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Textiles

Insect damage is the greatest risk to uniforms, flags and pennants, and other textile items.

Clean textiles are less attractive to insect pests.

If the item is fragile or particularly old, washing, dry cleaning and spot cleaning should only be carried out by a trained textile conservator.

If fabric items are soiled, do not machine wash them. Seek expert advice from the Australian War Memorial.

Dry cleaning should only be used where it is certain that no damage will be caused to the item by the process.

Most textiles can be gently cleaned by removing surface dust by careful vacuuming, using gentle suction with a clean, soft brush. Vacuuming is described in more detail in the section on caring for your medals. Gently brush the fabric, on a flat surface, following the pattern of the weave. Small vacuum cleaner attachments such as a crevice tool and small brushes may prove to be useful.

Use tweezers to remove debris that has adhered to the fabric. You can remove encrustations by gently tapping them with a brush. Suck up the loose particles with the vacuum cleaner.

Make sure pockets are empty and clean. Bits of long-forgotten food or sweets will be like a magnet for insects.

Storage in a cool, dry environment, with a moderate humidity level will provide adequate protection for most pieces. If possible, wrap the fabric in acid-free tissue. Silk, however, should not be wrapped in acid-free paper: it should be wrapped in a neutral pH paper.

Small textile items should be stored flat, with no folds. If you must make a fold, be sure it is not sharp but supported with rolled or twisted up acid-free tissue.

Large flat objects can be stored rolled around a cardboard core that has been covered with acid-free tissue. Interleave the item with tissue as you roll. Store hats in boxes lined with acid-free tissue, and pad the crown with the tissue.

Items such as uniforms, provided they are not too heavy, may be hung on clothes hangers (not wood or wire) padded with acid-free paper.

If you still have problems with insect infestation, place a small amount of paradichlorobenzene in an open glass jar and put this in with the fabric in a sealed container. Make sure none of the fabric touches the chemical. Paradichlorobenzene is available at supermarkets and hardware stores in the home-care products section. It comes in the form of a round block about 60 mm in diameter and about 12 mm thick and is an air freshener for the toilet and bathroom. Sometimes it is available in the insecticides section of supermarkets as a replacement for mothballs. Check the packaging to be sure that you are buying paradichlorobenzene and not a similar looking product.

Exercise care when using the chemical. Although it has low toxicity for humans, avoid contact with it as much as possible. See the box 'Take care when using paradichlorobenzene'.