how to clean old military uniforms

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Golden Meadow, LA
My dad gave me a few items today that are pretty special to me and I'd like to preserve them to pass down to future generations. He gave me his 1965 SAAU champion boxing jacket, his Vietnam era Marine Corps dress blues, and my grandfathers WW2 era Army uniform. They have been sitting untouched in my grandmothers closet for the past 55-75 years. Should I leave them as is, or should I have them specially cleaned somewhere?
 
I would leave them as is. To valuable to be trusted to a cleaners.
 
I would be more worried about moth holes. Grandmas closets are always clean but moths love wool.

Actually, it is the larvae that does damage.
 
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This thread will get locked and the statement will say.....cleaning advise should be obtained from cleaning professionals.
 
Amazon sells moth traps made by black flag. They really attract and trap moths. They are much better than using moth balls that make the clothes smell. And they last a long time, and really work.
 
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Call your local museum and ask who they recommend to clean and preserve historical military clothing. they will have a list of people that are capable of cleaning and advising you on proper storage. If these are the kinds of things you want to pass down to future generations it will be money well spent and probably not as expensive as you might think.
 
Originally Posted by samven
Call your local museum and ask who they recommend to clean and preserve historical military clothing. they will have a list of people that are capable of cleaning and advising you on proper storage. If these are the kinds of things you want to pass down to future generations it will be money well spent and probably not as expensive as you might think.


This or maybe ask at a Veterans Center. They will know of a place that they would trust their uniforms to. When I was more active in Civil Air Patrol I would bring my uniforms to the dry cleaners that all the local police went to.
 
If they are dirty, yes they should be cleaned by an expert. If they are just musty from storage, air them out and store them better.

Odds are, they should be cleaned due to less than optimal storage then stored in a sealed, low humidity bad and kept out of sunlight.
 
The museum advice is excellent. If they need to be cleaned, then clean them with a trusted dry cleaner.

The things that kill old uniforms: Sunlight, humidity, heat, vermin.

So, store them where you're certain to avoid those things.
 
I've got a friend with civil war uniforms that were in a plastic tote.

The tote took a crack because it was brittle, then the basement got flooded.

He grew literal mushrooms on the cloth.

I say mothballs, something slightly breathable, and within the heating/ ac envelope of the house.
 
Getting some advice is the prudent answer here. A lot of sentimental value there.

I agree with no plastic. How about cedar?
 
Originally Posted by P10crew
This thread will get locked and the statement will say.....cleaning advise should be obtained from cleaning professionals.


^^^^^ This!
 
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