I bit the bullet today...

[Kevin O'Beirne]

I bit the proverbial bullet today. With the 2007 reenacting season over, I finally decided it was time. Yes time for that...

I washed my Federal issue shirt and drawers.

Yeeow. Filth galore. First I washed the shirt (only); after nine sinks full of water (four with soap in them, the rest being "rinsing"), the water in the sink was finally just cloudy when I drained it, instead of virtually muddy as it was when I drained the first few sink-fuls. How did my duds get that dirty?!

Thank goodness the drawers, while pretty darned dirty, weren't in nearly the condition the issue-shirt was. It only took six sinks of water, two with soap, to get them to a condition that I daresay is possibly even cleaner than the shirt. When I laid out both garments to dry, it was still somewhat shocking to see just how "dirty" they still appear to be--particularly the shirt.

I'm a poor parent. While I washed these things, I allowed my son, who's a couple months short of turning three years old, to watch what I was doing. I bet the kid has nightmares tonight.

[Forquer]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

Kevin -

Did you file an environmental impact statement with the EPA before doing the deed?

You may also wind up with PETA at your door after killing off countless microbiological specimens. Meat is murder!

[JimKindred]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

Kevin,

You gave me a scare, I thought I was going to read where you had decided to renew your subscription to CCG. :wink_smil

[Milliron]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

Kevin,

You gave me a scare, I thought I was going to read where you had decided to renew your subscription to CCG. :wink_smil

ROFLMAO!!!! Thanks for that, you made my day.

[Gary of CA]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

Dirty clothes is authentic for a soldier on the campaign march. So long as they're free of graybacks, it's good enough for gubmint work. Congratulations on your fit for inspection (and smell free) state of readiness.

[Rev]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

Superfund site!

[Rob]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

http://www.epa.gov/owm/

:D

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

Here in New York State, environmental impact statements are the responsibility of the "lead agency"--whoever that is. I considered washing my issue shirt and drawers an Unlisted Action under New York State Environmental Quality Review laws and therefore did not file any notices or prepare the impact statement, or even a long-form EAF.

That stuff said...

Dirt is accurate for a campaign-soldier portrayal, particularly one on a dusty march. However, my next event is a winter quarters portrayal, and seeing how the laundresses' cabin is next door to the quarters where I'm staying, I figure my stuff should be reasonably clean.

Now, about the matter of PETA coming after me for bumping off all those microbes... While I hadn't thought about that, you may have a point. So, let me say this:

I did not wash my shirt today. No sirree, no microbes were wasted around here today. :D

[GreencoatCross]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

Kevin, that's pretty good, but my old issue shirt went for roughly five years without a wash. When I finally got around to it the water was dark gray, had dead gnats and ticks in it, and I had to skim the scum off the water a few times. While washing the shirt I was a little regretful that I had bothered in the first place.....I was almost proud of that greasy rag.

As far as I can remember, the only other garments I've washed have been the odd civilian shirt, drawers, and my knit wool civilian shirt, none of which are never really that horrifying to wash. Everything else gets an airing out after an event and a good shake-out before an event. Hurrah!

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

Brian,

I bow in defeat to your story-of-dirt. I simply cannot go five years between washing some of these garments. While the water in my sink was a medium brown, it did not fizz or produce a layer of scum, let alone have bug corpses floating in it. (No doubt for you, the fizzing brought their bodies to the surface. Watch out for PETA.) Did you have to call a plumber to fix the drain after you pulled this stunt?

[GreencoatCross]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

Kevin,

No, no plumbers involved, just some bleach once the rinse water was down the drain. Now that I looked back at my previous post, i realize how utterly disgusting I must have appeared (and smelled) at events.

Cheers,

[DougCooper]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

I bit the proverbial bullet today. With the 2007 reenacting season over, I finally decided it was time. Yes time for that...

I washed my Federal issue shirt and drawers.

Yeeow. Filth galore. First I washed the shirt (only); after nine sinks full of water (four with soap in them, the rest being "rinsing"), the water in the sink was finally just cloudy when I drained it, instead of virtually muddy as it was when I drained the first few sink-fuls. How did my duds get that dirty?!

Thank goodness the drawers, while pretty darned dirty, weren't in nearly the condition the issue-shirt was. It only took six sinks of water, two with soap, to get them to a condition that I daresay is possibly even cleaner than the shirt. When I laid out both garments to dry, it was still somewhat shocking to see just how "dirty" they still appear to be--particularly the shirt.

I'm a poor parent. While I washed these things, I allowed my son, who's a couple months short of turning three years old, to watch what I was doing. I bet the kid has nightmares tonight.

Yeah been meanin' to talk you about that shirt Kevin ;) Good luck on getting your son to take a bath now!

For the record, I think Danny McCoslin still has the record for longest without washing a shirt. Dang thing is Texas mud colored and is entirely waterproof...and may or may not still have cloth content. Hard to tell.

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

I wash my civilian shirt and drawers after every event, but never anything else...

... for the past 10 years.

Totally grosses my wife out, but so what? :p

-Johnny Lloyd

[henionjd]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

Doug,

I beg to differ but the flithiest shirt possible belongs to "Soupbone" Weymer. There is evil in those fibers that does not sleep.

[Bill]

Re: I bit the bullet today...

Doug,

I beg to differ but the flithiest shirt possible belongs to "Soupbone" Weymer. There is evil in those fibers that does not sleep.

I'll second that vote. Soupbone's shirt is truly nasty. I often wondered where he keeps that thing between events.