Mike: I recently purchased a Sparco X-Lite HC Nomex suit for formula car racing, a Sparco X Lite K suit for karting, a Sparco Imola suit for my son for karting and your Molecule Care Kit from Wine Country in Sonoma and have read though the enclosed directions and perused your website.

I plan to apply the Molecule Protector to my Sparco X-Lite HC Nomex suit prior to its first use.

My question:

Is there any value to using the Molecule Protector on the two new karting suits mentioned above. I realize the karting suits do not have Nomex and are not really at risk for fire, but I thought the Molecule Protector may simply be useful in preventing stains and/or for added rain protection. But as these new suits are not Nomex, I was not sure if applying the protector and then putting the suits in the dryer on high for 60 minutes as per the directions would potentially cause suit damage.

Please advise.

Thanks,

Paul B Coleman
Modesto California

Paul,
Thanks for the email and thanks for purchasing our product. The PROTECTOR on the karting suits is a very good idea. What PROTECTOR does extremely well is repel hydrocarbon liquids which means- oils, fuels etc. The amount of oil coming off of chains and exhaust systems in karting is huge, especially on the back of the suit. If the oils are not allowed to penetrate deeply, they will clean off much more effectively when washed. Our MOLECULE WASH is extremely effective on oily soils, far more effective than traditional laundry detergents. We have many, many karters using the PROTECTOR, and are praising it's performance.

On another subject, we are finding that some of the new SPARCO suits are being manufactured with a "non woven" inner lining. This non woven material can have a tendency to migrate through the face fabric during the washing/drying tumbling process and cause "pilling" on the outside of the suit. That is why many of the new suits are coming with laundry bags to help minimize this phenomenon. We do not recommend the use of the laundry bag because that does not allow the suit to flow well in the wash cycle and therefore slightly degrades the cleaning process. We do however, recommend washing the suit on the gentle cycle in your washing machine. We also recommend you dry the suit by hang drying. The only time you will need to use the dryer is when you use the protector.

What we recommend here is:

1.) wash the suit and hang dry or start with a new clean dry suit
2.) liberally apply the PROTECTOR to the entire suit
3.) make sure the PROTECTOR penetrates the fabric by rubbing it in with your hands if necessary
4.) allow to air dry
5.) put the PROTECTED AND DRY suit in the dryer for 20 to 25 minutes on high heat
(this is necessary to "cure" the PROTECTOR onto the fabric)
6.) pull it out and RACE!

This process will work on all suits, Karting or Nomex. This new recommendation has been developed to minimize the tumbling of the suits to reduce pilling and to minimize any potential shrinkage.

Also, the REFRESHER can be sprayed onto the inside layer of the suits before going in the dryer, after washing and or when brand new. This will cure the anti-microbial and fabric softener to the inside fabric making the suit softer and more comfortable and keeps it from smelling.
You can also use the REFRESHER on NOMEX underwear, socks and balaclavas to make them softer and keep them fresh smelling.

I hope I have not created more confusion for you. It is pretty simple once you understand the products and their potential uses.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Thanks,

President Molecule Labs, Inc.

(FOLLOW UP QUESTION)

Michael:

Thank you for the advice of last week.

My three new Sparco suits described below all have box quilt stitching. Is the "pilling" issue you mention a concern for these types of suits as well.

If pilling is not an issue with these box quilt suits, would you still recommend air dry after wash and only 20 minutes [vs. the 60 minutes listed on the bottle] in the dryer after the Protector application.

Finally, since you have significant experience with suits, would you recommend washing the suits in my home washing machine or dry cleaning. I ask only because using the washing machine is obviously more practical, but the Sparco website's FAQ section recommends dry cleaning.

Thanks,
Paul B Coleman
Modesto California

Paul,
The pilling will happen on all suits that have "non woven" inner lining. With or without box quilting. It is not a big issue if you keep the tumbling to a minimum. I would wash them normally, then inspect them after they come out of the wash. If there is no pilling, then spray with protector and dry in the dryer for 45 minutes. 45 is enough. IF there is a little pilling after drying, then just pick them off and you will know that next time it may be best to air dry the protector then dry in the dryer for 20 minutes. I do not recommend dry cleaning. Dry cleaning will tumble them even more, and you have no control of the process. Washing is a more effective cleaning process removing the water soluble soils (sweat, etc.) better than dry cleaning.

Good luck,

President Molecule Labs, Inc.

 Hi Mike, I have a front load european low water use washing machine. How does that change how I use my new Molecule system?
Thanks,
S. Lehr 

Stuart, Great to hear from you. Thanks for purchasing our product. Front loaders are fine. That is what we use in the lab and I have one at home also. If the suit is new, I recommend you clean it first with 1 oz. of WASH in the machine, warm water and gentle cycle. If the suit is not new and it is the first time you have washed it with MOLECULE WASH, then use 3 oz. of WASH in the machine, regular cycle, warm water, just to make sure it is very clean before you use PROTECTOR. If you have an extra rinse function I would recommend that also. Now... PROTECTOR.
Some people are worried about shrinkage. Nomex suits can shrink VERY-VERY slightly when put in the dryer wet and dried hot. However, remember, NOMEX is designed to get hot. Personally, I prefer to buy my suits slightly big, it gives me more room to move, and then if it shrinks a tiny-tiny bit, it is OK. That way I can always wash and dry it without any worries.
The MOLECULE PROTECTOR works best if it is heat cured. So, if you are worried about shrinkage, then this is another way to protect it without it shrinking at all.

1.) Wash and then hang/line dry (usually overnight)
2.) Spray Protector on the suit and let it hang/line dry. (usually overnight)
3.) Put the (dry and protected) dry suit in the dryer for 20 minutes.

This way the protector gets heat cured but there is no water on the suit in the dryer which will eliminate ANY shrinkage. This process takes more time but eliminates any chance of shrinkage. I hope this helps.
If you have any more questions, feel free to send me another email.

Good luck with your racing.

President  Molecule Labs, Inc.

 Hi Mike, I have a Safe-Quip Corner Marshal suit made of white FRC. (fire resistant cotton) Will your product work on this material, especially since it's been washed about 20 times in cold water? 
Thanks,
Tom Miller,
Baton Rouge, LA

Tom, Thanks for your interest in our products. Has your suit been dried in a dryer? I am not sure if FRC will shrink. I doubt it, but I don't know for sure. Our system is best used with warm to hot water with the WASH, and the Protector works when it is heated in a dryer. Nomex has no problem with this. Let me know more... if it has been dried in a dryer and if you have ever washed it in hot water. I can guarantee you will like the WASH, even if you have to use cold water. Also, if you ever had it dry cleaned, it was dried with heat. All dry cleaning systems use heat in the drying process to evaporate the solvent from the garment (to reclaim the solvent).

President  Molecule Labs, Inc.

I was getting ready to deal with my suits ...... wash and treat .......... I read in the directions that you need to dry with HIGH heat ......have heard of anyone SHRINKING their suit ??? does this happen ?? little worried about that as its a wee bit tight already ......... maybe I should wait till I loose 10 more lbs ?? WORKING ON THAT big time now.............. good GF's are great .......... but they feed you (they think they need to keep you alive I guess ...) shes still 105 LBS and Im not what used to be !! ARGH !! on the way down now tho...
anyway let me know if you think the heat might shrink my suit ??? ............or dry (air dry) first and then treat ???

Greg P.
Formula 2000

No problem with the high heat. Nomex has no problem with the heat. It is designed for the heat!!

The polymer in the PROTECTOR needs heat to cure it on the fiber. That's why it works so well. If you want, you can wash it then air dry it. After it is dry, spray it with PROTECTOR then dry it in the dryer for 20 minutes at High heat. We recommend 45 minutes to an hour to dry a damp suit that was sprayed with protector. 30 minutes of that drying time is to dry the suit, 15 to 30 minutes is to cure the polymer. The polymer won't start the curing process until all of the moisture is gone.
Good luck, you are going to love this stuff.

President  Molecule Labs, Inc.