Do you wash your cammies with Tide or the typical store brand blue goo after your weekly airsoft outing?
Congratulations! You glow like the family Christmas tree under night vision and you're going to get meme'd by @bluejeanoperator when he raids your PB on your first MSW night watch, or worse.
Let's get you up to speed on how to make sure you blend in across multiple spectrums (not just the one they make dating shows about).
Detergent things to avoid
In order to avoid turning your camouflage into advertisement, there's a few things you don't want to have in your laundry detergent in no particular order:
- Optical brighteners
- Dyes
- Artificial fragrances
Lets talk a little bit more about each of those individually; namely what they are, why they suck, and how to avoid them.
Optical Brighteners
What are they?
Optical brighteners AKA Fluorescent Whitening Agents (FWAs) are chemicals that function similar to dyes in that they alter the way incoming light is reflected from the fabric material they're applied to.
Specifically, they're designed to absorb UV light and reflect it as visible light, enhancing the perceived brightness of white or light colored fabrics.
Why do they suck?
A perhaps unintended but very real secondary effect of these chemicals is lighting up like Rockefeller Center when they're hit with near-infrared light, turning your cool new camo RAID Mod into a road sign for any night vision user and most digital camera sensors.
How do I avoid them?
Check your detergents' ingredients list, the two most commonly used are DAS (diamino stilbene) and DSBP (distyryl biphenyl).
There are many others, so we're not going to list them all here, but if you see a name that look suspicious its worth a quick google. In many cases they're used in the manufacturing process and are unavoidable - this is often a problem with overseas manufactured gear made with lower cost materials.
Detergents that are marketed as being for "darks" or black clothes usually will not include them, but come with their own risks such as...
Dyes
What are they?
It's dye, duh, its a chemical or substance that dyes things different colors.
While functional dyes have mostly been replaced by optical brighteners in most modern detergents, they can still be found in some of those marketed as "for colors" or using similar language.
Why do they suck?
This can obviously change the appearance of your RAID Mod or other fabric item, and while this may be attractive if you're using older faded stuff or just want to change it up a bit, we suggest doing a specific dying process with the proper products.
These "color-locking" or "restoring" dyes, and the water-soluble dyes that give liquid detergent its typical venomous color, can also leave a coating on the fabric that behaves similar to optical whiteners when exposed to near IR light.
How do I avoid them?
Basically avoid any liquid detergent thats not a mostly-clear color, anything blue/green/purple is out. Assume anything thats marketed for colors is out.
Check your ingredients list, they'll usually be mentioned by name (as in it says dye or similar language) if they are in there, but not guaranteed.
last but not least, we have...
Artificial fragrances
What are they?
Seriously? It's fake smells - what more explanation do you want?
Why do they suck?
Well, artificial fragrances are usually very strong, and stick around a long time in fabric. Aside from possibly giving your buddy a headache, if you're not careful this can be a dead giveaway to the deer you're hunting, especially the ones that wear kevlar as scents can carry a long way on the wind.
If you're walking through the desert in the winter and suddenly you smell "Fresh Burst" or "Tropical Fruit Breeze" you're gonna know something not natural is around, right? This also applies to vaping and other hygiene products, but thats another topic altogether.
How do I avoid them?
Use your brain smart-guy, don't buy scented laundry detergent - they're usually pretty upfront about scented vs. unscented so just pay attention and you should be fine. If it's not immediately obvious from the front, it will usually say something relatively plain in the ingredients list as well.
Additional things to note:
Aside from the "giving away your position" stuff, all of these chemicals have negative health-effects associated with them, so you should probably avoid them anyway.
What to use instead
You have a few options for stuff to wash your RAID Mod or other kit with, from cheap and cheerful to bougie and odd but highly effective.
1. Baking soda
If you're cheap and/or lazy just wash those MFs with baking soda and water - this will get the dirt and sweat out, and not much else, its also cheap as hell which is always cool - just follow the directions on the box and you're good to go.
2. Detergents free of all the bad shit we listed above
They can be tough to find, and usually cost a little more, but they are out there. Just look around a bit and you should be able to find something locally with a little work.
We use Arm & Hammer Clean & Simple for spot treating particularly difficult stains, but it does contain fragrances so we don't recommend using this as a main wash.
3. Dr. Bronner's magic soap
This shit is expensive for soap, but its the best all-in-one solution we've found so far; the liquid form is what we use in house to wash both ours and customer cammies and kit because it seems to be particularly good at getting rid of the "surp smell" that often permeates incoming donor shirts.
We have no relationship to this company and don't really want to (they seem weird) but the product is good in our experience.
100% organic ingredients, none of the bad stuff we talked about above, and comes in several form-factors to fit your particular process.
There's some seriously weird shit on the label (just not in the ingredients list), and it is scented, but the natural plant-oil based fragrances are mild when the soap is properly diluted, and can be removed almost entirely with an extra rinse if so desired or an unscented version is available if you go straight to the manufacturer.
You also get the bonus of being able to use it for a bunch of other stuff besides just laundry, so it may be worth chucking a half a bar in your ruck.
Drying
Be careful when drying tactical gear (even uniforms) as nylon is found in most things, and nylon can shrink and/or weaken when exposed to heat. Always be sure to follow manufacturer instructions for drying, or if unavailable line dry your stuff out of direct sunlight.
Closing
That's all I can think of for now and I'm tired of typing, so... until next time, wash your shit the smart way and don't be a glowy; and as always
Stay Frosty Trooper,
- @oper808r