The Do’s and Don’ts of Soft Body Armor Maintenance
Every person has there own inclinations when it comes to personal hygiene - from the overly meticulous to the should-be-criminally neglectful. One aspect of hygiene that should be a must for all officers is the proper care and maintenance of your soft body armor. Whether worn under or over the shirt, the soft body armor vest is subject to all manner of abuse throughout the day - dirt and grim, sweat, rain, various odors, etc. Let me start out by stating that the best guideline to follow when cleaning your vest is to simply follow the manufacturers suggestions that come with your vest. What I want to point out here are some tips and advice I’ve gained from personal discussion and experience for soft body armor maintenance.
Regularly check over your vest for cuts, tears, and other abrasions.
These can happen from storing your vest in your locker, transporting your soft body armor in a duty bag, or having various items rub against it throughout the duty day - i.e. back-up weapon, concealed knives, pens. So give your vest a quick inspection every week or even every other day.
Take the time to clean your soft body armor by hand, piece by piece.
The worst thing you can do is throw your whole vest into the washing machine. After you pull it out of the machine you can be left with a vest that has all sorts of nicks, abrasions, and even tears. Same thing goes with commercial dry cleaning establishments. They are a no-no because the solvents used significantly degrade your body armor’s material. Wash your vest by hand with cool water and never fully submerge your ballistic panels. You take your life into your own hands every day you go to work. Take the time clean your vest by hand and you will have one more thing helping you in getting home safely at the end of the day.
After cleaning, let your ballistic panels and carrier items drip dry.
Don’t throw your soft body armor in the drier or even use a blow-drier to speed up the drying process. Doing either of these will seriously degrade the material of the ballistic panels, and it will shrink the carrier so that ballistic panels no longer fit inside. As a new officer, I made the mistake of thowing my carriers into the drier, and it was a bitch to get the panels back in place afterward. Then the shape was all off because the panels were larger than carrier. Just be patient and let the whole thing drip-dry after you wash it.
Dry your body armor components indoors.
“So your telling me that not only can I not use a drier or blow-drier, but I have to dry my stuff inside too?” Exactly! I know that fresh, out door sun-dried feel and smell is great, but UV rays from the sun can really damage the fibers within your ballistic panels. If you can, hang your stuff in the garage, or if you don’t have a garage use some other well ventilated space.
Do not use bleach on any part of your vest.
Don’t even use bleach on the carrier if it is white. Bleach will cause a great deal of harm to the material of the ballistic panels, so a safe practice is to not use bleach on any part of your body armor.
Febreeze is a pretty good product you can use on a regular basis to limit odor from your vest. Disinfecting wipes are also good to use every couple days. There are many brands to choose from and they're great for officers concerned with various forms of bacteria.
When wearing your vest, try to wear it a little loose as it will aid in keeping you cool and will limit sweat accumulation. Studies have shown and manufacturers will tell you that wearing the body armor a bit loose has no affect on its effectiveness. Also, at the end of the day, be sure to either hang up your vest or store it in a manner in which it is able to air out. I’ve seen many officers go right after shift and store their vest folded in a duty bag or stuffed into a wall locker. This does nothing to release the day’s sweat and other odors, and it will even increase the rate at which the ballistic material deteriorates.
One top priority for any officer is going home at the end of the day. Having a clean and well-maintained vest is integral in achieving this daily goal. It also helps to not stink, both in interacting with the public and your fellow officers.