ABUs need to be kept uniform and undamaged Published Jan. 17, 2008 By 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The long awaited Air Battle Uniform is hitting the shelves of Vance military clothing sales, and Chief Master Sgt. Ruben Gonzalez, the 71st Flying Training Wing command chief, has a keen eye on its proper wear and care. "I've been impressed with Team Vance's military image from the day that I arrived. Now that our ABUs are starting to show up at Vance, we need to educate ourselves with its wear and care requirements in order to continue the positive trend of representing our Air Force's image." The following information is taken from the Air Force Portal uniform page, which can also be found on the Vance Portal page. · The ABU is literally a wash and wear item. In fact, starching and hot pressing of ABUs is prohibited. Also, one should not dry clean the ABU. Dry cleaning, starching and hot pressing will deteriorate the fiber in the uniform and shorten the wear life. · In order to maximize service life and maintain optimum performance, the following instructions should be followed when caring for the ABU: Wash in warm water with detergent containing no optical brighteners or bleach.* Tumble dry at low heat. The use of starch, sizing and any process that involves dry-cleaning or steam press will adversely affect the treatments and durability of the uniform and is not authorized. · Starching of the ABU is prohibited. Starching uniforms makes the uniform material more brittle and subsequently reduces the wear life. The permanent press and near Infrared features of this uniform will be damaged by starching, commercial pressing and additives in the washing process. The permanent press feature will allow Airmen to look sharp and wear the ABU without incurring the costs of commercial dry cleaning or pressing. *The following is a list of detergents that do not contain optical brighteners, which can permanently damage the chemical properties of the fabric. Cheer (liquid and powder) Cheer Free Exchange Select Cold Water Wash All Detergent Free Clear Country Save Liquid Detergent Allens Laundry detergent (power and liquid) Bi-O-Kleen Laundry Detergent (powder and liquid) Charlie's Soap (powder and liquid) ECOS Free and Clear Laundry Detergent Mountain Green Liquid Laundry Detergent Nature Clean (liquid and powder) Oxy-Prime Powder Planet Ultra (liquid and powder) Seventh Generation Laundry detergents Sportwash Sun and Earth Liquid Surf Powder (not Surf Liquid) Washeze Woolite, original and dark