Bib-cleaning question

[Bugaboo]

I'm trying to rehabilitate my mask before I buy a second one, but I run into a problem. Need your help:

Can you suggest a good cleaning detergent that would get the grime out of the front of the bib and still retard mold growth while it dries? The bib has a canvass-like cloth front, a smooth rubbery composite backing, and some sort of foam rubber layer inbetween, so when it's soaked it holds moisture pretty well. (You can't exactly put it in the clothes dryer to speed up the process.)

Am I missing something, or is it fated that all bibs end up looking grungy?

[HilandDoug]

Bug, there was another post on this topic earlier. It had some great advice on mask cleaning. Check thru the old posts and you'll find it. Great ideas there.

[Bugaboo]

Thanks. I had to use the "search" directory option to find it, but there are a few good ideas there.

[Dragoneye]

Hey Bugaboo...

Some advice for specifically the bib... I recently tried using some Wisk detergent right on the bib and let it soak overnight - worked brilliantly. I couldn't believe how white it came out!

Do you guys have Wisk in the states? Good stuff... bleach alternative no less.


Cheers,

Dragoneye.

[rusty epee]

Oh yeah -- Wisk is great stuff for anything white, but for my regular clothes I find it has a tendency to wreck the fiber pretty quickly.

Just a note: if you decide to soak your bib overnight in laundry detergent, do not, under any circumstances, use Gain. The stench of the perfume once you start sweating in it again will make you barf -- promise!

The only thing about soaking a rubber-backed bib in detergent of any kind is that it has a tendency to make the plastic brittle after a while. To a certain extent, that's to be expected; thay all get bogue and have to be replaced eventually. However, I've found a potential solution.

I'm also a handspinner, and that means that by default sooner or later you're going to have to clean a dirty sheepskin if you're planning to spin it up into anything usable. Part of the problem with cleaning this stuff is that it's got to soak -- you can't agitate any of it for fear of felting the fibers -- and it's usually full of nasty, dirty sheep stuff. (Eww, yeah, I know.) Aside from that, if you use a detergent that's too harsh, you stand the chance of drying the fibers out too much, which means they'll break when you're trying to spin and the end result is a weak yarn. What we use is either Dawn dishwashing detergent or a product called "Orvus," which is designed for washing livestock (particularly sheep). You can get Orvus at any feed store or farm supply. I haven't tried this stuff on my bib (mine doesn't detach), but if anyone would like to give it a try, let me know how it comes out!

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Youth and enthusiam are no match for age and treachery....

[Zelda]

Amway's Liquid Organic Cleaner (otherwise known as LOC....) It cleans anything, but is gentle and washes out easily. Its what I use on my bib.