Thread: Cleaning Hunting Clothing

I use pure borax which is cheap on TradeMe. Same principle as the baking soda I'm guessing. Nothing fancy like scent or brighteners have been added. I tried washing in water only for a long time. But I just got stinkier and stinkier, and not like a forest at all. I also stored all the gear in a bag with pine needles for that forest scent. Did nothing. I want spray on broadleaf cologne now.

I'm pretty sure sunscreen makes us glow with reflected UV too. A big issue for those nude hunters we know.

Thanks for bring up this thread @Moa Hunter nice to see a bit of humour coming back to the old site
Thanks for the heads up on baking soda.

Amazing stuff that.....if you have a blocked toilet or drain add one cup of baking soda and two cups of white vinegar!
Much cheaper and better for your pipes than drainO

make sure you hang the pretty patterned cloths INSIDE OUT on the washing line...that way the pattern doesnt fade.....
pleased to hear Im not the only one who has a magic cleaning fairy.

I use sportwash for my hunting clothes.
I also hang the camo patterned ones on the clothesline inside out, but for security reasons rather than to stop them fading.

Originally Posted by Cigar

I use sportwash for my hunting clothes.
I also hang the camo patterned ones on the clothesline inside out, but for security reasons rather than to stop them fading.

Sportwash is good but I found that because it is so expensive I wasn't using enough. The Baking Soda is cheap - $7.69 for a 3kg bag at New World and does a great job. Also it's no big deal if the Mrs uses some to wash something.
PS you need a new hunting dog, one with more guarding attributes

Baking soda, which is cheap if bought as bicarb for the swimming pool.

And never, never, ever add fabric softener!

Originally Posted by Bol Tackshin

Baking soda, which is cheap if bought as bicarb for the swimming pool.

And never, never, ever add fabric softener!

Cheapest place to get it is Farm Source/RD1. $15.00 for a sack!

What’s all this about washing hunting gear, I just leave mine by the front door. Next time I need it it’s in my hunting gear draw.https://youtu.be/-_kXIGvB1uU

Don't totally disagree with the UV theory but often talk about when we were meat hunting and used blue and black swannies. Theory is blue creates or attracts UV rays but most deer in those days were shot under 100 yards in the open or 30-40 yards in the bush. Also when poisoning possums would often get the feeling of being watched, look around and see a deer standing looking at you close by.Generally bolted when eye contact was made. Nobody knew of UV ray theories back then. Bloody gear was usually thrown in the old agitator washing machine in the middle of the night and set on pre- soak til morning and then washed with soap powder.

Originally Posted by BSA270

Don't totally disagree with the UV theory but often talk about when we were meat hunting and used blue and black swannies. Theory is blue creates or attracts UV rays but most deer in those days were shot under 100 yards in the open or 30-40 yards in the bush. Also when poisoning possums would often get the feeling of being watched, look around and see a deer standing looking at you close by.Generally bolted when eye contact was made. Nobody knew of UV ray theories back then. Bloody gear was usually thrown in the old agitator washing machine in the middle of the night and set on pre- soak til morning and then washed with soap powder.

UV brighteners are a relatively new thing 1990's on from memory. So any differences in the meat hunting days were more likely from synthetic fabrics which were just starting to become common in the 70's / 80's and also blue which is the most visible colour against the natural environment. To get around UV brightners I initially grated sunlight laundry soap into the machine but that is a pain, and the soap left a greasy residue.
I then compared different clothing items on my farm deer as well as hunting situations and there is no doubt that wearing something like a safety vest will send a mob to the other end of the paddock. On the hill sitting in the dark waiting for first light and deer barking at a bush shirt washed with a Uv brigtener. Take it off, deer settles down. Pick it up, deer barks ??
Sports wash is good but expensive, after the posts from Bol tachshin and Hutch I hear that the share price Sportswash has crashed.

Originally Posted by 2post

What’s all this about washing hunting gear, I just leave mine by the front door. Next time I need it it’s in my hunting gear draw.https://youtu.be/-_kXIGvB1uU

MINT !

Bush clothing......?

Years ago when one washed their clothes in the NZFS.....I just use used sunlight soap, then use plenty of stones to weigh clothing down and leave them in a flowing creek to rinse out the detergent......Then hang up clothes to drip dry like any where else.......Dose a deer notice any difference if your clothes are grubby or not ?....Who knows?.....Mind you if you can smell your self its time to have a wash.


Was eating a sausage one night when hot fat dripped off the sausage on to a modern day camo swani and melted a hole in it....really annoyed me......The label on a jacket i need to wash saids 100% polyester so one presumes that baking soda is the way to wash from whats been written on here.

I’ll give it a go, seems like all you need for cleaning is Soda and white vinegar.

Originally Posted by 2post

I’ll give it a go, seems like all you need for cleaning is Soda and white vinegar.

@2post. Don't, at least not together. Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate) as an alkali and abrasive followed by neutralising with vinegar (from the acetic acid component) and then rinsing may be effective for cleaning surfaces, but combining them up front for washing clothes would just give a sodium acetate mix. The fizzing is not a measure of the efficacy for cleaning.
The better choice is Washing Soda (sodium carbonate), significantly higher pH, or maybe some combination of washing soda with sodium percarbonate if you're into refining a homemade cleaner blend.

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