How to Keep Your Uniform Shipshape

You have a good beginning in your uniform. The clothing and equipment you receive as Navy issue is made of high quality material and is the result of an exceptionally high standard of workmanship. With a minimum of trouble on your part, you can keep it shipshape.

No doubt you received a briefing concerning the care of your uniform while you were at boot camp, but just in case that period is some time behind you, you'll find in these pages a few tips you may have forgotten.

The best uniform in the world will give good service only if you give it proper care and maintenance. No matter how well fitting a uniform is when new, especially the coat, it will not continue to look its best or keep its shape unless it is carefully put on and kept buttoned. If you carry large or heavy objects in the pockets, you will soon destroy their shape. If space is available, uniforms should be kept on hangers; or otherwise kept neatly folded and carefully stowed.

Here are a few miscellaneous hints that will keep your uniform looking trim and smart:

Only a neutral soap should be used with fresh lukewarm water when washing woolens. If hard water is used, a little borax may be added to the water in order to soften it. When washing your blues, work up thick suds. The soap should be thoroughly dissolved in hot water, then added to cool water. You'll be happy to know that you shouldn't rub any more than necessary. Too much, and you'll spoil the finish. Rinse thoroughly until all traces of the soap are gone. Use plenty of soap and water when washing, and plenty of water when rinsing. Don't use a washing machine for woolens if you can help it; if one is used, avoid low water levels that produce a pounding action, and wash with a minimum of rubbing or agitator action.

After washing, woolens should be centrifugally dried or squeezed gently to remove the surplus water (don't wring them out!) and then dried in the open air, weather permitting. If not, they may be dried below decks. After washing, colored garments should not be hung in the sun to dry. When this cannot be avoided, turn the garments inside out.

Pressing after laundering will greatly improve the appearance of your blues or, for that matter, any garment. However, heat, friction, pressure, and soap produce felting. Felting, weave take-up, and elongation in the finishing process are the chief reasons for shrinkage. When laundering woolens avoid high temperature, friction, and pressure as much as possible. Never run woolen goods through a wringer or twist them to remove the excess rinsing water before drying. When an extractors is not available, hang - or better, lay out - the wet garments to dry without wringing. After washing, napped goods can be rubbed with flannel to soften the surface.

The tape on collars and cuffs of the jumpers can be cleaned (without washing the entire jumper) by scrubbing lightly with a toothbrush, using a neutral soap sparingly with slightly warm water.

Blue cloth trousers and jumpers should not be washed more frequently than necessary. Dry cleaning preserves the original finish and appearance of the garments. Particularly in case of dress blue jumpers and trousers, it is recommended that, if possible, the garments be dry cleaned rather than washed in a laundering machine.

Never use chlorine bleaches on woolen garments or blankets. Even in diluted solutions it yellows and weakens the wool fibers and in stronger solutions dissolves them completely.

A light singe mark should be rubbed vigorously with the flat side of a silver coin. It won't work, however, in the case of bad singes or scorches. Many singe marks can be removed by sponging with 3 percent solution of hydrogen peroxide and allowing to dry in direct sunlight. Don't use the hydrogen peroxide method on woolen or dyed fabrics.

To remove the shine from blue uniforms, steam the spot by laying a wet cloth over it and pressing with a hot iron and then rubbing it very gently with a piece of "00" sandpaper or emery cloth. If possible, this should be done by a regular tailor. Sponging with a dilute (1:20) solution of ammonia before steaming is also recommended.



Here's a rundown on how to remove a wide variety of stains:

Rust, ink and fruit: Soak the stained part in a solution of oxalic acid or put some powdered oxalic acid or sodium or potassium acid oxalate on the stain previously moistened with water and rub with a piece of white cotton or linen. The stain will dissolve and can be washed out with water.

Do not allow the oxalic acid solution to dry in the fabric as it will damage the material. Thoroughly rinse it immediately, preferably with warm water. Oxalic acid and its soluble salts are very poisonous and care should be taken in handling them.

Oil or grease: Place garment on table and put clean cloth, or other absorbent material, under stain and apply carbon tetrachloride, petroleum benzine, benzol, or lighter fluid on stain and tamp it, driving oil and grease into the absorbent material. If stain is heavy, shift cloth to a clean place and flush with cleaning solvent.

To eliminate ring, saturate clean cloth with cleaning solvent and sponge lightly working from the center of stained area outward. NOTE: Carbon tetrachloride and many other solvents are highly poisonous. If they are used, instructions on the container should be carefully followed.

Paint: Paint stains, while still fresh, can be removed with turpentine. Old and hard paint stains are difficult to remove and in such cases uniforms, if possible, should be sent to a reliable dry cleaner. A treatment for old paint stains is to apply turpentine and allow to stand for an hour. Then with teaspoon, or other blunt instrument, break up the stain and flush out as outlined in procedure for oil and grease. But it is much better to remove paint immediately while it is still fresh and will come out easily.

NOTE: Always use a tamping action when spotting fabrics. Even the most delicate weaves may be struck vigorously with a brush using a perpendicular action. Rubbing is likely to leave a chafed area with later damage to color and weave.

Paraffin and wax: Place blotting paper over the spot and apply hot iron to the blotting paper. Continue this, using clean blotting paper, until the spot is removed.

Iodine: Iodine stains can be readily removed from white uniforms by applying a solution of "hypo" or sodium hyposulphite, used in photography, and then rinsing throroughly with water.

Use "hypo" for white cotton only. Iodine may also be removed by using starch as prepared for laundry purposes. A solution of ammonia may also be used.

Kerosene: Wash in a solution of warm, soapy water.

Mildew: If stain is recent, simply use cold water. Old mildew stains may be bleached provided the material is white cotton.

Food: Sponge the stain thoroughly with cold water. If a grease stain persists, dry thoroughly and then sponge with a little naphtha, carbon tetrachloride, benzene, or lighter fluid.

Blood: To remove dried blood, stains should first be brushed with dry brush to break up and remove as much as possible and then soaked in cold water for about an hour followed by regular washing. If a slight trace of the stain remains, apply solution of ammonia. It's best to remove blood immediately with cold fresh water, before it dries.

To prevent moths, brush your clothes frequently, and then hang them outside in the sun. If your uniforms are to be put away for a long time and left undisturbed, thoroughly clean, then pack away in an airtight plastic bag, or with camphor balls, naphthalene, cedar wood, paradichlorobenzine, or sprayed with a solution containing DDT.

A clean cut in a serge or cloth uniform can be repaired by being rewoven with threads drawn from the material in another part of the garment. This process is rather expensive, but a cut so repaired cannot be detected.

Cap devices and other embroidered metal insignia may be kept new and bright by scrubbing them occasionally with a toothbrush and am-water.

This should be done as soon as there are any signs of tarnishing or corrosion. If corrosion has been allowed to continue too long, the device cannot be restored to its original condition.

The gold part of officer and CPO metal cap devices may be cleaned by washing with soap and water or by rubbing with any kind of polishing cloth. The sterling silver part can be cleaned with any silver polish.

Gold lace will rapidly tarnish and deteriorate if in contact with or hung near any substance containing sulphur, such as rubber or ordinary manila and kraft wrapping paper.

If you follow the above pointers you'll get plenty of return in the way of appearance and long life from your uniform - the best known outfit throughout the world today.


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Source: "How to Keep Your Uniform Shipshape." All Hands. 462 (August 1955): 29-31.