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CBz Tricks of the Trade - How to clean a Chamois...
Anyone having the audacity to say, this is how to do anything is taking a chance, and yes, I do realize this... So, in my never ended quest to come up with something that does not discuss colors of things... here's my latest attempt, How to clean a Chamois.
3. You stop for a second and say, hey... wait a minute, isn't it the Kiwi's that know more about anyone else when it comes to chamois? or is it Wikipedia? I forget so here's both:
How To Clean A Chamois
1. Go on the internet and you can see that you can purchase a bucket with a foot pedal for cleaning a chamois. This is one of the few "hints" as to how to clean a chamois I was able to find.
Using a chamois is the time-tested way to get your car dry, but getting your chamois dry can be difficult. Bending down and running it through your old-fashioned mop bucket can be painful, and those wall-mounted wringers can be messy. This cleverly-designed bucket uses foot pressure to wring out your chamois neatly and efficiently, wherever you wash your car. High-quality hardwood rollers and heavy-duty polypropylene resin construction ensure years of service.
2. You can go to ask type websites, such as eHow and they will tell you:
Begin by shaking the cloth out to remove any loose dirt or particles. Set cloth aside. Fill a sink or small tub with warm water.
Place the cloth in the warm water and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then add dishwashing liquid to the water and work the cloth with your hands. Rub the cloth gently together to remove dirt and grime.
After using the soap and dirt is no longer visible, use lukewarm water to remove the soap from the cloth. Rinse with water until the water squeezes out clear. Lay cloth on a flat dry surface and press down to try and remove any excess water.
Take the cloth and place in the dryer for about 15 minutes on a low setting. It should dry quickly. Take a linseed oil and rub it into the cloth. This will help the cloth keep its texture and cleaning ability.
3. You stop for a second and say, hey... wait a minute, isn't it the Kiwi's that know more about anyone else when it comes to chamois? or is it Wikipedia? I forget so here's both:
Wikipedia / United States Definition
In the USA, the term chamois without any qualification is restricted to the flesh split of the sheep or lambskin tanned solely with oils. (US Federal Standard CS99-1970).
The term is often mistakenly used to refer to soft leathers made from the skin of other animals or to synthetic materials with a chamois-like hand-feel, but these are not considered 'genuine chamois'. Chamois leather is often counterfeited with goat or pig skin, the practice of which is a particular profession called by the French chamoiser.
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New Zealand Chamois Distributor Product Information
What is Chamois?
- Chamois is leather that is extremely soft, flexible, and absorbent.
Why use Chamois Leather?
- Typically chamois leather is used to dry off surfaces after washing.
- This is due to the absorbency and softness of the leather.
- Grime particles are drawn away from the surface being cleaned.
- The particles are held within the hollow fiber of the leather, eliminating abrasion.
How do I clean and dry my car with a Chamois?
- First wash car as recommended by manufacturer. Then use a Chamois to dry your car.
- Rinse Chamois in water, wring out excess.
- The chamois needs to be damp, but not wet to work.
- Remove the majority of water by sweeping the Chamois over the car, wring out excess water as you proceed.
- Buff any remaining damp areas until dry, again wringing as necessary.
- Clean and dry your Chamois.
How to care for my Chamois?
- Give it a good rinse in lukewarm water with a mild non-alkali soap, or mild detergent.
- Squeeze/wring Chamois to remove excess water.
- Gently stretch, and hang in area protected from direct sunlight and intense heat.
- Take care not to over dry.
Why is my Chamois stiff?
- Chamois leather gets stiff when it is too dry, it will regain its softness with moisture or on wetting.
How does The Original Chamois Company make Chamois Leather?
- Chamois leather is made from high quality sheep and lamb skin.
- The skin is split into 2 pieces.
- The flesh side being used for Chamois and the outer piece for other leather types.
- The flesh side is Hot Drum Tanned in Genuine Cod Liver Oil.
- Thus Giving the skin it unique character of Chamois Leather.
- Chamois leather is then dry-cleaned to remove excess oil.
- Final stages include buffing the leather with an abrasive wheel, removing any excess grain and fleshings.
4. You can consider the CBz Chamois Cleaning Method, taught to me over 35 years ago by an old firefighter who had taught it to him years ago and so on. I welcome input or challenge, I just thought this might be something fun to share that is not in the books or taught necessarily at the fire academy.
• It's a given that chamois are used in the fire service.
• The chamois leather or chamois cloth gets dirty... period.
• When you use the chamois, you always have a bucket of warm water to be able to dip / dunk, wring out and reuse to dry the surface of a freshly washed vehicle.
• Sometimes, when you go to use a chamois, and someone didn't clean it... it leaves dirt marks, smears, etc. so what do you do, for the quick clean?
1. rinse it in the apparatus room deep sink with hot water, and if possible do the dunking thing in addition to frequent rubbing together of the chamois skin to help dislodge and dirt or debris.
2. if the chamois is really dirty, you can presoak it or just hand wash / scrub the chamois using your hands.
3. key point about using detergent is getting it all rinsed out.
4. key point to using a chamois is using one that is clean...
5. key point is getting as much water extracted from the chamois, which if you don't have good hand strength, requires augmentation using a hand crank roller, the kind that old washing machines used to have, dangerous as hell but really work well.
6. if you have one of these, then you can keep rinsing, cleaning and wringing out the chamois until the water is clear, or...
you can wrap the middle side of the chamois against the faucet discharge, wrapping it into a bladder that traps the water. the more water that fills this temporary bladder, the tighter the chamois leather becomes and you can see water bleeding out of the sides of the chamois. this is the point, using as hot a water as you can stand, this is how firefighters did it in the 1930's without the aid of fancy detergents, or station washers and dryers...
In the interest of fire and life safety, and clean chamois,
CBz
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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There are these modern, PETA-friendly things called "microfiber towels". We use something like those pictured below. I haven't seen a chamois in a fire station since 1978 or something.
Cleaning them - just run them in the washer and dryer like any other laundry. They are also much less expensive than chamois.
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Permalink Reply by Greenman on
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Why not just use a leaf blower to dry your apparatus?
It works better, leaves no streaks, gets the drops out of the nooks and crannies, and makes it easier to dry the high places!
Isn't using a Chamois are rather quaint?
Greenman
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Of course, the chamois and microfiber towels don't have the added "plus" of carbon monoxide poisoning...
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Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on
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actually, just driving fast also works as a great way to speed dry your vehicle, the only problem here though is that there is so much alkali in the water that you get water spots... so much for being lazy... and whether Chamois usage is quaint... it's just what they purchase for drying the rigs... are we the only ones that use Chamois? Must admit G-Man that the leaf blower idea has some true merit.
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I wonder if they wear SCBA while blow-drying the rig.
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I didn't think it was necessary to specify that it is an electric leaf blower.
You know what they say about Common Sense, though...it isn't very common.
Greenman
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Sorry about the use of "quaint" Chamois do still work just fine, they're just a little labor intensive, and we don't have enough people around when we wash Engines.
Greenman
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