Dry cleaning a m-1943 field jacket. Is it safe?

[Sefton]

I just received a 1946 field jacket that has (I think) a strong chemical-probably moth ball-smell and I'd like to have it dry cleaned. Is it safe for the vintage buttons? I've read that some old buttons may be damaged by the process. I don't want to wash this in an ordinary machine. The person that I bought it from did that once already and the printed information on the jacket inside is now nearly gone. Thanks.

 

[thunderw21]

I don't know about dry cleaning it. It probably wouldn't hurt it but might add a sheen to it. But if you don't want to spend money try cleaning it yourself.

I've always hand washed my M43s, M41s, etc. in our bath tub.

I clean out the tub, getting any residue out before partially filling it with lukewarm water. I use a cap full of normal laundry detergent like Shout, Tide or what have you. Do not use anything with bleach, but you probably already know this. Submerse the jacket in this water, gently swirling for a couple minutes and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.
Empty out the tub, rinsing any soap residue. Refill with cold water. Submerge jacket gently swirl, removing any soap from the jacket. Hang dry (a drying rack would be even better).

And there you have it, your M43 is now clean and no longer smells. This process has worked for me on numerous M43s, an M41, HBTs, vintage ties and more.

Billy

Edit: the printing on WW2 U.S. items is silk screened so it will not fade easily. A gentle handwashing will not hurt it, though I don't know if dry cleaning will.