Ironing your CAP uniform!

[titanII]

Just curious how often you other CAPers iron your uniforms, cadets in particular

[SarDragon]

From both sides of the 21 year mark - it gets ironed every time it gets cleaned, and only then. Pressing something that has been worn is just nasty. It bakes in all the sweat and grime from wearing it.

This applies to every uniform I own except my flight suit. It never gets ironed.

[AngelWings]

Everytime I get done wearing my BDU's, and after a quick inspection for marks, dirt, or other noticable disgusting things, I iron it. I wash it least has possible because my top is starched, which keeps the back perfect and the creases standing at attention. Ironing can actually clean sweat and bacteria away, because the iron does get hot enough to kill bacteria and the odors of a easy or hard days work . I pride myself on having the best uniform, a uniform that looks proud, which makes me proud. A small trick that can make your uniform fade slower is to iron from the inside out. The blues for me are different. Since the fabric of the blouse is much, much lighter, I just iron it and wash after I get done.

[HGjunkie]

I iron mine after a washing and once inbetween washings. I used to use starch, but it was wearing out my BDU blouse too fast to justify the appearance. A hot iron and steam can accomplish the same thing as a ton of starch, and is definetly more comfortable. Just touch up the wrinkled areas every now and then

[Al Sayre]

From both sides of the 21 year mark - it gets ironed every time it gets cleaned, and only then. Pressing something that has been worn is just nasty. It bakes in all the sweat and grime from wearing it.

This applies to every uniform I own except my flight suit. It never gets ironed.

+1, although sometimes I have to do a little touch up when I pull it out of the closet.

[HGjunkie]

Something to chew on if you're worried about your uniforms smell:

Disclaimer: this is based entirely off of personal experience, not a scientific study.

I figured out at NHGA this previous summer that if you freeze a unifrom item (especially tennis shoes and shirts) say, overnight, the smelly bacteria dies and leaves your selected garment fresher than they were the day before. So, if you are concerned about funky smelling BDUs/Blues, stick 'em in the freezer for a couple hours or overnight.

[Al Sayre]

Or you could simply wash them...

[SarDragon]

Everytime I get done wearing my BDU's, and after a quick inspection for marks, dirt, or other noticable disgusting things, I iron it. I wash it least has possible because my top is starched, which keeps the back perfect and the creases standing at attention. Ironing can actually clean sweat and bacteria away, because the iron does get hot enough to kill bacteria and the odors of a easy or hard days work . I pride myself on having the best uniform, a uniform that looks proud, which makes me proud. A small trick that can make your uniform fade slower is to iron from the inside out. The blues for me are different. Since the fabric of the blouse is much, much lighter, I just iron it and wash after I get done.

Not even close to correct. Sweat is (from Wikipedia) "a fluid consisting primarily of water, as well as various dissolved solids (chiefly chlorides), that is excreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Sweat contains the chemicals or odorants 2-methylphenol (o-cresol) and 4-methylphenol (p-cresol), as well as a small amount of urea."

Ironing over this stuff removes the water, and embeds it into the cloth. The solids and chemicals remain. Cotton does not give up this stuff easily, if at all, when you launder it. And ironing does not cause fading. That comes from laundering, particularly if done incorrectly. A cold or warm water wash works best to prevent fading. Modern detergents work very well in cold water.

As for creases, the only creases you should have are in the sleeves, and those don't really need to be "razor" sharp. I'm not sure what you mean by creases standing at attention.

[SarDragon]

Something to chew on if you're worried about your uniforms smell:

Disclaimer: this is based entirely off of personal experience, not a scientific study.

I figured out at NHGA this previous summer that if you freeze a unifrom item (especially tennis shoes and shirts) say, overnight, the smelly bacteria dies and leaves your selected garment fresher than they were the day before. So, if you are concerned about funky smelling BDUs/Blues, stick 'em in the freezer for a couple hours or overnight.

And when they thaw, you get condensation, and whatever nasties that might not have died off will now have a prime breeding ground to make a new colony.

Thanks, I'll pass.

[AlphaSigOU]

Something to chew on if you're worried about your uniforms smell:

Disclaimer: this is based entirely off of personal experience, not a scientific study.

I figured out at NHGA this previous summer that if you freeze a unifrom item (especially tennis shoes and shirts) say, overnight, the smelly bacteria dies and leaves your selected garment fresher than they were the day before. So, if you are concerned about funky smelling BDUs/Blues, stick 'em in the freezer for a couple hours or overnight.

And when they thaw, you get condensation, and whatever nasties that might not have died off will now have a prime breeding ground to make a new colony.

Thanks, I'll pass.

Ewwwwwwwww... grossitating!

[SarDragon]

Hey, Chuck, don't you live in one of those tropical places where the humididity stays > 80%. Tell us what your clothes are like after sweating in them for a couple of hours. Would you be ironing them if they just had a couple of wrinkles?

[Eclipse]

Something to chew on if you're worried about your uniforms smell:

Disclaimer: this is based entirely off of personal experience, not a scientific study.

I figured out at NHGA this previous summer that if you freeze a unifrom item (especially tennis shoes and shirts) say, overnight, the smelly bacteria dies and leaves your selected garment fresher than they were the day before. So, if you are concerned about funky smelling BDUs/Blues, stick 'em in the freezer for a couple hours or overnight.

Which is why it actually contradicts science.

The only way to kill bacteria is with heat.  Freezing preserves things.  So while you may slow the growth process, you aren't killing anything and as soon as that garment gets back to body temperature they will pop up, possibly refreshed and mutated, resulting in the violent destruction of all humans on this planet.

Also it will smell again.

To the original question, the nice lady on the corner, next to 7-11 makes my clothes clean and sharp-looking.  I have no idea how she does it, equating her skills with magic.

[HGjunkie]

I don't remember having the problem of the smell coming back that much.

[Eclipse]

I don't remember having the problem of the smell coming back that much.

Heh - "that much"...

[Grumpy]

Or you could simply wash them...

What a novel idea!  Do you use soap and water too?  (See what happens when I try to be a smart ---

[Persona non grata]

 I can remember after encampment throwing away some pretty smelly uniforms. They weren't mine, they were left behind.

[HGjunkie]

I can remember after encampment throwing away some pretty smelly uniforms. They weren't mine, they were left behind.

Heh, there's always someone who leaves behind uniforms. This year we had a Lightweight Jacket, 2 pairs of shoes, a sleeping bag and hangers.

[AngelWings]

Everytime I get done wearing my BDU's, and after a quick inspection for marks, dirt, or other noticable disgusting things, I iron it. I wash it least has possible because my top is starched, which keeps the back perfect and the creases standing at attention. Ironing can actually clean sweat and bacteria away, because the iron does get hot enough to kill bacteria and the odors of a easy or hard days work . I pride myself on having the best uniform, a uniform that looks proud, which makes me proud. A small trick that can make your uniform fade slower is to iron from the inside out. The blues for me are different. Since the fabric of the blouse is much, much lighter, I just iron it and wash after I get done.

Not even close to correct. Sweat is (from Wikipedia) "a fluid consisting primarily of water, as well as various dissolved solids (chiefly chlorides), that is excreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Sweat contains the chemicals or odorants 2-methylphenol (o-cresol) and 4-methylphenol (p-cresol), as well as a small amount of urea."

Ironing over this stuff removes the water, and embeds it into the cloth. The solids and chemicals remain. Cotton does not give up this stuff easily, if at all, when you launder it. And ironing does not cause fading. That comes from laundering, particularly if done incorrectly. A cold or warm water wash works best to prevent fading. Modern detergents work very well in cold water.

As for creases, the only creases you should have are in the sleeves, and those don't really need to be "razor" sharp. I'm not sure what you mean by creases standing at attention.

My health class teacher told me that sweat is water mixed with bacteria and a bit of oils/chemicals and that heat kills bacteria. About ready to yell at her. Third time she has said something incorrect.
I only have creases on the sleeve. and what I mean by standing at attention is that the creaes actually stay razor sharp and stiff. It doubles the time I iron, but it in my opinion makes me look sharper.
Ironing inside out(with the exception of the creases) makes the top look alot better. It stops that weird shine that develops after you iron the BDU's with starch.

[HGjunkie]

I only have creases on the sleeve. and what I mean by standing at attention is that the creaes actually stay razor sharp and stiff. It doubles the time I iron, but it in my opinion makes me look sharper.

It also does wear out the material. I've got a pair of BDUs where the material is really thin, wrinkles easily, and has lost its "Ripstop" capabilities from ironing/starching too much. (Meaning if it got caught on something sharp it would probably rip). The only upside to this is they become really comfortable to wear after a day at encampment.

[AngelWings]

I only starch extensively on my temperate weight top. The material is extremely thick, so it works out well. My rip-stop I don't put on alot of starch. The material wouldn't survive for more than a year.