoe polish or tooth paste for shining your metal insignia) at your meeting place just in case
Cut out a piece of cardboard the size of your patrol cap's top, and place it in so your patrol cap stands up
In your field jacket or Gore-Tex, keep an extra patrol cap or black watch cap just in case your primary headwear is wet
Own 2 extra sets of blousing bands if your like me and lose them whenever you touch them
Remove the "geek" button AKA top button on the blouse
Keep electronic's in the cargo pocket
Have keep a pencil and pen on you at all times no matter what.

[Hawk200]

Ironing a uniform is one thing, but I've seen (and seen advocated) some serious extremes that are completely unnecessary. A uniform that can stand up by itself serves no legitimate purpose whatsoever. All it does say is "LOOK AT ME!"

I've seen people that have done things to make the uniform "pretty." There are loads of pretty people that are completely worthless outside of a poster.

You can iron your uniform. You can put polish on your boots. But it can be taken too far. A pretty uniform doesn't really say much about you other than you know how to look good.

I spend about an hour tops on my uniforms. I pull it out of the dryer and iron it. I put polish on my boots, which takes about twenty minutes. The uniform is de-stringed when I first get it, and I get other ones as they occur. I don't starch or put forms in my hat (although it is occasionally washed by hand, formed, and allowed to dry).

A heavily starched uniform should not mean more than one that has just been ironed. It is designed to work in. That's it. Clean, dry, serviceable, pressed, worn properly. That's all you need. Too many people utilize their fancy duds as a boast. It doesn't benefit anyone.

If I ran a ground team, the guy with the fancy duds stays at mission base. I've heard too many complaints when someone got a spot on their uniform, and you'd think the mission was going to fail to hear them tell it. That and most of the pretty ones have spent so much on the uniform, that they're always lacking some kind of gear.

[a2capt]

Remove the "geek" button AKA top button on the blouse

Technically considered a modification, and ...  well... may be noticed in the eyes of some.  We don't button it, but .. it is there.

[FlyTiger77]

We all have little tricks on keeping our BDU's looking perfect. Why not share some good tips?
My tip is to iron inside-out if you starch. Stops that weird shine that develops.

I would mix starch and water in a spray bottle, soak the fabric and then place a piece of t-shirt fabric on top of the BDUs and iron on top of the t-shirt. This took care of the sheen. (It also, after a short while, made for a seriously stiff t-shirt fragment!)

This way lets you form the pockets, which would be difficult if ironing on the inside of the fabric.

[Hawk200]

Remove the "geek" button AKA top button on the blouse

Technically considered a modification, and ...  well... may be noticed in the eyes of some.  We don't button it, but .. it is there.

I've done the same thing on every set of BDUs I've ever owned, in the Army, the Air Force, and CAP, over the last twenty two years. A total of three people noticed, two of them followed my example. The third didn't care.

It's actually a practical thing to do, and doesn't present any readily notable change. Doing it to look good is a fail. You don't use it, no reason to have it if you don't want it.

The person that notices and makes an issue of it is on the same side of the coin as the others mentioned. They're stuck on being pretty, too. That's not beneficial to an organization that's trying to be mission ready.

[Sapper168]

A heavily starched uniform should not mean more than one that has just been ironed. It is designed to work in. That's it. Clean, dry, serviceable, pressed, worn properly. That's all you need. Too many people utilize their fancy duds as a boast. It doesn't benefit anyone.

If I ran a ground team, the guy with the fancy duds stays at mission base. I've heard too many complaints when someone got a spot on their uniform, and you'd think the mission was going to fail to hear them tell it. That and most of the pretty ones have spent so much on the uniform, that they're always lacking some kind of gear.

While in the military i had seperate BDU's for field use and for normal wear. The field BDU's were servicible but not 'crisp and neat' unlike the BDU's worn during the normal work day.

Yes it is about a certain look, a professional look.  CAP just like the modern military has a fair amount of public relations attached to it. The uniform is the very first thing involved in that as it is the first thing people see. 

[AngelWings]

 To clear something up. No, I'm not trying to look pretty. I however want my uniform to look its best, and if it gets dirty, well it gets dirty, I'm not going to make a big deal out of it. Also, those little things like creasing, mirror shining, being wrinkle free, make everyone look better, believe it or not. I have the type of creases on my "parade top" that stand up. My rip-stop uniform is just well pressed and very lightly starched, just to give it a good appearence. My step-dad, who was in the USAF told me about how they always had one perfect set of greens, and one regular set of greens. They kept the perfect greens ready so they could pas a uniform inspection. I do the same basically. At meetings, I wear my perfect set (just in case of any uniform inspections) and when we are going out doing something involving parades or low-key stuff, I wearmy perfect set. But if we are going to have any interaction with the ground or dirt, well my regular set is on. It is better that way. I get some attention for having those type of crease's that stand up well from a lot of people after I got out of a parade. Good times. I certainly hope that I'm not garnering bad attention because I want my uniform to look perfect.

[J.American]

Message removed.

[PHall]

I wore BDU's for 20 years in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve. (And fatigues before that.) Never once starched them. Never got called on my uniform either.
All I ever did was iron them with heat and steam only.

[AngelWings]

I use heavy starch just because it helps keep my top wrinkle free when I sit in cars (even though most of the time I just hang it up on the back-seat hanger.

[a2capt]

You should not have brought up cap storage.