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04-19-2007, 05:23 PM
I followed up on this some more, as the claim of not being able to wash nomex with regular detergents just didn't sound right to me.
A little bit of googling shows that as I suspected nomex suits can be washed in a regular washing machine with regular soap ** unless the manufacturer specifies different washing instructions for the purposes of preserving other attributes of the suit **
http://www.automotiveworkwear.com/landryinfo_nomex.html
What you're buying with the Molecular Labs product is not a special soap, but a fabric treatment designed to help prevent oily stains from soaking into the fabric and becoming a flash fire.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecule_(Brand)
Now, realistically, do you need it? Well, if you're just wearing the suit and not getting it into situations where it could be soiled with oil or fuel (i.e. you're careless with those items), then no, you do not need this product.
Let's ask the question of whether if you got a small amount of oil on the suit whether it could be a hazard... a small amount, still not - a cosmetic annoyance, but not a hazard, as there would be so little fuel there to burn that you would not have an issue.
...large amounts, then that's a different matter, but I'd hope that you wouldn't be working on your car in a situation that would get you exposed to large amounts of fuel/oil and potentially ruin your suit.
Bottom line:
If you want to keep your suit free of oil stains while working on your car, then this cannot hurt. Personally, I'd take off my suit.
Do you need it, no.
It's seems a little expensive when you consider that you're buying spot remover and a fabric treatment that you shouldn't need and can buy more cheaply from a grocery store.
I'd stick to regular (non abrasive) stain removers and just have your suit washed properly in regular detergent. If you'd like to be nice to your suit, then dry-clean it occasionally - that should work just as effectively and work out cheaper.
Sorrry for the long post, but it's a hobby of mine to debunk the excessive claims of products that hype up "issues" to sell their product at inflated prices (as well as urban myths). $100 for a soap kit falls into the snake oil category for me. I hate to see people spending excessive amount of money on stuff they don't need, or can buy more cheaply in other products.
A little bit of googling shows that as I suspected nomex suits can be washed in a regular washing machine with regular soap ** unless the manufacturer specifies different washing instructions for the purposes of preserving other attributes of the suit **
http://www.automotiveworkwear.com/landryinfo_nomex.html
What you're buying with the Molecular Labs product is not a special soap, but a fabric treatment designed to help prevent oily stains from soaking into the fabric and becoming a flash fire.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecule_(Brand)
Now, realistically, do you need it? Well, if you're just wearing the suit and not getting it into situations where it could be soiled with oil or fuel (i.e. you're careless with those items), then no, you do not need this product.
Let's ask the question of whether if you got a small amount of oil on the suit whether it could be a hazard... a small amount, still not - a cosmetic annoyance, but not a hazard, as there would be so little fuel there to burn that you would not have an issue.
...large amounts, then that's a different matter, but I'd hope that you wouldn't be working on your car in a situation that would get you exposed to large amounts of fuel/oil and potentially ruin your suit.
Bottom line:
If you want to keep your suit free of oil stains while working on your car, then this cannot hurt. Personally, I'd take off my suit.
Do you need it, no.
It's seems a little expensive when you consider that you're buying spot remover and a fabric treatment that you shouldn't need and can buy more cheaply from a grocery store.
I'd stick to regular (non abrasive) stain removers and just have your suit washed properly in regular detergent. If you'd like to be nice to your suit, then dry-clean it occasionally - that should work just as effectively and work out cheaper.
Sorrry for the long post, but it's a hobby of mine to debunk the excessive claims of products that hype up "issues" to sell their product at inflated prices (as well as urban myths). $100 for a soap kit falls into the snake oil category for me. I hate to see people spending excessive amount of money on stuff they don't need, or can buy more cheaply in other products.