I was cleaning my Kirby Morgan hat wrong for a solid year before a tender in Mobile called me out

I always thought the best way to get the salt and grime off the inside of my hat was a good long soak in a bucket of fresh water with some mild soap. Did it after every job, let it sit for an hour. Last month, the deckhand on a job in Mobile saw me doing it and just said, 'You know that's wrecking the liner, right?' He showed me the manual, which I admit I hadn't looked at in a while. It said quick rinse only, no soaking, because the foam liner soaks up water and holds it against the shell, which can start corrosion you can't even see. I felt like a total rookie. Now I'm paranoid about what else I might be messing up with basic care. Has anyone else had a simple maintenance habit that turned out to be doing more harm than good?

2 comments

2 Comments

val_chen167d ago

That exact thing happened with my old drysuit neck seal. Used to baby it with talc after every rinse, thought I was keeping it supple. Turns out I was just clogging the pores and making it brittle over time. The manual said a light dusting only before storage, not after every use. Felt pretty dumb for missing something that basic. Makes you wonder what other small routines are actually working against you.

hugo_coleman287d ago

Hey @val_chen16, didn't I read that talc can actually dry out latex over time? Makes total sense now.