Cleaning waxed cotton

[Greg]

I think I asked this on the old site, but never got round to it.

I have a light coloured International that it looking pretty dirty on the insides of the arms and the front panels.

Is there anything to speed it up beyond water and scrubbing?

The colours aren't close to accurate on this after putting it into Flickr but you can see what I am dealing with

 

[Saint-Just]

It's a real catch 22. Cold water and mild soap will not damage the wax but will not give you a satisfying result either.

I have heard on the grapevine that you should put it in the washing machine until happy with the result just before you come back to Blighty and then send it to Barbour for a re-wax.

 

[Quarterstaff]

I’ve done a couple of dark green ones in the washing machine and then re-waxed, turned out ok.
Make sure it’s well rinsed before drying and trying to apply wax!

 

[Greg]

It needs rewaxing anyway so not bothered about having to do that, I just want it clean before I go to all the trouble.

I've ordered some tech wash, will wash it tomorrow and see what happens. Will put it in a garment bag and remove the belt.

 

[Jaggededge]

Just leave it. Character and patina. That's what barbours are all about. You'll ruin it in the washer despite what others say.

 

[MaC]

If you take a clean washing up sponge, the kind with the green scotch stuff on one side, and mix up some biological washing liquid in some warm water in the sink. Use the wrung out not quite dry sponge to scrub the grubby bits.
It can be very effective. We used to use meths, but on that light coloured cotton, I'd try the biological washing liquid.

Often that kind of grubbiness is on the surface rather than deep into the fibres, and washing/scrubbing it can lift it.

It won't hurt if you're going to wash it out anyway, at least the dirtiest bits will be off before the jacket goes into the machine.

I found that I could do this on the cuffs, the pocket edges, the front where the zip cover was, and my jacket didn't look quite so beaten up.
I heated up some paraffin wax in a double boiler and just dabbed and then sort of polished it onto the areas I'd washed.
Worked fine.

 

[Greg]

Just leave it. Character and patina. That's what barbours are all about. You'll ruin it in the washer despite what others say.

I don't mind on the darker ones but this just looks dirty to me.

If you take a clean washing up sponge, the kind with the green scotch stuff on one side, and mix up some biological washing liquid in some warm water in the sink. Use the wrung out not quite dry sponge to scrub the grubby bits.
It can be very effective. We used to use meths, but on that light coloured cotton, I'd try the biological washing liquid.

Often that kind of grubbiness is on the surface rather than deep into the fibres, and washing/scrubbing it can lift it.

It won't hurt if you're going to wash it out anyway, at least the dirtiest bits will be off before the jacket goes into the machine.

I found that I could do this on the cuffs, the pocket edges, the front where the zip cover was, and my jacket didn't look quite so beaten up.
I heated up some paraffin wax in a double boiler and just dabbed and then sort of polished it onto the areas I'd washed.
Worked fine.

Yeah I don't think it's deep in the fabric, it's just a bugger to remove.

 

[Saint-Just]

Jaggededge is correct that the fabric is impregnated with wax before being sawn in a garment whereas a re-wax, even by Barbour, will be more superficial (although they warm it up so the wax penetrates better, like you will with a hairdryer if you decide to do it yourself).
If you used the jacket in the countryside and whatever the weather I would agree with the leave it alone camp. But being a lighter colour and used in a more urban surroundings, a dirty jacket doesn't have more character, it's a dirty jacket. So go ahead, at worst you'll have a clean jacket for dry days.

 

[Jaggededge]

You're going to ruin it but crack on. I'll be interested how it turns out. If you want a nice clean jacket for best I'd be inclined to buy a new one and keep it as that. I've worn nothing but barbours for 40years.

 

[Greg]

I'll see what a bit of tech wash does tomorrow and decide from there if it gets machine washed.

Not interested in replacing it - this one is a heavier material than a typical International.

 

[noddy]

I have renovated several Barbours over the past few years. Turn it inside out, then drop it into a bathful of warm water with a bit of clothes washing stuff (powder or liquid). Agitate and leave to soak overnight. When done rinse thoroughly and hang to dry. Then clean the bath - it's not that onerous. After that give it a full-on treatment wit melted wax and the hairdrier. It'll look like new.

 

[Greg]

Gone into a tub with a bit of techwash.

 

[Jaggededge]

OMG. I'll keep you in my prayers.

 

[Greg]

Pulled it out of some manky looking water, gave it a once over with a sponge and a thorough rinse. See what it looks like tomorrow.

 

[Greg]

It's much improved this morning. It still feels like waxed cotton but much much less grimy. I'll quit while I am ahead on the cleaning front and rewax it when I have time.

 

[Greg]

Had a good go at it today. Needs a bit of excess removing but I've had enough, I'll do that tomorrow.

Looks loads better.

 

[noddy]

Just keep that hair drier blasting at it. One thing I found useful was to kind of arrange the garment so that it is possible to, as it were, inflate it. Mind you don't choke the airflow or your hairdrier will trip and then you have to wait twenty minutes.

 

[MaC]

Hang the jacket above a radiator for an hour, get the whole thing hot before you start.
Sunny weather's the usual way to deal with mine, but yeah, there's not a lot of hot sunny weather here just now

 

[Greg]

I did the hair dryer and melted wax as usual, it makes it pretty straight forward. A warm sunny day is ideal I agree, the trouble with the climate here is by the time we are getting days like that is is often past the point I need a jacket.