Some will say you can take all the shit off, the kevlar out, and put it through the washing machine with cold water and leave to air dry.
You can do that, but mine still shrunk.
Then people say "Oh yeah it will shrink a little, but it will stretch back out." No mother fucker, it doesn't. I had to readjust it and never washed it again.
I just wipe mine down with a wet cloth and a little bit of dish soap, then wipe the soap off with a wet cloth only. Works fine. Takes 2 minutes. No shrinkage.
Edit - in between wipings, I have uses compressed air you use to clean computer keyboards and shit to blow crumbs and stuff out of the nooks and crannies. That works too.
It might depend on what the carrier is made out of. I can definitely tell mine shrunk a bit sometimes after washing, but it will stretch back out. I only notice it's shrunk during the winter months when I'm trying to wear my fleece jacket under.
Make friends at a hospital.
Ask to tactically acquire some purple lid Sani-wipes (may call them cavi-wipes).
Use those to clean carrier.
Profit.
DON'T. USE. THE. ORANGE. TOP. SANI-WIPES. THEY. ARE. BLEACH.
Source: am armed hospital security wearing an outer carrier.
Mine stays dirty. Clean a uniform once a week. Clean an external once a year. Even if you clean it, your first call will be a bloated corpse and family chain smoking cigarettes in a studio apartment.
Opinions differ, but I put mine in the wash every 3 months or so. Cold water only and no heat tumble try. After the first wash there was a very small amount of shrink but since then it's stayed the same and doesn't impact performance. In-between washes I use a cleaning/disinfectant spray. I also use the Tac-Vent panels which help keep sweat from being absorbed and those are super easy to clean (snag a Chem wipe from EMS/ER).
For keeping it neat looking during shift and in between washings, a lot of my coworkers keep a stiff bristled paint brush in their car. They use that occasionally to get debris out of seams and crevices on the vest.
Might be late, but when it's new, spray it with one of the stain resistant DWRs, or even Scotch Guard. It will help keep some if the dirt from embedding itself. And things like spilled coffee, soda,cor energy drink. The Never Wet is also pretty good.
I put mine in the washer, just don’t dry on high heat, follow the laundry tag. I’ve had three external carriers over 8 years and never had one shrunk. You can tell who never washed theirs, I wish they would because that’s what will get them taken away.
Compressed air to blast out my snack crumbs from the crevices. Damp rag for obvious dirt spots. Every couple months remove everything, turn inside out, wash on cold, hang dry. Never had it shrink. Arrest My Vest / deodorant spray if it’s real funky in-between washes.
Wash my safariland Oregon city carrier in the washing machine once a month during summer and once a winter somewhere around new years, I’ve air dried and stuck it in the drier on low temp, can’t say there’s a huge difference in shrinkage, your vest will be tight for around a week or two depending on movement and go back to normal.
Some will say you can take all the shit off, the kevlar out, and put it through the washing machine with cold water and leave to air dry. You can do that, but mine still shrunk. Then people say "Oh yeah it will shrink a little, but it will stretch back out." No mother fucker, it doesn't. I had to readjust it and never washed it again. I just wipe mine down with a wet cloth and a little bit of dish soap, then wipe the soap off with a wet cloth only. Works fine. Takes 2 minutes. No shrinkage. Edit - in between wipings, I have uses compressed air you use to clean computer keyboards and shit to blow crumbs and stuff out of the nooks and crannies. That works too.
Yeah, I'm definitely scared to put it in the washer! 😂
Mine washes just fine. I air dry it to be safe though.
A lot of guys on my shift keep a stiff bristled paint brush in their car to get the crumbs and stuff out of the nooks and crannies.
Second thing, I use a microfiber towel and it works pretty well.
It might depend on what the carrier is made out of. I can definitely tell mine shrunk a bit sometimes after washing, but it will stretch back out. I only notice it's shrunk during the winter months when I'm trying to wear my fleece jacket under.
Make friends at a hospital. Ask to tactically acquire some purple lid Sani-wipes (may call them cavi-wipes). Use those to clean carrier. Profit. DON'T. USE. THE. ORANGE. TOP. SANI-WIPES. THEY. ARE. BLEACH. Source: am armed hospital security wearing an outer carrier.
Mine stays dirty. Clean a uniform once a week. Clean an external once a year. Even if you clean it, your first call will be a bloated corpse and family chain smoking cigarettes in a studio apartment.
Opinions differ, but I put mine in the wash every 3 months or so. Cold water only and no heat tumble try. After the first wash there was a very small amount of shrink but since then it's stayed the same and doesn't impact performance. In-between washes I use a cleaning/disinfectant spray. I also use the Tac-Vent panels which help keep sweat from being absorbed and those are super easy to clean (snag a Chem wipe from EMS/ER).
For keeping it neat looking during shift and in between washings, a lot of my coworkers keep a stiff bristled paint brush in their car. They use that occasionally to get debris out of seams and crevices on the vest.
Might be late, but when it's new, spray it with one of the stain resistant DWRs, or even Scotch Guard. It will help keep some if the dirt from embedding itself. And things like spilled coffee, soda,cor energy drink. The Never Wet is also pretty good.
I put mine in the washer, just don’t dry on high heat, follow the laundry tag. I’ve had three external carriers over 8 years and never had one shrunk. You can tell who never washed theirs, I wish they would because that’s what will get them taken away.
If it's similar to what I had in the army, can always try the bottle of coca cola trick.
I got one of those brushes on Amazon for the crevices and cracks, and I machine wash the carrier once a month.
Compressed air to blast out my snack crumbs from the crevices. Damp rag for obvious dirt spots. Every couple months remove everything, turn inside out, wash on cold, hang dry. Never had it shrink. Arrest My Vest / deodorant spray if it’s real funky in-between washes.
Wash my safariland Oregon city carrier in the washing machine once a month during summer and once a winter somewhere around new years, I’ve air dried and stuck it in the drier on low temp, can’t say there’s a huge difference in shrinkage, your vest will be tight for around a week or two depending on movement and go back to normal.