Has Anyone Cleaned a Summer-White Tunic??

[DouglasDwight]

Hi. Just curious if anyone has any first-hand knowledge or recommendations on how to "freshen up" a summer-white tunic?? Would washing at home be recommended, or perhaps professional laundering or dry cleaning?

Thanks for any comments!

[DonC]

Douglas, using modern detergents, even Woolite, could cause the tunic to "glow" to some degree or another. I had one that was absolutely filthy to the point where it really distracted from the tunic. I soaked it in Woolite in the bathtub (don't tell the wife - she was out of town ), rinsed it and soaked it again, rinsed it and let it drip-dry. It wasn't perfect, but it got rid of a great deal of the surface dirt - I was very happy with the result. I wouldn't toss it in the washing machine, that's for sure!

Don

[DouglasDwight]

Thanks for the info, Don!

[ChrisCook]

Summer White Tunic

I'll second the woolite, I had a really dirty smelly White Tunic. It didn't clean up perfect, but the water turned black when I washed it, gently by hand. Big improvement. Chris...

[militaria.no]

I soaked it in Woolite in the bathtub (don't tell the wife - she was out of town ),
Don

What about using old washing powder? Some times, on ebay, you find packages of these sold as "soldiers personal equipment". It might work!? Have anyone tried?

[pak 40]

hello, you should use old soap bars without the nasty chemicals, and handwas it very carefully.
also do this on a very hot day then you can leak it out on a table ore so
but dont wrick it out just let it leak out,ore the old fabric will tearing apart.
wel over here you can find the old soap bars on the fleamarket
yust like the life-boys.
it works quit well,and its doesnt light up
handsoap could do the trick also.

but i do this only if realy needed,nothing like old smelly clothes

best regards

[DouglasDwight]

Thanks for the info, Gents! Many good comments!

[dcdefend]

Cleaning Summer Tunics

Here's what I recommend -

http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catal...roductID=17749

I used it on a very dirty white army tunic, a dirty summer cotton tunic and most recently my father's very old cotton summer tuxedo jacket. Great results every time. I use the bathtub and let it soak and change the water until it does not get dirty. As the instructions say, rinse very thoroughly to get all chemical out.

You've probably long finished cleaning by now, but I thought this link should be here for others.

John

[Paul R.]

Look further down Talas page. Orvis paste soap. This product along with the sodium perborate grainuals work great. Do not us woolite it will glow like a full moon.

[DouglasDwight]

Thanks, guys, for the additional good comments. I like to move slowly when it comes to cleaning, so I haven't done anything yet with the tunic. Frankly, until I get a good place to display it, I'll probably just let it in the closet until such time. But I like to do research ahead of time.

Cheers!

[dcdefend]

White Wine Vinegar

My white tunic, as mentioned in the above post, still had a couple of spots where metal had rubbed against the tunic. I stupidly tried a tiny amount of bleach. Bad decision, it looked worse. Reading on the net, I tried diluted lemon juice. No help. Recently, I read about white wine vinegar, tried it and it worked wonders. Spots are all gone. I used a tiny amount on a Q-Tip and had it sitting in direct sunlight.

John

[DouglasDwight]

John,

Did the vinegar leave any water marks behind, so to speak, as it dried out?

[Erich B.]

I've used Woollite on a party flag that had a strong odor, was filthy, and the cotton fabric was fragile and brittle due to improper storage. After hand washing and rinsing it 4 or 5 times, until the water rinsed out clear, the piece was stronger, odor free, and was much much cleaner than before. I tested the white field on each side and there was no reaction under UV. Woollite has no phosphates or brighteners, so doesn't encourage any UV reaction.
Erich

[dcdefend]

White Tunics

Douglas,

The vinegar did leave "water marks;" however, they were almost imposible to see with the naked eye. Nevertheless, I decided to rewash one final time in sodium perborate. Now you can't see them at all. Here are a couple of photos, one in room light and one in bright sunshine.

It's great to have all these tips.

John

[stonemint]

I just obtained a white-top visor that is removable. The top is very yellowed, and has some sort of black age stains.

Should I just put it in a bucket of diluted bleach, or go with the woolite?