Iron Heart Product Care Guidelines
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We don’t consider ourselves the total experts on how to wash and care for your Iron Heart gear, but here are some guidelines that might help. Extra special attention should be taken with the Superblack (SB), SBG (Superblack Fades to Grey) and Cotton Duck fabrics, as these are susceptible to white marks and creases if not washed with special care.
Raw Denim (by “raw” we mean the fabric has gone through no post-weave processing at all) – raw denim is sometimes referred to as “loom-state”.
Always soak before wearing, not only does this shrink the raw denim to tag size, it also beds in the constructional stitching, lessening the possibility of a stitching problem (e.g. crotch blowout). Ideally soak inside-out for an hour or so in a bathtub or large sink of hot water and drip dry. The more you agitate the garment, the more likely you are to get all the shrinkage out of the fabric. If you cannot drip dry, soak up the excess water with an old towel and lie flat on a clothes rack to dry.
We currently stock the following raw denim items: NONE AT PRESENT (but watch this space).Extra Heavy Selvedge (XHS) 25oz Denim
Our XHS denim is sanforized but the jeans are unwashed, so there is a little shrinkage to be expected (but not as much as a raw denim). If your XHS jeans start out as a good, snug fit then you can either soak them and go through a bit of pain, or wear them for a while until they stretch out a little before washing them (using the washing guidelines immediately below).Washing Sanforized Denim and Pre-Soaked Raw Denim (does not need soaking before wearing)
- Turn garment inside-out
- Hand wash, or machine wash* on relatively short cycle (max 40°C/100°F) with slow or no spin
- Shake/stretch item to ensure no creases before drip drying or drying flat on clothes rack
- Do not tumble dry (this is likely to cause shrinkage and
white marks)
Washing SB, SBG Denim, Cotton Duck
- Turn garment inside-out
- Hand wash in bathtub or large sink, or make garment wet before putting in washing machine*
- Use a liquid vegetable soap (powder and flakes are more likely to leave residue)
- Wash on a gentle cycle
- DO NOT use the spin cycle (this is very important)
- After washing, use a towel to soak up the extra water
- Drip-dry or lie flat on a clothes rack to dry
- Do not tumble dry (this is likely to cause shrinkage and
white marks)
Cotton Flannel or Chambray Shirts, Cotton Whipcord (Unlined), T-Shirts and Sweatshirts/Hoodies
These can be washed on a regular machine* cycle, (max 40°C/100°F). To avoid shrinking, DO NOT tumble dry – hang or lie garments flat to dry and press if required. Cotton Whipcord alpaca lined deck jackets and vests are dry-clean (with petroleum solvent) only.Primaloft
Primaloft lined garments can be washed on a regular machine* cycle, (max 40°C/100°F) and, provided the outer shell is synthetic, can be tumble dried on a low heat setting.*Our experience is with UK front-loading washing machines, please be extra careful if using American large top loading washers, from what we have learned these can be much more vigorous, resulting in a harsher wash and/or more than usual shrinkage.
Leather Jackets, Shirts, Wesco Boots and Accessories
All leather garments should be hung correctly, stored in well-aired locations and not crushed. Never store leather garments, boots or accessories near a direct heat source such as a radiator, fire, hot water tank (airing cupboard) etc. or in view of direct sunlight for any prolonged periods. Exposure to high heat sources or sunlight will dry out and potentially discolour leather. A good quality leather nourishing cream will help to keep leather supple and probably only needs application once or twice a year, it will also have light cleaning properties. We stock a number of leather care products for our footwear and other leather products. You don’t have to use any leather treatment or waterproofing on deerskin or horsehide, it simply isn’t necessary.Cowhide
Cowhide is a tough leather with a very supple feel and should not require any breaking in. Generally black or brown cowhide garments will not show up marks easily so they are pretty easy to care for. If your jacket gets wet, wipe off the surface moisture with a clean dry towel and hang it up in a well ventilated area, but not too near a direct heat source. Let it dry naturally. If you get oil or grease on your garment then put some flour or talcum powder on the stain, leave until the following day, wipe the majority of the powder away with a clean cloth and use a damp cloth to remove any residue.Horsehide
Horsehide is an extremely tough leather and will require some breaking in. This leather is packed with waxes and oils in the tanning process and like any wax it stiffens when cold. Warmth from wearing the jacket will soften the hide so it’s pliable and comfortable. Treating horsehide is easy: do nothing, absolutely nothing. Be tough, wear it and love it! If unworn for sometime, horsehide can show a “bloom” of white on its surface, this is just the wax used in the tanning process, it can be rubbed off with a dry cloth.Deerskin
Deerskin is the softest and most supple of all of the leathers, it can even be put in the washing machine, if you’re brave enough (we’re a bit too scared). It is happy being immersed in water and will soften up and retain its shape once dry. It is therefore the easiest leather to clean (follow the cleaning guidelines for cowhide) but be careful of exposing light coloured deerskin to dark coloured clothing (such as indigo jeans) as this may cause the garment to take on unwanted colour.Rough-out
It is always best to have clean and dry, non oily hands when handling rough-out garments. If you should get caught out in the rain it should be fine for a short period if untreated, and the garment should be allowed to dry naturally i.e. do not place it over heaters or radiators. Once the garment is fully dried a light brush with a high quality soft clothes brush may be needed. Soft cleaning sponges can be used where marks appear and a light brushing using a soft bristle clothes brush can be used to reduce/remove marks. When caring for rough-out footwear, remove any dirt from the surface of the boot with a bristle brush and use a suede eraser to remove any marks. Then, using the bristle brush, scrub the area thoroughly. Suede protectors can be used to maintain protection.Returns / Exchanges
We offer a no-quibble returns and exchanges policy and will accept the return of any item bought from our online store, provided it is returned within 30 days of receipt and unworn/unused, in a resaleable condition with all tags still attached (kindly fold and pack garments being returned with care). PLEASE NOTE we cannot accept returns on any item that has been altered specifically to a client’s request (e.g. hemmed jeans).
THE COST OF RETURNING ITEMS TO US IS AT PURCHASER’S EXPENSE. Please email us at sales@ironheart.co.uk before returning an item so that we know to expect your package.
YOU CAN ORDER YOUR RETURN SHIPMENT AT WWW.IRONHEART.CO.UK/RETURNS-SHIPPING - this is a fast, tracked returns shipment service at a reasonable cost – the process is simple and designed to save you time, trouble and expense.
RETURN OF GOODS FROM NON EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES: it is important that you mark the items as RETURNED GOODS and declare the value at no more than USD30 (if you don’t do this, we often end up paying taxes and duties on the item for a second time around).
If you don’t wish to order your return shipment via our website, we don’t mind which postal/courier service you use to return the goods (although we would ask you to avoid FedEx as we always seem to get hit with extra charges). If the goods do not arrive here, we are afraid that we can’t accept responsibility for the loss so we recommend you use a tracked service, ideally with signature on delivery. Please ensure you put something on the inside or outside of the package so that we can easily identify you as the sender (name or order number).
Refunds will be made by original payment method. First exchanges (exchange item/s with value of $200 or more) will be re-shipped for free. If exchanged items are subsequently returned we will charge shipping for a second exchange or will deduct regular regional shipping cost from refund/credit.
Items bought from the IH Outlet – if valid for return (some items are clearly marked on the website as non-returnable)
– will not be refunded, we will issue a store credit voucher.Upon receipt of returned items, Iron Heart will issue a refund or store credit, or ship an exchange, as required. Please allow 7 working days for returns to be processed once they reach our workshop and a further 3 days for any refund to appear in your account. If you have received a small promotional gift – for example some stickers – please keep this if you wish to!
The address for returns is below, if you wish you can detach and use as an address label.
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Check this out:
https://www.ironheartamerica.com/content/product-care-guidelines
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Have they been soaked or wash prior to wearing?
Edit: becuase there's varying opinions about what's best… For me I would only gently hand wash them in cold water until they are way more broken in.
A lot of people don't care. But if you're going for crisp high-contrast fades I would only hand wash.
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I use the hand wash setting (which is meant for woolens and other delicates) inside out with woolite dark, no softener, no spin, hang dry, and only do so when they stink or are soiled.
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@Filthy:
Have they been soaked or wash prior to wearing?
Edit: becuase there's varying opinions about what's best… For me I would only gently hand wash them in cold water until they are way more broken in.
A lot of people don't care. But if you're going for crisp high-contrast fades I would only hand wash.
no, since they are sanforized unwashed i put them on as soon as arrived to stretch them a bit before a first wash/soak.
thank you for all the suggestions, i think i will go for a hand washing first in the next weeks since they doesn't stink and are not stained.
to be honest, have fear to soil them, for example accidentally when eating (damn tomato spaghettis!) or when going out. So when that will happen i'll need to use the washing machine method as you informed!
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Your jeans are going to take a solid 60 wears to get really broken in. So yeah I would just soak or hand wash them. You'll get over the fear of soiling them. Just keep wearing them as much as possible and you'll be all set. Most Iron Heart denim is pretty stubborn to fade so don't worry if they get dirty. You can safely soak them to no detriment of the denim.
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I'm a tub-soaker myself. Turn the jeans inside out, If I need some shrink, hot water, otherwise cold. Throw some woolite dark in there and agitate the pants a bit. Then hang dry outside.
Filthy has this down to a science Is there a pinned post on how you soak, @Filthy?
I do the same except I use a bucket. Less starch and/or indigo to clean up
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Looking for thoughts on treating the natural leather patch… Do or don’t?
I just used some Brooks Proofide on my new 526PJ’s leather patch... To keep it Brit as that’s where it was shipped from hahah...
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Looking for thoughts on treating the natural leather patch… Do or don’t?
I just used some Brooks Proofide on my new 526PJ’s leather patch... To keep it Brit as that’s where it was shipped from hahah...
And it smells beautifully citrusy!