Cleaning Tips?

[Stormy]

So what are your great clothes cleaning tips, especially for items that can't be tossed in a washing machine? Thanks.

[Alpha]

Air hose at about 35psi. blows all that dust right out!

[Stormy]

Hee, hee. Anyone else? How about a tribal belly dance costume? I'd be embarrassed to take it to the dry cleaners.

[Ivy]

Stormy--

Now you're talking my language.

If it's got playa dust, I don't really know what you can do, but I took a workshop with Gwen heckeroth (from Flying Skirts) and she says the two best way to clean tribal stuff (bras, belts and the like) are siring out/sunshine (but be careful of fading) and smoking ( put the stuff in a small room, like a bathroom, close all the windows/doors/vents, and burn about 7 sticks of incense for 12-24 hours.) Helps take out sweat, dirt, odors, prolly some germs.

Dunno about the dust, though. I'd say spot clean for bra/belts depending on how bad it is. Most skirts and pants can either be dry cleaned or washed in the gentle cycle (did my skirt from Domba this way--it's a black skirt with red trim that was almost white when I came home this year and it's perfectly black again now).

Hope that helps.

[tzimisce1313]

what about leather?

i know, how un p.c. but how would one clean the playa dust off of leather?

[DE FACTO]

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hey. there's no reading material here!

DE FACTO YOUR AN ASSHOLE.

[Kinetic II]

Air hose at about 35psi. blows all that dust right out!

I crank my pressure up to 90 psi and let it loose. I also do this to test for moop-ability before leaving for the playa...if it can survive that blast it can handle the playa dust storms. I know the Sunday storm was horrible and when I got home the air compressor was put to use again. If I could wash anything at all for some of the stuff I used Woolite hand washing soap and cleaned it that way. Others were spot cleaned like Ivy suggested.

My leather stuff I tried to spray down or have protectants on before I left for the playa. And here it is 8 weeks later and I still have a sheepskin "leather" jacket that has playa dust on it. I need help on the leather question too.

[Ivy]

Hm. Leather. I only bought my first pair of leather pants right before BM this year and never even had a chance to wear them, so cleaning them hasn't become an issue (yet).
Like K said, I would probably treat it w/ a protectant beforehand, but if you haven't done that, I might try a lugagge and/or leather shop if youv'e got one near you--I know they sometimes sell stuff to clean leather.
It'll make a difference depedning on the type of the leather, too. Sometimes you can just wipe it down with a damp cloth. My suede pants, though, have playa dust on them and I think it's just gonna have o be there forever.

I sure hope someone else has better tips.

[antron]

leather? saddle soap usually does the trick...unless it's suede, then i have no other recourse than the drycleaner

[Cheesus]

I found a great (and seriously inexpensive) way of cleaning playa dust off of leather... UNSCENTED BABY WIPES! Seriously! I wore my leather pants EVERY night I was on the playa (13 nights total), and they were seriously caked with dust. When I got home, I unpacked my baby wipes just after the pants, and thought, "Hmmm, wonder if these'd do the trick?" Lo and behold, with just 6 baby wipes, my pants looked almost as good as new!

[Raheer]

I've discovered the best solution to dealing with playa-coated clothing is:
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Forget it! They're beyond repair! Goodwill!

Raheer

[unjonharley]

Goodwill is where I got it. Gooodwill is where it's going.

[PetsUntilEaten]

leather: wipe down with a damp cloth,
then uncolored shoe oil if its looking dry.
boots get heavy oil coating & sit.

suede: professional cleaner that specializes in leather & suede

fake fur: industrial washer - hang dry (do not ever try to use a dryer)

[Astronatrix]

THe best thing to use to clean leather would be saddle soap! I am not sure where you can find it but I was given a 30 year old piece of purple leather from a friend but had to clean dust, mold and other surface anamolies. My friend (who rides and own horses) recommended it. It seemed to clean my bit of cow. You should try it!! Look for items that won't dryout the leather and will keep it shiny and well hydrated..remember leather is skin too!

[robotland]

...unless you live somewhere where the buildings are taller than ten stories, the hardware store should have saddlesoap. Otherwise, check TSC or your closest Tack'n'Saddle supplier. Lots of worthy cobblers stock it, too.

[Martiansky]

Murphy's Oil Soap will clean leather and many other household things including wood cabinets! Probably be able to find it at your local grocery or retail store in with the cleaning supplies.
Saddle Soap can usually be found in the shoe department in a tan colored shoe polish looking can (albeit a little bit bigger diameter can then regular).

[Martiansky]

OH! I forgot to add SMOOTH leather! I don't think Murphy's or Saddle Soap works on suede.
I've used the spray type Murphy's Oil on softball gloves to condition them, works great!

[Ranger Genius]

If you've got a fair amount of leather goods to clean, you can save money by buying Glycerin and diluting yourself. "Saddle Soap" is just glycerin diluted with about equal parts water, but is approximately three times the price of glycerin per oz. Not sure where you would buy glycerin anywhere other than my home town, try the pharmacist or a chemical supply store.

[kstlfido]

Wow, this is a pretty old thread, but the only one that came up in my search for cleaning playa clothes.

I wear what I call my "Playa Whites" during the day. I find them comfortable and easier slopping up my body head to toe in sunblock.

These whites understandably become all shades of tan, depending on what I'm doing that day. Some become pretty dark, encrusted with a mix of body oil and alkalai dust. I've had marginal success with adding ~2 quarts of vinegar to the washing machine, along with detergent and some oxy-clean.

But some staining still persists, similar to the waxy substance that builds up in the underarms of shirts.

The only way I've been able to break this down is a mix of TSP (!!) and vinegar, added to a large pot of hot water and then immerse my whites. I then leave it for a few days, occasionally bringing it up to a slow simmer on the stove. It seems to work pretty well, if a bit toxic. Some remain a tan/pink color, but I've been bringing the 'Whites" for 6 years now and some are still very white.

Just my 2c.... Kent

[essjay]

Wow, this is a pretty old thread, but the only one that came up in my search for cleaning playa clothes.

The eplaya search function is worthless. Use google and start your search with "eplaya" (Ex: eplaya clean clothes). You will find more recent threads this way.

[trilobyte]

Clothes (including whites) have been pretty easy to wash/clean (for me), post playa. If it's machine washable, just add in some white vinegar with the load, off you go. The hard part (for me) is to avoid doing the typical 'jam as much as you can fit into the machine' thing, if anything under-load the machine (so the clothes get a better soak and interact with the machine a bit more). If it's not machine wash, then hand wash. I fill the tub in the bathroom about halfway with room temperature water (I know, cold would probably be better), adding in a fair amount (half a bottle) of white vinegar as I go. Insert clothing, hand-wash carefully, then wring out the excess water and hang (or lay flat, depending on the garment) to dry.

For leather, I soak a washcloth in a water/vinegar mix and wipe it down. Follow that up with appropriate leather-care (saddlesoap, wonder balsam, armor-all, etc).

The white vinegar is just acidic enough to neutralize the alkali in the playa dust, and from there normal care does the trick. The key is not to let things sit in dusty bins, boxes, or bags... get to it as soon as you can.

[theCryptofishist]

Okay, so the playa stains on my Jiffy Lube shirt from some years ago are beyond reclaiming?

[unjonharley]

Okay, so the playa stains on my Jiffy Lube shirt from some years ago are beyond reclaiming?

Try that Oxyclean.. I have removed some very old water rings from old dolls cloths.

Go at the spots slow for a test.. Reminds me.. My Soylent Green T shirt is stained..

[BBadger]

I gave up on my boots last year. They had the life sucked out of their leather by the playa dust. The solution this year? Wear the same boots!

[theCryptofishist]

My Soylent Green T shirt is stained..

Good one!

[Mojojita]

Murphy's Oil Soap will clean leather and many other household things including wood cabinets! Probably be able to find it at your local grocery or retail store in with the cleaning supplies.
Saddle Soap can usually be found in the shoe department in a tan colored shoe polish looking can (albeit a little bit bigger diameter can then regular).

Murphys has been used in the horse industry for decades for fine leather - is WAY better than saddle soap. Is also used for leather on classic cars. The difference between it and saddle soap is simple - oil vs. soap on leather. Soap of any kind will dry and crack, Murphy's keeps leather supple. Never use either on suede or "rough" leather.

[trilobyte]

In saddle soap's defense, it's mostly oil and wax. And according to those damned wikipedians, despite the name Murphy's Oil Soap doesn't actually contain any oil. It's got a potassium soap that's manufactured with vegetable oil. Both, though, are much better than any kind of normal soap or detergent, and designed specifically for leather care.

[dragonpilot]

I clean EVERYTHING with a 1:10 white vinegar to water solution...tent, boots, bike, clothes...and leather. No need to overdo it...just a light spritzing. Sometimes things need a bit of light scrubbing...

[weirdscience]

ive heard a detergent capful of vinegar helps alot cancels out the alkali in the dust

[gypsy68]

With my Playa clothes I will soak in with the vinegar, then toss it in the washing machine with regular laundry soap. For set in stains, I will use Dawn dish soap. I usually will put a little on the stain, and rub it a bit before I toss it in the washer. I have used the Dawn on tops that I thought were ruined, and have been able to get the stains out.