Hello CAPtalk :D
So yesterday I spent 2 hours ironing my class B's and putting on all the pins. By the time I felt good enough about it, my sleeves were like cardboard, all looked perfect, all my pins were on down to a sixteenth of an inch, and then I discovered a very nice light brown smudge across the top of the left sleeve. I tried all I could at the moment to get it out but nothing was working; not even my dear mother could aid me in removing the smudge. We decided to take everything off and (incredibly, INCREDIBLY stupid decision on my part) I marked the holes where everything was to go back on with none other than a red sharpie. Yes, I am stupid. We've all done stupid stuff. I remembered soon thereafter "Wow, I won't always be wearing that medal there" and "Wow, I'm going to be getting a new ribbon rack soon, the marks for the GT badge will be showing." After it was washed, we still had red dots everywhere and a new problem arose: I realized there were congruent very light sweat stains on the underside of each sleeve and on the inside of the collar. How do I remove such stains? You can really barely see them, but they won't pass me at an activity I'll be doing this weekend.
Please help!
Your best bet is about $20 at the nearest MCSS...
The sharpie stains will never come out.
The brown smudge may be from the iron.
Sweat stains can be difficult to remove, especially since you've already ironed over them, etc.
Try soaking the shirt in an OxyClean mix overnight, then wash it. If that doesn't work, before you dry it, test a small portion of the shirt with some peroxide (somewhere below the belt) and see if the color stays. If it does, use some peroxide on the stains.
Buy a new one. Your time is worth the cost of the new shirt.
I stopped measuring my stuff after C/A1C. ;D
$13 bucks at Vandenberg, probably the same at most other MCSS. Thats it. Learned your lesson. You'll never get 'em out for $13.
How would I go about getting a shirt that's at an AFB that's not on my side of the country?
Quote from: Starlock on April 25, 2011, 11:15:17 PM
How would I go about getting a shirt that's at an AFB that's not on my side of the country?
His point is that it will be cheaper at MCSS, not that you have to go to Vandenberg. Any local AFB should have them for the same price.
Quote from: Starlock on April 25, 2011, 11:15:17 PM
How would I go about getting a shirt that's at an AFB that's not on my side of the country?
your info says MO... so you get a choice... whiteman AFB or Scott afb... google them and see which one is closer
wait for it...wait for it...
as for the topic, this is why you should have an extra blue shirt. this happens easily and often.
I've just never really needed an extra shirt I suppose. I've been wearing the same Class B shirt since C/A1C. I suppose it's time to retire her :P
As for going to a PX, going to either of the two local AFBs is incredibly inconvenient. I've just put in an inquiry to get issued a couple more shirts to my squadron drop box.
Quote from: NCRblues on April 25, 2011, 11:20:10 PM
Quote from: Starlock on April 25, 2011, 11:15:17 PM
How would I go about getting a shirt that's at an AFB that's not on my side of the country?
your info says MO... so you get a choice... whiteman AFB or Scott afb... google them and see which one is closer
Those or AAFES or eBay.
Another issue is that you are over starching/ironing your shirt.
It does not have to be as hard a card board......we don't award extra point for extra starch. ;D
With an AF Honor Guardsman occasionally dropping in I coulda sworn we were ;D
I don't believe the issue was the quantity of starch, I think it was the scorched spots on the iron.
The less starch you use, the lower the chances of scorching it. ;)
I'm not sure which is going to win the fight in my mind - how impressed I am that you made it to C/SMSgt and 3 encampments with only one shirt,
or how epically "lights out" you must have been to put a sharpie on your old friend after all that time. ;D
Since you have nothing to lose at this point, after trying Oxiclean soaks at least 2 days changing the water daily and chemicals, rinse well. Next try saturating the areas with hair spray like aqua net, and wash. Often nurses will do this when ink gets on their uniform. If that does not work, RIT dye makes a packet that captures unwanted colors on fabrics. The packet is added to the washer. Good luck. Starch is not your friend nor are dirty and overheated irons. Pressing cloths are the best method of prevention of scorching and shinny blues pants.
Sharpie is pretty indelible. But, try leaving the shirt in the sun for a couple of weeks. Red dye fades the fastest. j/k
Actually, the shirt is toast. I've got clothing that I marked with various shades of Sharpie many years ago where the writing has barely faded. Spend the time doing something more productive.
Quote from: spaatzmom on April 26, 2011, 02:43:02 AM
Since you have nothing to lose at this point, after trying Oxiclean soaks at least 2 days changing the water daily and chemicals, rinse well. Next try saturating the areas with hair spray like aqua net, and wash. Often nurses will do this when ink gets on their uniform. If that does not work, RIT dye makes a packet that captures unwanted colors on fabrics. The packet is added to the washer. Good luck. Starch is not your friend nor are dirty and overheated irons. Pressing cloths are the best method of prevention of scorching and shinny blues pants.
On the note of a dirty iron - how do you clean a dirty iron? Mine is a bit dirty and I've tried cleaning it with soap/water but haven't had any luck.
Quote from: Spaceman3750 on April 26, 2011, 12:57:45 PM
Quote from: spaatzmom on April 26, 2011, 02:43:02 AM
Since you have nothing to lose at this point, after trying Oxiclean soaks at least 2 days changing the water daily and chemicals, rinse well. Next try saturating the areas with hair spray like aqua net, and wash. Often nurses will do this when ink gets on their uniform. If that does not work, RIT dye makes a packet that captures unwanted colors on fabrics. The packet is added to the washer. Good luck. Starch is not your friend nor are dirty and overheated irons. Pressing cloths are the best method of prevention of scorching and shinny blues pants.
On the note of a dirty iron - how do you clean a dirty iron? Mine is a bit dirty and I've tried cleaning it with soap/water but haven't had any luck.
Throw it out and get a new one. They're cheap enough.
Quote from: Spaceman3750 on April 26, 2011, 12:57:45 PM
Quote from: spaatzmom on April 26, 2011, 02:43:02 AM
Since you have nothing to lose at this point, after trying Oxiclean soaks at least 2 days changing the water daily and chemicals, rinse well. Next try saturating the areas with hair spray like aqua net, and wash. Often nurses will do this when ink gets on their uniform. If that does not work, RIT dye makes a packet that captures unwanted colors on fabrics. The packet is added to the washer. Good luck. Starch is not your friend nor are dirty and overheated irons. Pressing cloths are the best method of prevention of scorching and shinny blues pants.
On the note of a dirty iron - how do you clean a dirty iron? Mine is a bit dirty and I've tried cleaning it with soap/water but haven't had any luck.
My personal opinion is that it depends on what is dirty. Is the area inside the holes in the bottom rusty? If so, I'd probably throw it away and buy a new one. If it's just some nastyness on the bottom, it can usually be cleaned with some rubbing alcohol, or something similar.
Quote from: Eclipse on April 26, 2011, 01:34:41 AM
I'm not sure which is going to win the fight in my mind - how impressed I am that you made it to C/SMSgt and 3 encampments with only one shirt,
or how epically "lights out" you must have been to put a sharpie on your old friend after all that time. ;D
Yeah, it was a pretty ditzy decision to try marking off the holes. Again, I've put in a request for a new shirt to our squadron Logistics officer. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to wear the shirt to the meeting tonight... Everything is still in its precise correct spot however ;D
Quote from: jimmydeanno on April 26, 2011, 03:44:20 PM
My personal opinion is that it depends on what is dirty. Is the area inside the holes in the bottom rusty? If so, I'd probably throw it away and buy a new one. If it's just some nastyness on the bottom, it can usually be cleaned with some rubbing alcohol, or something similar.
I've had this issue before, it was just shmutz on the botton of the iron. Nothing internally. I've asked my mom about pitching it and buying a new iron, her only response was "That Rowenta iron cost me more than your delivery. No, we're not doing either of those." She's so loving sometimes ;D
Quote from: Starlock on April 26, 2011, 04:37:28 PM
Quote from: jimmydeanno on April 26, 2011, 03:44:20 PM
My personal opinion is that it depends on what is dirty. Is the area inside the holes in the bottom rusty? If so, I'd probably throw it away and buy a new one. If it's just some nastyness on the bottom, it can usually be cleaned with some rubbing alcohol, or something similar.
I've had this issue before, it was just shmutz on the botton of the iron. Nothing internally. I've asked my mom about pitching it and buying a new iron, her only response was "That Rowenta iron cost me more than your delivery. No, we're not doing either of those." She's so loving sometimes ;D
You could go buy your own iron.
There are several methods which can be used to clean an iron; just Google it. Odd timing for this topic, since my wife cleaned ours just last night.
It's a whole lot easier if you don't wait until it gets really crappy.
Quote from: davidsinn on April 26, 2011, 04:41:13 PM
Quote from: Starlock on April 26, 2011, 04:37:28 PM
Quote from: jimmydeanno on April 26, 2011, 03:44:20 PM
My personal opinion is that it depends on what is dirty. Is the area inside the holes in the bottom rusty? If so, I'd probably throw it away and buy a new one. If it's just some nastyness on the bottom, it can usually be cleaned with some rubbing alcohol, or something similar.
I've had this issue before, it was just shmutz on the botton of the iron. Nothing internally. I've asked my mom about pitching it and buying a new iron, her only response was "That Rowenta iron cost me more than your delivery. No, we're not doing either of those." She's so loving sometimes ;D
You could go buy your own iron.
Or you can take it to the local Cleaners and have it starched and pressed $2 is a lot less than the cost of a new iron.
I've tried a couple times. The only cleaner in reasonable distance has an entirely different definition of "heavy starch" than I do...
You said you liked them to be as stiff as cardboard. That's too much starch, which wears on the shirt. A medium starch will last at least two wearings. Leaving your insignia pinned to the shirt also damages it.
My god, that is my worst nightmare. I hate it when I get brown stains from my iron, I just had to replace it. and don't use a sharpie on a uniform... That is stupid considering we don't own the uniforms. (Most of us don't anyways.)