Cleaning hi-vis gear

be_beaney

Hi all,

I was just wondering if anyone had any advice for cleaning high visability clothing ?

So far I have tried c*f and st*rdrops (not sure if I am allowed to use brand names?) and scrubbed it with a non scratch scrubbing pad and neither of these has shifted the mucky looking stains on my husbands coat. I have searched the indexed collections but haven't been able to find anything?

thanks be x:)

Pink.

Hi be_beaney,

This thread may give you some ideas:

Cleaning florescent jacket?

I'll add your thread to it once you've had more replies to keep the suggestions together.

Pink

kezlou

My OH wears hi-vis too, its a nightmare to clean.

What i do is put in two scoops of oxy (its like vanish) along with two scoops of washing powder and put it on a 40 degree wash. Do this twice and normally the stains come out.

But if its really stuck on i place 2 scoops of oxy + 2 scoops of washing powder in luke warm water over night. Drain and then wash on 40 degree wash.

hth

p.s i also used stardrops and cif and none worked for me either so i tried the above.

Penelope_Penguin

I wear a hi-vis vest on my bike. I've never thought of washing it

If it's been washed, then it's clean. Why worry that it has some marks, as long as it does the job :T

Paulie'sGirl

Hi both,

If your hubbies Hi-vis is provided by his employer (i.e. he's not self-employed) and you can't get it clean, he can request a new coat (PPE Regs, Section 1, regulation 7). By its very nature, if its dirty itsn't hi-vis anymore, and he therefore actually has a legal duty under those same regulations to report the jacket as defective.:p They're not allowed to make a charge for this either (Health and Safety at Work Act Section 9)

That said, I tend to soak ours in the bath overnight in cheapest biological washing powder, and then sling it in a boil wash. They usually come up nice and bright again.

PGxx

be_beaney

Thanks to all for the replies. I will give some of the suggestions a go this weekend and report back with the results!

b x

QuantumCuty

I have just tackled a huge, black grease stain on a friend's long, padded high vis Security Guard jacket. Obviously, you have to be a bit gentle (not TOO much washing) with these fabrics or it will ruin the high vis coating. I found that straight washing up liquid (Fairy) worked fairly well but, then I got the idea of trying GLYCERIN. That worked really well!! Pour some on the grease spots, spread it in with your fingers, leave for 5 minutes or so, then lift the soiled fabric surface away from any lining or padding and scrub the soiled fabric against itself. Voila! I think glycerin is a dispersing agent. You can purchase glycerin in the baking department of most grocery stores, or at Boots the chemist. It costs around 89p per bottle.

gillian62

I used Lidl biological liquid on my husband's vis orange jacket and he said it came up the best it ever has.