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Cleaning medal ribbons

Medal ribbons can be cleaned gently with a soft brush and vacuum cleaner. Attach a piece of soft plastic tubing to the smallest nozzle of your vacuum cleaner to prevent damage to the ribbon. Cover the nozzle with a piece of open-weave gauze fabric-net curtain or gauze bandage is ideal. Set the cleaner to its lowest suction level (see section on Storage) and gently vacuum the ribbon, using the soft brush to loosen ingrained dirt.

If the ribbon needs further cleaning, it may be dry-cleaned, but only if it can be detached from the medal. Do not wash the ribbon. Many of the dyes, especially the older silk dyes, run or "bleed" in water. While it may be possible to dry clean ribbons at home, it is safer to take them to a professional dry cleaner.

Ribbons should not be ironed. If they need to be flattened, place them between two sheets of blotting paper that have been very slightly dampened with distilled or deionised water. Place some heavy weights on top of the blotting paper for up to 30 minutes. You must be certain, however, before attempting this that the colours in the ribbon will not 'run' if they are dampened.

Sometimes ribbons have become so badly worn that replacements are required. These can be obtained from medal dealers, listed in the Yellow Pages of most phone books. Your local Returned & Services League of Australia Sub-Branch can often help with advice on sources of ribbon.

To reattach a ribbon to a medal, stitch it carefully with cotton or silk thread. Do not use staples or sticky tape to hold ribbons together.