Smelly Shooting Jackets

[zooma]

The RMTC club range is located in a cellar under a church hall and it usually benefits from being well heated and is a comfortable place to have a club range and is a pleasant place to shoot - especially since its "recent" upgrade and refit.

Since the Covid epidemic first struck us all, the club range the church and the church hall have all been locked-up and closed to everyone, so a lot of our equipment has remained safe but locked-up in our steel lockers inside the clubs cellar range.

For a year or so the church premises has been unoccupied and so the heating has been switched off and our club range has been cold (and a little damp).

Last week Bart49 was able to gain access to the club range and recovered a couple of our shooting jackets - but unfortunately they smell just like they have been locked in a cold damp steel container for the last 12 months....probably because they have been!

These jackets need to be made less smelly (preferably not smelly at all!).

The outside leather is not too bad, but the canvas linings are the parts that are holding the damp smell. At the moment my jacket is outside in the fresh air (and rain) with the canvas inner exposed most to the weather, but I doubt that will fix it and we probably need to give the canvass a good scrubbing before allowing it to dry and air slowly to prevent any damage to the outer leather body of the jacket.

If anyone has successfully washed a leather shooting jacket to rid it of any undesirable smells, please let us know what "products" you used so we can get ours ready in time for the RMTC club re-opening.

[PhatMan]

Bob,

I have used 'Woolite' detergent (Sainsburys & Tesco's used to stock this) to clean my leather & wool-felt Gehmann shooting glove.

I used the soak method, and that worked very well.

There are some posts on the Interweb about using Woolite for washing leather jackets (motor-cycle etc.), including the washing machine.

Have fun & a good weekend

regards

Russ

[JB101]

White vinegar is good for getting rid of smells in clothes

[zooma]

Bob,

I have used 'Woolite' detergent (Sainsburys & Tesco's used to stock this) to clean my leather & wool-felt Gehmann shooting glove.

I used the soak method, and that worked very well.

There are some posts on the Interweb about using Woolite for washing leather jackets (motor-cycle etc.), including the washing machine.

Have fun & a good weekend

regards

Russ

Thanks Russ,

I will see if our local supermarkets stock this and if they do I will get some added to next weeks shopping list!

Stay safe,

Bob.

[zooma]

White vinegar is good for getting rid of smells in clothes

I may have seen some white vinegar lurking beside the washing machine - it could be that SWMBO already uses it as a laundry aid ?

I will "borrow" some and see how I get on with it........and then wash the jacket in Woolite perhaps to give it a real spring clean treat!

Many thanks,

Bob.

[Vic Thompson]

This is a "guess" suggestion but I have a feeling that some Dry Cleaners offer Ozone treatment for just such a purpose, usually to deodorise clothing and curtains etc when exposed to smoke from a fire or other source.

Vic Thompson.

[RobinC]

Bob

We got given an expensive KT leather and canvas jacket for our loan fleet, it had been stored in a loft for years, I spent hours scrubbing it with soapy water and detergent, and slow dried it in the Norfolk breeze (read gale!), I did it several times, it came up stunningly spotless, and it also re stiffened the canvas, but I could never get rid of the mould smell, so if you succeed, would be glad to hear!

Have Fun
Robin

[Edtwozeronine]

We've got similar problems at our club but with the heavy canvas sheets that we put down to save the town hall staging area, we were temporarily reopened after the first lock-down for about 3 weeks but in that time between we first locked up and then, the canvas has gone all mildewy and smells of what I can only describe as baby sick. Fortunately not as wet to handle as baby sick but I'm not looking forward to dragging out the smelly sheets this Monday even though it will mean the club is back open.

[zooma]

When the jacket arrived home I put it outside and draped it over a heavy cast iron garden chair with the canvass on the outside and the leather inside. I was hoping that the heavy weight of the chair would be able to hold the jacker without it blowing-over in the strong winds that we are currently enjoying from time to time.

Unfortunately I could not turn the sleeves inside-out so they remain the usual way around but they are "open" and quite "tube-like" so that some of our finest Lancashire breeze can get to work on it.

I brought it into the garage last night as heavy rain was forecast (I was tempted to leave it outside) as I did not want to risk it damaging the leather and suede on the outside of the jacket, but it may well have seen a little rain earlier in the week and it has also stayed outside over-night during the week too.

Although a little damp, the jacket did not smell anything like as bad as it did when it was first taken out of the cellar range locker, so I will give it "some more of the same" as soon as the rain stops and see if the treatment continues to improve it.

Meanwhile, I have added some Woolite to next weeks shopping list and SWMBO has advised me than white vinegar is excellent for deodorising and killing most smells and that it is recommended for rinsing through the washing machine from time to time to keep it smelling fresh (hence its location beside the washing machine!) so I may try that too if nature does not succeed in blowing it away "naturally".

[I. J.]

so I may try that too if nature does not succeed in blowing it away "naturally".

I came through 'Rottenstall' the other day and boy was it windy. The winds were THAT strong - what I thought was a barking shooting jacket was actually a dog blown inside out.
I bet your neighbors are never ceased to amaze what appears on your washing line and garden. One minute its your black leather gimp mask - now its your bondage shooting jackets.

[zooma]

I came through 'Rottenstall' the other day and boy was it windy. The winds were THAT strong - what I thought was a barking shooting jacket was actually a dog blown inside out.
I bet your neighbors are never ceased to amaze what appears on your washing line and garden. One minute its your black leather gimp mask - now its your bondage shooting jackets.

If I knew you were passing through this capital town I would not have risked leaving my jacket outside - luckily you would not have been able to see it over the pigmy wall - so it was safe

[I. J.]

If I knew you were passing through this capital town I would not have risked leaving my jacket outside - luckily you would not have been able to see it over the pigmy wall - so it was safe

I visit 'Rottenstill' every year. I go to see my wheel trims. I dont stop or give hand signals anymore since I got my watch nicked.

[zooma]

I visit 'Rottenstill' every year. I go to see my wheel trims. I dont stop or give hand signals anymore since I got my watch nicked.

"every year" ? - I didnt know that you were allowed over the border and into civilisation that often - when did your restraint order expire?

Why did you have a watch ? You never learnt how to tell the time.......

Hand signals can be a bit risky around here - especially the sort of hand signals that you make!

Fortunately they probably cant see you with your head below the dash board height - but those exceptionally long arms of yours (with dragged knuckles) still find it easy to reach out of the windows (and sun roof) to cause trouble.

[I. J.]

"every year" ? - I didnt know that you were allowed over the border and into civilisation that often - when did your restraint order expire?

Why did you have a watch ? You never learnt how to tell the time.......

Hand signals can be a bit risky around here - especially the sort of hand signals that you make!

Those hand signals are reserved for you and the watch is the one you sold me so, obviously, it never told me the true time. :
Did you know Micky Mouse has an Ian Jones watch?
Plus I’m not a dwarf but I will still be reporting you to Snow White tonight!

[zooma]

Those hand signals are reserved for you and the watch is the one you sold me so, obviously, it never told me the true time. :
Did you know Micky Mouse has an Ian Jones watch?
Plus I’m not a dwarf but I will still be reporting you to Snow White tonight!

That watch that I sold you was 100% accurate - twice a day!

I got an Ian Jones shooting glove - I am right handed so it fits on my left hand - remind me again why you (a left handed shooter) bought it for yourself ?