Possible to clean mesh HI VIS jackets ?

[williamemack]

I am seriously considering a Olympia Bushwacker hi-vis mesh jacket in lime yellow, but am a little concerned that it could be difficult to clean the bugs and grime out of the mesh. Anybody got experience with this? I certainly am not the spotless type, but then again being decorated with imbedded bugs isn't my style either.

[Bob_Roller]

I have a Joe Rocket mesh type jacket, so I don't know if yours is similar or not.

I fill the bathtub with about 6 inches of cold water, let the jacket sit for about 10-15 minutes, then genlty  hand wash it, until the water turns dark from the dirt.

Drain and refill the tub again, this time I put about half a cup or so of cold water detergent, I've used regular clothes washing detergent on occasion, doesn't seem to harm it, but the instructions on the jacket reccomend a cold water detergent (Woolite).

Drain the water again, and then hold the jacket under the stream of watr to get the large portion of soap out of it, then refill the tub and hand agitate the jacket, changing the water again and repeat if necessary.

Then place it on a sturdy hanger and let it dry.

After this procedure , it should be 'meadowy fresh' !!!

[Justin B.]

I have washed my First Gear Mesh-Tex once.  Removed padding/armor, machine washed on gentle cycle, drip-dry...

[MrRiden]

Wash & wear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx71n1Cy0vo

[Melena]

Sue and I have the Power Trip mesh jacket (in white, too   ).  I  haven't had the bugs stick too bad.  Maybe I don't go through that many bugs on my rides.   :-?

Not too hard to wash.  I do it once a year!    In fact, it's sitting now with the armour out of it waiting for me to get to it.   I just put it in the kitchen sink with cool water and Woolite or similar mild cold water soap.  Then swish it around and add a little more soap to the worst spots and rub well.  Then rinse well and hang to drip dry on a heavy hanger in the shower or in a shady spot outside.  

Okay.  I'll do it this weekend.    Although MrRiden's idea of wash and wear has a certain appeal.  

[montmil]

Maybe, Bob, you could simply wear the jacket while you shower?

Kind of a "two-fer"... both you and the jacket pop out meadowy fresh.

Monte

[suecanada]

Melena is right...the worst part to clean on the white mesh jacket was NOT the bugs caught in the mesh but the inside cuffs and collar as Powertrip made them white too!! Yikes! Inside cuffs and collars need to be black as they are going to be soon anyway upon wearing one hot day.
I found that the white mesh scrubbed up white and "all the way to bright!" Very satisfying. My Hi-Viz Olympia AST cleans up pretty well too but dirt can get ground in at the "high traffic" areas and just adds to the character.

For the sleeves on my last trip I pinned on microfibre strips to the inside collar and cuffs to avoid ground in dirt.

EMT guys cutoff my jacket so it's toast Melena! They only nicked the R65 crest so I have it for my new Tourmaster Flex 2 jacket Yeah!
They also cut up my Powerlet heated liner, Oxford products chillout shirt and one sleeve of base layer. It was cold that day!

[Ed Miller]

That does it.  Kevlar for my next riding suit!  (Knife proof)

[suecanada]

Right on Ed. I wonder what the EMT people thought as their scissors went through the wire on the liner??!

The jacket told a lot about my fall. No road dirt at all on the left side; not even one scruff mark. I must have scruffled along only on my right side and, at that, not very much or far. So how did I end up only 15 feet from the burning bike which was bent and had a broken fork and rims from seemingly falling hard, from on high, and with much force? Sorta buffaloes me. It almost makes me think I stopped abruptly; not just fell off and the bike proceeded along on its own weaving away till it fell over.