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However, when subject to the heat of presses or
the flatwork ironer, sour is converted to sodium
carbonate that causes damage to the clothing. Do
not rinse the clothes after you use sour.
Starch
Starch is designed to give body to and improve
the feel of the fabric. It is used on cotton fabrics,
but it should never be used on synthetics, synthetic
blends, or certified Navy twills (CNTs). The Navy
wash formula should show the amount of starch
to use on clothing. Do not overuse or underuse
starch. If overstarched, clothing will become too
stiff. If understarched, clothes will look wrinkled
after they are pressed. Overusing starch also
causes spotting during pressing. Always drain
starch out of the washer extractor while it is
running to prevent starch from settling on the top
of the load.
DAMAGE TO CLOTHING DURING
THE DRYING CYCLE
Most damage that occurs to clothing during
drying can be eliminated with proper supervision,
training, and attention to detail. The major causes
of damage to clothing during the drying cycle
include the following:
Incorrect temperature
No cool-down period
Overdrying
settings
Overloading or improperly loading the
dryer
Lack of training in the proper operation
of the dryer
As a supervisor, make sure all laundry
personnel follow the safety precautions and
operating instructions outlined below and
discussed in Ship’s Serviceman Third Class,
NAVEDTRA 10176, and the equipment technical
manual.
Set the temperature controls on the dryer
between 140 to 160 degrees. When drying different
types of clothing, you should keep a close watch
on the temperature gauges to make sure the dryers
do not overheat. Set the timer on the dryer for
20 to 25 minutes and cool-down time for 10 to
15 minutes so the alarm will sound to alert you
to check the load. Do not overload the tumbler
dryer so that adequate tumbling action is allowed
for wrinkle removal. Drying time varies with the
clothing mix and size of load, but items containing
synthetics or a high percentage of synthetic blends
dry much faster than (similar) 100 percent cotton
items.
Do not overload dryers. Overloading dryers
only extends drying time and causes overdrying.
Always separate lightweight items from heavy
items. Lighter weight items in an overloaded dryer
have a tendency to dry quickly. By the time your
heavier items are dried, your lighter items may
be at the point of combustion.
Hang dry dungaree shirts that have freshly
ironed-on patches. When the ink from these
freshly ironed-on patches comes in contact with
dryer heat, it becomes a sticky solution that
imprints on other clothing in the dryer. However,
the patch ages after a couple of washes and can
be dried in the normal manner. Do not dry the
shirt separately or the ink will ruin the shirt itself.
LAUNDRY DRYER FIRES
Laundries aboard ship are not normally seen
as a major fire hazard, but they are just as
hazardous as other spaces aboard ship. Clogged
lint filters, unattended clothes in the dryers, faulty
thermostats and timers, lack of PMS, and
operator error are some of the causes of laundry
dryer fires.
Laundry dryer fires can have effects far
beyond a load of scorched and burned clothes.
Vital electrical, piping, and ventilation systems can
be damaged, jeopardizing a ship’s safety and
degrading its mission capability. While the ship
undergoes repairs,
operational plans and
schedules are disrupted.
The principal cause of shipboard laundry fires
is spontaneous combustion of residual soil in
clothing (particularly paint and drying edible oils)
and/or polymeric elastic waistband materials. In
the majority of fires, the Navy reports clothing
or linen has been left in the dryer unattended. The
reason for this is that, in each case, the laundry
personnel have not followed proper procedures.
A Prevent Laundry Dryer Fires laminated placard
will be placed on the front of each dryer. These
placards are available from local servmarts or
from the supply system. To prevent laundry fires,
you should make sure all laundry personnel
understand the information contained on this
placard and follow the safety precautions outlined
in the Ship’s Serviceman Third Class,
NAVEDTRA 10176.
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