JROTC Uniform cleaning question

[BryanZ]

I'm sorry if this is the wrong place to post this but I need some advice.

I'm a first year MCJROTC cadet and I have some questions about my uniforms.

Firstly, how should I clean my PT clothes? I was given a green shirt (that I am also to wear with my camies) and some green mesh shorts, do I clean them as I would any other clothes, or is there something else I have to do?

And how do I clean my woodland camouflage uniform? I was given a utility cover the green shirt (same I use for PT) a coat and pants, khaki belt (I also don't know how to put it together, if anyone can help me with this as well), and boots (my MI told us about finger tip brushes, how do I use those?). How do I wash the belt and buckle thing (I am sorry I don't know the name) the cover, and pants & coat?

I have my inspection on the 14th so I also want to know how to wear the uniform if you can help. Like how to put on the boots etc.

[MarinesFTW]

Throw it all in the laundry machine, there is nothing special about cammies, pt gear or anything like that. For your boots, all I ever do is just use a normal scuz brush on them, but I also own like 5 pairs and only have 1 pair I wear in garrison, everything else is completely black from the flight line. In all my schools for my inspections, I just washed my clothes, IP'd them, ironed them, starched my cover and did a little brush of the boots and passed with flying colors. Its simple, dont think to much into it

[BryanZ]

Thank you for the reply, much appreciated.

What does IP'd mean? And how do I clean the treads of the boots? There looks to be some crud there, is he even going to check the bottom of the boots, or do I not have to worry about it?
Thanks again

[Phantom Blooper]

Irish Pennants....after you was or have clothing dry cleaned all the little strings that are visible from the thread that was put on to sew the material with.

Use fingernail clippers or small sewing scissors to remove them as close as you can WITHOUT cutting into the fabric.

Every time you have material/uniforms/clothing washed-dry cleaned this is inevitable that it will happen.....you need to be in good light to do it and then use natural light...outside to check and recheck.

[BryanZ]

Oh, ok. Thank you

[Zulu 36]

Even in HS JROTC you have a chain of command. They should be able to help you and I don't know why they haven't already. Ask the senior members of the unit for hints and tricks of the trade.

If you are issued black leather boots, they need to be polished. Use Kiwi-brand black polish (it's the best). If you know how to spit-shine, bonus. But a good buffing should suffice until you learn more.

To clean the bottoms of the boots, before you shine them, scrub the bottoms with a dry scuz brush. If you are wearing them, it should be expected that some dirt will attach while walking. Big chunks of mud need to be cleaned off. Do not polish the bottoms of your boots as your mother will kill you if you leave shoe polish footprints on her carpets.

The belt buckle does not get washed - it can can be and should be removed from the belt before washing. I usually hand washed my trouser belts with a scuz brush and a very little detergent, followed by a lot of rinsing. I normally did that in the shower while in the fleet, but on the wash racks during boot camp. Air dry them.

Note: you may want to whip the cut end of the belt before washing if it is a cotton belt. If polyester, melt the end slightly with a lighter. It keeps the belt from unraveling. Personally, I much preferred the cotton belts as they were more comfortable, softer, and looked saltier after a few washings.

[BryanZ]

I have the class once more before inspection but apparently there is testing so he might not teach anything that day. I'm going to have to ask if he doesn't teach a lesson on it, I'm just getting all worked up now because I thought he was teaching it, I even asked the MI and he said so, and I just learned yesterday that it may not be possible so I don't want to look stupid, and fail.

[MarinesFTW]

Another tip about the belts, buy another one for inspections only and if you can get a set of inspection cammies, that way there perfect all the time and use the other ones daily. I did this before I hit the fleet and it made my life 10x easier then the average Marine. Now every set of cammies is inspection ready because I never wear them haha.