Because of the dangers involved, few people know that you can actually wash an oilskin coat!
You will see on our care instructions that we clearly state that to clean your oilskin coat you just hang it up on the clothes line and hose it down.
Actually it is possible to wash your oilskin coat, the method of doing it is as follows;
Wait till the lady of the house is out for the day, left you or gone shopping.
Go to the settings on your washing machine, set the water temperature to warm, 40degree C or around 100degree F, gentle cycle, add a mild detergent, or, we recommend a soap used for washing woolens, then throw in your coat, be sure that you don't add anything else, just the coat. then hit the START button.
So far so good.
Now when the washing cycle is finished take the coat out. You may notice that the coat feels a little gooey, this is normal as what you have done is to solidify the wax to release the dirt particles and as it cools this will dissipate. You will also notice that same gooey substance in a thick ring around the inside of your washing machine.
OK, since it is too later to turn back now, here is how you dry your coat, just hang it up in a well ventilated space and if you are smart it won't be inside the house.When it has dried you may notice that there are patches on the coat where there is almost no wax left. Again this is not a problem and often you don't need to use reproofing waxes. What you do is to throw the coat into your clothes dryer on full heat for about 15 minutes, when the waxes pass their melting point which is about 70 degree C they will automatically start to migrate to those areas with little to no wax on them.
If you find that after you remove the coat from the dryer that it is still patchy then you will need to apply the reproofing wax to those areas, then throw the coat back into the dryer and repeat the process.
At this point you may be feeling the blood drain from your body for fear of what is coming when the little woman finds out what you have done to her washing machine. Fear not, help is here, next week I will be writing about your new favorite subject!
"How to clean your washing machine after you have used it to wash your oilskin coat" This will be in my next blog post so i hope you are around to read it.
We have added this picture as a reminder to those of you that don't take using the wife's washing machine seriously.
The guy is smiling because he made it out of the house in one piece.
He is holding the dog for his own protection.
And that is not really an old coat. It's what is left of the one he washed after she got through with it.
Also, this is not my real name so I can deny telling you about how to wash your coat.
Can you leave my oil skin in the rain to get rid of the musty smell
Don’t leave us hanging!
The woman is out of the house for good, BUT now it’s my washer, and I do need to do other clothes …
== John ==
On a serious note my wife actually did throw my oilskin in a hot washer to try to clean it. I was devastated. What do I do now? Does this actually work and if so how much wax should I buy?
I enjoyed the story, it’s hilarious!
But not as funny as what happened to me many years ago at our cattle ranch, while attempting to wash some badly oiled gloves and work gear -
After having soaked them in gasoline and allowed them to dry outside.
I removed the clothes I had in the dryer and put them to dry in the dryer next to the washer.
I set the water on hot and used double soap, put the clothes on the washer, turned it on, and proceeded to go inside to cook brunch. All of this on the back enclosed porch….
as the wash cycle started; we heard an explosion that knocked my kids off their stools!!
We ran to the porch to find all the windows and screens and the top of the washer on the patio below!
I learned a big lesson that day…..
I didn’t know the dryer was a gas dryer! And the residue of the gasoline in the hot water formed a vapor that ignited with the flame of the dryer…..
We were lucky that washer was in the porch- We laughted and thanked the lord no one got hurt.
Scary Business!
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On average, women should order one size smaller for unisex sized garments (if you size to a 3XL in women's, order a XXL for unisex).
For women's clothing, order as sized below.
Kakadu hats - or Mates as we often call them - come in all shapes and sizes so you're sure to find a Mate that suits you.
But first things first, lets determine your correct size. Remember you want comfortably firm
Elsa Lynch
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