Cleaning instructions for Alpha outfits

The special Alpha jackets have to be carefully cleaned so as to avoid the damage of the unique material and to conserve its characteristics. The jacket designed for soldiers is made of flame resistant nomex which is much more expensive than nylon. For the everyday street use nylon is more convenient. The padding of the jackets is polyester. In case of machine washing the nylon jacket’s padding collapses and it loses its outer water resistant capacity, which is highlighted in the “cleaning instructions” inside the jacket.

Dry cleaning gently washes the shiny Alpha nylon jacket but the product still loses from its water resistant capacity. After cleaning it is advised to sprinkle water on it, and if it soaks water in, we recommend using HOLMENKOL Textile Proof spray for the water resistant layer’s posterior replacement.

(The surface has to be sprayed evenly and in a fine layer. The impregnating chemical alters the colour of the fabric for the first sight but after a half an hour of drying the difference disappears and the original shade reappears.)

The symbol of wet treatments (machine and hand washing, soaking, prewash, washing, rinsing and drying included) is a tub full of water. The maximum treatment temperature is displayed as a numerical value in the symbol. Under the tub symbol, 1 line refers to the gentle, 2 lines refer to an exceedingly gentle washing programme to be applied. If the tub symbol contains a hand dipped in water, the product can only be washed with hand in lukewarm water.

The symbol for whitening during or after the washing cycle is an equal sided triangle. Previously, the letters ‘Cl’ were placed within the triangle that prohibited chloric whitening but today other whitening solutions are widely used, as well. The empty triangle now means the permission of all kinds of whitening (with chlorine, peroxide, natrium boric acid, peracetic acid). If only chloric whitening has to be prohibited, then two lines parallel to the left side of the triangle give a warning inside the triangle. If no form of whitening can be done, the triangle is filled in ad crossed out in an X form.

The symbol of drying is a square. In case of fabrics, there are various known and used drying methods according to whom the square shall be complemented. If a tumble-dry machine has to be applied, a circle is placed within the square. Here one line under the square signals a careful, 2 horizontal lines signal an even more careful drying programme. One dots in the circle display low (50 °C), 2 dots display medium (70 °C), and 3 points display high (90 °C) temperature drying.

In case there are no dots in the circle, there is no temperature restriction for drying. If the circle is completely filled in, no heating shall be applied. The permission for drying on a drying rack after spinning is the placed in the upper part of the square. If drying has to be done without spinning, for example placing the cloth on a rack or a hanger, three vertical lines are displayed inside the square. A horizontal line in the square signals drying on a flat surface. If there are two 45° angled lines in the upper left corner of the square, the product has to be dried away from sunlight (in shade).

The symbol for dry or vapour ironing is a hand iron referring to ways of ironing at home. The dots within the iron image refer to the maximum permitted temperature: 1 dot for 110 °C, 2 dots for 150 °C and 3 dots for 200 °C.

Circle is the symbol of dry-cleaning also referring to the treatment with organic solution, and the related drying. A letter shown in the centre of the circle stands for the permitted solution type. The previously used ‘A’ letter’s usage that permitted all kinds of solutions, got canceled. Letter ‘F’ signifies hydrocarbons suitable for cleaning, letter ‘P’ the use of perchloroethylene (acetylene tetrachloride) and also the solutions of letter ‘F’. It is forbidden to use fluorine-chlorine (freon-) derivates since these gravely damage the environment. Letter ‘W’ shows if the laundry can apply an environmentally friendly, wet treatment with water with a special machinery for the cleaning of the item. 1 line under the circle warns of a gentle, 2 lines show an even more careful treatment.

The crossing X displays the complete prohibitions of the given treatment (it also applies to the fully filled in triangle standing for whitening).

Below a few of the labels:

(Label of the CWU45 jacket:
THE JACKET IS NOT TO BE LAUNDERED THE JACKET IS TO BE DRY CLEANED ONLY)

(This image was taken of the label of the N-3B parka. Below, the washing regulations symbols can be seen, according to which the jacket can’t be washed with a machine, can’t be whitened or ironed, it can only be dry-cleaned with perchloroethylene.)

DRY CLEAN ONLY DO NOT TUMBLE DRY WITH SYNTHETIC FUR TRIMMING

(Label of the MA1 jacket: DRY CLEAN ONLY)

(The label of a cotton jacket. It can be washed at 40°C, ironed, can’t be spinned. It can be dry-cleaned.)

WASH SEPARATELY OR WITH SIMILAR COLOURS TURN INSIDE OUT FOR WASHING AND IRONING

(Label of a cotton sweatshirt. It can be machine washed at 40°C. It can’t be whitened. It can be spinned, ironed, and dry-cleaned.)