Washing a Mask

[ashbash1990]

I know that this very question has been probably posted a zillion times, and I'm sorry, but i need to know how to wash a regular (non lame) mask... thank you...

[UnorthodoxEpeeist]

You mean, non-electric mask? (foil/epee mask)

For me, I usually just get a moist towel and gently scrub...

You can add a little soap or detergent for the bib, soak, and gently scrub.

[fencer92]

If you have a dishwasher, put it in the top part if it will fit and run it through the cycle. It will clean it and if the bib is still wet as it will be. Hang it up on something like a broom stick or anything that it will hang on to finish drying. Really!

[jfarmer]

You can wash it in several ways. One way is to run it through the dish washer. Another is to wash it the shower using a fairly gentle detergent such as Woolite. I tend to wash the club's loaner masks in the dishwasher every 3 - 6 months and my personal gear every 3 - 4 weeks in the shower. Dishwashing detergent usually contains chlorine beach (to disinfect dishes) so you don't want to run your mask through very often. My understanding is that chlorine beach will eventually weaken the bib fabric.

And yeah, it's a question that comes up often. Try out the search feature to find the older threads.

John Farmer
Coach, Oak Ridge Fencers Club

[fencerbill]

Wash any kind of bib, Foil/Epee or Sabre, in a 5 gallon bucket with a little woolite or detergent.

Important: Use half a one pound box of baking soda and soak it for half an hour, gets out the stinkies. Rinse twice.

Use a full size bath towel, half inside and half outside, squeeze the water out of the bib.

Will be dry the next morning.

[one]

Definately use a dishwashwasher, then afterwards maybe take sandpaper to any rusty spots.

[Cookeit]

Do you let it run through the "dry cycle" of the dishwasher or no?

[Piranha]

I had success not using the heat dry cycle (i.e., letting it air dry). A teammate of mine used the cycle, and it distorted some of the plastic on the tongue.

[Joe biebel]

Originally Posted by Cookeit

Do you let it run through the "dry cycle" of the dishwasher or no?

I have a Leon Paul "Contour Fit" mask that I have run through numerous times including the "dry" cycle. Comes out clean and has "that minty fresh taste". No noticable harm from the heat.

I do take the mask apart removing the velco straps and the Velcoed inside pieces and put them in the clothes washer on a regular cycle. I do not know what would happen to a conventional masks thin vinyl trim on the tongue etc.

You can speed up the bib drying time a great deal by taking a bath towel and pressing the water out of it with your foot or knee.

[Morion]

For older masks where the covering around the metal seams is stitched on the dishwasher is fine. However for newer masks that have molded plastic coverings the heat from the dishwasher can cause them to warp. If this warpage causes enough of a lip to catch a blade you can toss it because no armorer will pass it at a tournament. It is safer to use one of the hand washing methods.

[TheNakedSword]

Originally Posted by ashbash1990

I know that this very question has been probably posted a zillion times, and I'm sorry, but i need to know how to wash a regular (non lame) mask... thank you...

If you know your mask was made with stainless steel mesh (some cheaper masks are made without ss and will rust once the coating comes off the mask due to wear), the dishwasher will work fine if you can put the water temp setting on low. The only problem with the dishwasher method is that most dishwashers do not dry cloth very well, so if you try this plan on washing your mask a few days before you need to wear it...unless you dont mind having a cold, soggy mask on your face. Good luck.

[samster]

Leon Paul x-Change.

Everything that stinks comes off for washing (or replacement).

[Atreus]

how about a normal laundry washer will that work since i have no dishwasher? I was thinking to not tumble all over i can wrap it in my blanket and un it on cold water. anyone done aanything like that?

[jfarmer]

Originally Posted by Atreus

how about a normal laundry washer will that work since i have no dishwasher? I was thinking to not tumble all over i can wrap it in my blanket and un it on cold water. anyone done aanything like that?

I would not suggest this. Tumbling the mask (in a front load) or trying to get it in a top load agitator model are not good ideas.

Really, if you don't have a dishwasher, then use any one of the 4 or 5 different handwashing methods that have been described in this thread. For one or two masks, it will take just a few minutes to do the scrubbing on the bib and liner adn the mesh usually just needs soapy water dumped on it, followed by the rinse.

Squeeze out the excess water from the bib & liner, then hang the mask somewhere to dry. If you're in a hurry and can locate one, you can speed the drying by using one of the old style bonnet (hard or soft) hair dryers. Put mask under the bonnet, bib up, turn it on medium, come back in 20 or 30 minutes...

John Farmer
Coach, Oak Ridge Fencers Club

[jmos58]

I was about to ask the same question. Thanks for doing my dirty work for me. lol

[remistress]

*thread bump*

So, here is the deal. My coach, has hired me to come and request from the f.net forums ideas on how to clean twenty masks quickly. In other words he's not up to doing 20 loads of mask washing. What he's looking for is a non-toxic way of disinfecting/deorderizing masks. I was thinking something like the three second sanitizer we used in the restaurant industry. Any other ideas? Thanks for the help in advance!

[SJCFU#2]

Originally Posted by remistress

My coach, has hired me to come and request from the f.net forums ideas on how to clean twenty masks quickly. In other words he's not up to doing 20 loads of mask washing. What he's looking for is a non-toxic way of disinfecting/deorderizing masks. I was thinking something like the three second sanitizer we used in the restaurant industry. Any other ideas? Thanks for the help in advance!

Someone once suggested taking large numbers of masks to a self-service car wash - IIRC the biggest problem was simply holding the masks still when the water hit them. Possible solutions included hanging them all on a saw horse or putting them in the back of a pickup truck (preferably one with a plastic bed lining) and letting them bounce around inside.

[Gav]

Originally Posted by fencer92

If you have a dishwasher, put it in the top part if it will fit and run it through the cycle. It will clean it and if the bib is still wet as it will be. Hang it up on something like a broom stick or anything that it will hang on to finish drying. Really!

I hear this is the best way.

If not you can stick it in a washing machine with a little detergent.

Make sure you pad it down with lots of other clothes so that it remains in the centre of the drum.

I've done this a few times.

WARNING!

If you haven't packed enough in to keep it in the centre of the drum the cycle will be noisy and you run the risk of damaging your washing machine. I am not going to be held responsible if you are not careful.

[Gav]

Originally Posted by jfarmer

I would not suggest this. Tumbling the mask (in a front load) or trying to get it in a top load agitator model are not good ideas.

I've done this a few times with no problems at all.

The big risk is damaging your washing machine if you don't use some common sense.

[fencerbill]

Originally Posted by remistress

*thread bump*

So, here is the deal. My coach, has hired me to come and request from the f.net forums ideas on how to clean twenty masks quickly. In other words he's not up to doing 20 loads of mask washing. What he's looking for is a non-toxic way of disinfecting/deorderizing masks. I was thinking something like the three second sanitizer we used in the restaurant industry. Any other ideas? Thanks for the help in advance!

Washing doesn't necessarily deoderize. Baking soda does.

Borrow a relatively large and relatively clean trash can. Dump in the masks and some soap and a pound of baking soda for every two masks.

Do it in a driveway. Fill it up from a garden hose and maybe a bucket of hot water. Let each load soak for an hour if cold water, half an hour for warm. Dump the water out (that's why you do it in a driveway). Just let the cold water run until you have changed the water twice.

Probably the most difficult thing is to borrow enough old towels to squeeze the water out of all the masks. Put half the towel inside and half outside and squeeze the water out.

You should be able to do 20 masks in about 3 or 4 loads.