[Jaktus]

Hey all,

I bought a BG neck swab, and a pull-through for the whole sax. It said they were 'washable'.
I thought 'great'.
Now the time has come to wash them, but I haven't the foggiest how I would do it.
They are made of synthetic suede.
The answer may lie in the documentation that came with them, but either I've lost it, or there never was any.
I don't want to ruin them. Ideas?
Cheers,

J

 

[haildixon]

put it in a lingerie bag (like a zip up mesh bag for delicates) and just toss it in the washing machine - or top part of a dishwasher and let air dry.

 

[Jaktus]

Thanks very much

 

[Jazz Is All]

I would think that it would be best to wash it by hand in cold water using something really mild like Woolite. Just from experience with clothes, most machines and laundry detergents are too harsh and take the life out of most fabrics. A suede-like material like this will end up being stiff, much less soft and may even shrink. I washed a faux-shammie alto pull through in the machine and it came out a third the size it originally was and a lot less soft. I certainly wouldn't use fabric softener either...that will just lessen the absorbency of the material, which is meant to soak up water.

Personally, I don't like the BG pull throughs anyway--they're not really all that absorbent in my experience, and their shape (wide rather than long) makes it possible for them to jam in the upper body tube if they get balled up in a wad. This can happen if you're in a rush and not careful while you pull it through.

I use a long silk one (not sure of the brand but got it at Sam Ash in NY a couple of years ago) which absorbs moisture like a sponge and dries out really fast due to the thinness of the fabric. Just wave it around between passes and it dries in a second from its own breeze. Mine is for tenor but it works for Altos too. And you can pull it through both tenor and alto necks as well, so all you need is the one item. I kept the BG but only use it to clean spit stains off the body and polish the finish, which it in fact seems better suited to doing.