06-26-2008, 10:09 AM
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#1 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Gulf Coast Division
Posts: 2,414
| Washing your mask
I Febreezed my mask last night, as is my practice, when I suddenly asked myself if maybe using something like that on a peice of upholstry that I wear might not be a good idea healthwise.
Any expert opinions on this? This may just push me in the direction of a Comfort Plus mask down the road.
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... without remorse for the past, confident in the present, and full of hope for the future, [d'artagnan] went to bed and slept the sleep of the brave.
- The Three Musketeers
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06-26-2008, 03:34 PM
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#2 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007 Location: Eugene, OR
Posts: 1,050
| I'm not honestly sure about what kind of effect febreeze has on that kind of stuff... Ive actually considered febreezing my jacket collar, except for I don't have any, so I haven't.
This is what a quick googling finds.
"Skin Contact: Prolonged skin contact may result in transient, superficial effects similar to those produced by mild
toilet soap"
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"When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in the flag and bearing a cross."
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06-26-2008, 04:43 PM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Galveston, TX
Posts: 110
| I've thought about washing my mask lately, but I'm really hesitant to do so, because I haven't been able to find what the manufacturers have to say about it (I don't want my mask/bib to be any less puncture-resistant just because it looks and smells bad).
Has anyone heard from the manufacturers about this?
(If one of the Leon Paul people would respond to this post, that'd be awesome) | |
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06-26-2008, 04:56 PM
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#4 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 192
| I spray my mask with Febreeze after each use. I have had it just over a year and have washed it once.
When Febreeze first hit the shelves there was an issue with it not being safe for pets. I think it it has since be reformulated to be safe for not only pets, but I would assume toddlers and children who sleep on couches, cuddle in chairs, and hide in curtains. I think a safe assumption could be drawn that it is safe for an adult in a fencing mask.
I always have been of the theory that what doesn't kill me makes me stronger, but if you really have concerns, why don't you pop an email to the powers that be at Febreeze and see what they say? Report back if you find out anything we should know.
L | |
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06-26-2008, 05:08 PM
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#5 | | The Judge
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,308
| put mask in an empty dishwasher and run it. | |
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06-26-2008, 05:47 PM
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#6 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Chevy Chase, Maryland
Posts: 392
| I've been fencing almost eleven years and have washed my masks by hand in the bathtub with Woolite. I have had no problems with rust or loss of bib integrity. I have heard some sabereurs rinse off their sweat in the shower, preventing the salts from further attacking the metal.
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I know my share of history
How hard it is to be free
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Hiding what you could have been
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06-26-2008, 07:03 PM
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#7 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: SF bay wine country
Posts: 319
| I don't wash my mask too often, but when I do, I wash it in the sink with a scrub brush and a very mild soap like baby shampoo or woolite - whatever is in the laudry room.
I haven't had any issues from either rust or skin irritation.
Sam | 
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06-27-2008, 12:29 PM
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#8 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: TX
Posts: 480
| Noodle:
This is 100% correct.
One item to add,,,,,take it out before the drying cycle: those rubber peices on your mask melt in the dishwasher. Gets a little funky trying to remove that black stuff off your heating element in the dishwasher. Don't ask how I know this,,,OK?
Gary Spruill Quote:
Originally Posted by noodle  put mask in an empty dishwasher and run it. |
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Ancora Imparo | |
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06-27-2008, 12:39 PM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 634
| Does all this go for sabre masks too? I've had mine for three years or so, and Febreze only goes so far to get rid of the stink I put in that thing.
The dishwasher thing seems like it might work. Do you put soap in, or just let it run?
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Out Of The Ashes | |
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06-27-2008, 01:21 PM
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#10 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 1,285
| I am uncertain for a saber mask, but others can be soaked in a five gallon bucket with baking soda - this helps removed the stink as baking soda is a deodorizer. After a soak wash with a brush and mild soap. If you wish then run it through the dishwasher to really kill anything - wring out as much water as possible, dry the metal and hang off the back of chair (towel under it) to dry.
Depending on how disgusting your mask is you can skip some of these steps. I wash my mask regularly so I don't always soak it and sometimes I just toss it in the dishwasher. If it has been awhile since your mask's last bath, I recommend all three steps.
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I think that the film Clueless was very deep. I think it was deep in the way that it was very light. I think lightness has to come from a very deep place if it's true lightness. - Alicia Silverstone
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06-27-2008, 03:23 PM
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#11 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: TX
Posts: 480
| If its a mask (sabre or other) you can stick it in the dishwasher. Soap is optional (just a little if used and liquid stuff, not powder).
Your mask is safe cleaning it that way. REMEMBER: TAKE IT OUT BEFORE THE DRY CYCLE. Let it air dry and your done.
Gary Spruill
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Ancora Imparo | |
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06-29-2008, 01:01 PM
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#12 | | the dark one
Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: MA/NH line
Posts: 3,822
| Quote:
Originally Posted by twisterfencing If its a mask (sabre or other) you can stick it in the dishwasher. Soap is optional (just a little if used and liquid stuff, not powder).
Your mask is safe cleaning it that way. REMEMBER: TAKE IT OUT BEFORE THE DRY CYCLE. Let it air dry and your done. | I'd add one thing: press on and towel-dry the padded parts as much as you can before setting it out to dry. It cuts the drying time down a LOT, particularly in humid weather.
Setting it in the sun, or near the heat baseboards in cooler weather, has worked well for me.
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