Your job means your equipment takes a beating every day. Here are some tips on how to clean and maintain your Iron Duck equipment.

Bag Cleaning Guidelines

Machine washing is NOT recommended

While many of our bag’s liners are removable and can be machine washed, it’s recommended that you wash bags by hand. Dirt/soil stains can be removed by brushing the area with household detergents (including antibacterial detergents). Grease and oil stains can be removed with a commercial dry cleaning fluid.

Bags made with Impervaguard-UP material (Universal Precautions):
Material can be cleaned with all-purpose soap and water.

To clean a carry case contaminated with blood:
Fresh stains can usually be removed by a thorough cleaning with cold water and detergent. (Avoid using hot water which will set the stain.)

For persistent stains:
Prior to cleaning, test color fastness in a small, inconspicuous area of the bag with your solution of choice. Do not use chlorine bleach!

Soak material with a solution of 1 quart of warm water, 1.5 tablespoons of dish washing or liquid laundry detergent, and 1 tablespoon of ammonia for 15 minutes. Brush or scrape gently to lift excess solid or caked-on stains, blotting occasionally with an absorbent pad until the stain is removed. Rinse well with water, making sure to remove all traces of the ammonia. Wipe all exterior and interior surfaces with household detergent (antibacterial detergents can be used).

Bag Maintenance Guidelines:

– Treat all 1000D nylon, liner and webbing components with a nylon safe fabric protector prior to first use and after each washing.

– Treat all zippers with the same fabric protector to ensure long life and smooth operation.

Frozen zipper
If you’ve encountered this common issue with your bag’s zipper, follow these steps to fix it for good.

Flush the zipper with cold water. This can be done by emptying the bag and immersing it in cold water for a few minutes. Gently use a nylon brush to remove any deposits. If you are not able to open the zipper, saturate the zipper with cold water to help release it. You will find that your Iron Duck case will work as well as the first day you received it.

Backboard Cleaning Guidelines

Here are some quick tips to clean and maintain your Iron Duck backboards:

To clean/disinfect a backboard contaminated by blood or other bodily fluids:
Wash and scrub the stain with a cleaning solution recommended by your local protocol. (Commercial anti-microbial cleaning products or freshly prepared bleach and water in a 1:10 ratio are approved for use with Iron Duck backboards.)

If stain is still visible, cover with solution and lay dry, heavy-duty paper towels or brown paper (such as brown paper grocery bags) over the stain and cleaning solution, press down lightly to ensure that the solution permeates the paper. Allow the board to dry overnight.

Discard the used paper towels/wipes in biohazard bags. The stain may require additional scrubbing with a stiff brush to remove debris left over from the soaking procedure.