Gear Care: Keep Your Armor and Equipment Ready
Body armor is built to last for years, but the gear it lives in takes daily abuse. Carriers absorb sweat and body oil through a full shift, helmet pads hold more moisture than anything else you wear, and packs collect dust and salt in every strap. Knowing how to clean body armor and the equipment around it is what keeps a five-year panel and a two-year carrier reaching the end of their service life instead of wearing out early. Everything in this collection is formulated for performance fabric and protective equipment rather than household surfaces.
How Do You Clean Body Armor?
Armor comes apart before it gets cleaned, and the two halves are treated differently. Ballistic panels and hard plates are wiped down by hand. Carriers, shells, and covers go in the wash. Treating them the same way is the most common mistake we see.
Ballistic Panels, Plates, and Trauma Pads
Soft armor panels, hard plates, and trauma pads should never go through a washing machine or a dryer, and they should not be submerged, soaked, or dry cleaned. Remove them from the carrier first, wipe both faces with a damp cloth, and avoid harsh solvents. Lay them flat and let them dry completely before they go back in. Panels should be stored flat rather than folded, since creasing can affect the ballistic package over time.
Carriers, Vests, and Shells
Most of our outer carriers are machine washable. With the armor removed, wash the carrier on a gentle cycle and lay it flat or hang it to dry. Care requirements vary by product, so check the care tag or product page for your specific carrier and follow that guidance first. The Everyday Armor T-Shirt 360 carrier, for example, is washed cold and hung to dry.
What you wash with matters as much as how. Household detergent leaves filler and softener residue in the weave of synthetic fabric, which traps odor rather than removing it and reduces the moisture management the carrier was built for. A detergent formulated for technical fabric avoids that buildup. Skip fabric softener and dryer sheets entirely, and keep plate carriers and vests out of the dryer, since heat shortens the life of synthetic fabric and can change how a carrier fits.
How Do You Clean the Inside of a Helmet?
A helmet shell cannot be washed, and the interior is where the problem actually lives. Pads and liners sit against your head for hours and absorb far more sweat than a carrier does, which is why odor sets into the foam rather than the shell. The practical approach is to treat the interior directly with a spray made for helmet padding: cover the crown and brow pads first, then the liner and the chin strap webbing, and leave the helmet open until it is completely dry.
Doing this after each hard use takes seconds and prevents the buildup that becomes difficult to reverse. If you run a Fortis Ballistic Helmet or any bump or training helmet, the same routine applies, and it extends to replaceable pad systems as well.
What About Packs, Slings, and Nylon Gear?
Cordura and coated nylon hold up to years of hard use, but the shoulder straps and back panel collect body oil, dust, and salt in the same way a carrier does. Spot clean with mild soap and cool water, treat the fabric with a gear deodorizer between cleanings, and let everything dry fully before storage. Coated nylon should stay out of the dryer, and bleach and solvent cleaners should stay off it entirely, since both strip the coating and weaken stitching. If your pack holds a backpack armor insert, remove the insert before cleaning the bag and wipe the insert down separately.
What to Avoid When Cleaning Gear
- Bleach and solvent cleaners. Both break down synthetic fibers and fabric coatings.
- Fabric softener and dryer sheets. The residue they leave behind reduces breathability.
- High heat. Never on ballistic panels or plates, and rarely a good idea on technical fabric.
- Dry cleaning. Those solvents are not appropriate for ballistic materials.
- Household air fresheners. They cover odor temporarily and leave residue in the fabric.
How Often Should You Clean Your Gear?
| After each hard use | Treat the carrier and helmet interior with a deodorizing spray, and let everything air dry before it goes back into storage. |
| Monthly, or as needed | Remove the armor, wash the carrier on gentle, and wipe the panels down with a damp cloth. |
| Every few months | Spot clean packs and slings, and inspect straps, stitching, and hook-and-loop for wear. |
| Once a year | Check the date on your soft armor and inspect the panels for creasing, stiffness, or visible damage. |
Choosing the Right Gear Care Product
The three products in this collection cover different parts of the same job, and most customers end up with more than one.
- Molecule Helmet REFRESH, 4 oz: a compact spray for helmet pads, liners, and chin strap webbing. Small enough to keep in a range bag.
- Molecule REFRESH, 16 oz: a larger sprayer for carriers, vests, packs, gloves, and pouches. Sized for treating a full kit at once.
- Molecule WASH, 16 oz: a concentrated detergent for uniforms, base layers, and carrier shells. Runs in a standard machine and delivers up to 8 washes per bottle.
If you wear armor regularly, start with the carrier, since that is the piece in contact with your body the longest. If you run a helmet, start with Helmet REFRESH. For a complete routine, all three work together: WASH cleans what can go in a machine, and the two REFRESH sprays handle everything that cannot.
frequently asked questions
We will sell body armor to civilians, Law Enforcement Officers, and Military Personnel in the United States who meet the following criteria:
1. Are 18 years of age or older
2. Are not a felon;
3. Are legally allowed to possess and use the item(s) in your state (If you are a New York or Connecticut resident, you must be active Law Enforcement or Military Personnel and provide necessary credentials);
4. Are purchasing this product for only lawful purposes;
5. Are purchasing this product on your own behalf;
6. Comply with all other Terms & Conditions.
Learn more about the legality of body armor in each state.
STRATIS Plates have an 8-year warranty. Fortis plates have a 7-year warranty. Soft body armor panels (for vests and backpacks) have a 5-year warranty, and each carrier has a 2-year warranty.
For warranties on specific products, please see the product page.
All products (excluding clearance items) are eligible for an easy return or exchange if initiated within 30 days of receipt, and the product(s) is in new, unused condition.
There is no re-stocking fee for returns or exchanges. The customer is responsible for any return shipping costs associated with returning the product.
Read more about our returns & exchange information.