Cleaning your turnouts

[KevinFFVFD]

hey everyone. yesterday i was helping some other firefighters cut some trees with a chainsaw in one of our members yard. when we got done, one of the firefighters went and put the chainsaw back in his truck, and right on top of my turnout coat. it got some oil and gas on it. when i got back to the station i sprayed some water on it and when i got home i could still smell the gas on it. so today i got a small drop of dawn detergent in water and lightly scrubed my coat and washed it with the water hose untill i thought it was clean enough. is this an acceptable way to get oil and gas and stuff out of your coat??? what other ways can i clean my gear if i have to? thanks everyone. stay safe

[BFDNJFF]

Take the liner and shell apart and throw it in the washer.

[mtnfireguy]

Follow the manufacturers recomendations for cleaning.

Don't wash it at home

We use a local laundry company that cleans are gear, unless it is really bad (contaminated, etc) then we send it off to a place in Nevada.

[KevinFFVFD]

thanks. i would wash it, but my liner does not come out of my coat. its all one big turnout coat. it cannot separate. i would send it off to be cleaned but i have a cert class i have to take tommorow and i need it. i believe i got the oil and stuff out.

[mtnfireguy]

thanks. i would wash it, but my liner does not come out of my coat. its all one big turnout coat. it cannot separate.

How old is your gear?

[Chauffeur6]

so today i got a small drop of dawn detergent in water and lightly scrubed my coat and washed it with the water hose untill i thought it was clean enough.

That should be fine unless your entire coat was saturated in gas and oil. Sounds like you're talking about a small area that got a bit of 2 cycle mix on it from a small chainsaw. Your gear will pick up worse junk inside a fire, believe me.

[Rescue101]

A little Tide,a little Unimac,problem solved.Or have it done at your local laundromat. T.C.

[BFDPerez]

I hear ya on one piece kinda sorta, my newer morning pride coat to FDNY spec's liner comes out but not fully it is sewn at the collar not allowing it to be fully unattached, and the pants liner is sewn at the waist.

[KevinFFVFD]

im not really sure what kind of coat i have, but its still somewhat a new coat. i went back and double checked, and the liner does not come out of the coat. its all one piece

[KevinFFVFD]

aight, after the last post i had to go out to my truck and check on what kind of coat i have. the coat is made by a company called Bristol, and the country of manufacture is the united kingdom. its a good coat, never had any problems with it, and i have had it a lil more than a year. but the liner will not come apart from the coat

[ec2749]

you can have it dry cleaned from a local dry cleaners. I've never done it but an instructor told me way back when that this was an acceptable method of cleaning turnouts. should cost around $30. personally, i would just do what you did with the soap and just clean it off as best as I could.

[Rescue101]

Check your paperwork.Most mfgs DO NOT recommend dry cleaning.Soap and water only.Information can be obtained from the mfg of your PPE. T.C.

[Chauffeur6]

you can have it dry cleaned from a local dry cleaners. I've never done it but an instructor told me way back when that this was an acceptable method of cleaning turnouts.

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! NEVER DRY CLEAN TURNOUT GEAR!!!

The chemicals they use for dry cleaning can damage the gear and severely degrade the fire retardant properties of it.

Large commercial front loading washer with room to spare, warm water and either cleaner designed specifically for turnout gear (such as Station Care 1500) or mild laundry detergent that contains no additives (such bleach, bleach alternative or fabric softener) such as Tide, Cheer or Wisk in the regular/plain varieties. Air dry only, no heat.

[nyckftbl]

As much as I hate quoting the NFPA, I happen to agree with 1851, standards for cleaning and maintenance of gear. Your organization must provide you with a means to wash and maintain your gear, and it should not ever be brought home to be washed in a personal washing machine, or taken to a public facility unless that facility has a seperate business to handle PPE.

[Chauffeur6]

No doubt. If they won't buy their own commercial washer/extractor (which is a pretty cheap investment all things considered) then they should have an account with National Safety Clean or Trilex or the like so it can be sent out for professional cleaning. Our dept has had a washer/extractor for gear cleaning for over 10 years now and it sure comes in handy. Most routine cleaning can be handled in house, and for the nasty crap it gets sent out. I can't even count how many depts have come up to use ours over the years and have then went out and gotten their own machine. The few grand it costs for a machine will pay for itself very quickly when you compare the cost of professional cleaning, which usually runs between $50 - $100 a set depending on the extent of cleaning needed.