Milwaukee 12V Heated Jacket: Cleaning and Usage

[Kin Creed]

I have a heated jacket that is a couple years old and it quickly became one of my favorite jackets. However it said hand wash only so I never washed it and it started to get so nasty I stopped wearing it.

Well I finally tried washing it using the delicate cycle and hang drying and it seems to be functioning ok. And it doesn't smell like used motor oil anymore so I am super stoked because it really is a great jacket.

The heating part just ok in my book, it gets too cold here for the heat to make much of a real, lasting impact. But on occasion I will fire up the heater wearing it under a parka if it's cold or by itself if it's not too cold. More of luxury item than super functional but whatever. It works.

Anyway, going forward I am going to attempt to keep this jacket away from the dirty jobs and reserve it for clean use only. It's too nice a jacket for crawling around on the garage floor and it's a pain to clean.

So I'll use one of my cheapo Costco jackets for changing oil and such while my Milwaukee jacket will be for general use, but nothing where it gets super nasty again. The heating elements are probably not designed for aggressive cleaning so hopefully this will keep it going for a while.

 

[itsvegas]

I haven't worn mine enough to get super dirty but I wear it on my motorcycle on cold nights. It definitely helps. I just wear it over a tshirt.

 

[TomB19]

I just washed mine for the first time a few days ago. Delicate wash. Dried on "knit" setting for 30 minutes and then hang in front of a fan. Worked great.

You might be able to just fully dry it but I want to be gentle with it.

 

[rlitman]

The Milwaukee site says that all the heated jackets are washer and dryer safe.

DeWalt and Bosch both state that their jackets cannot be drycleaned or machine washed. That's a deal breaker for me.

I have the current M12 jacket, and like it a lot. I baby it though, and use the heat under an oversized parka, so it gets quite warm inside. Worn that way, it isn't exposed to the elements, so I may never have to wash it anyway, but to know I can still means a lot.

 

[Kin Creed]

I believe the newer ones are washer safe, but the older ones say hand wash only.

That said my old one appears to have survived a delicate cycle machine wash so that's cool. Somehow I started using this jacket for pretty much everything including some really dirty jobs which in hindsight was pretty dumb. I viewed it as a working jacket, but now I'm viewing as more of a nice jacket which I think makes more sense since you can't wash the **** out of it like do with regular working clothes.

 

[mrvm]

The heating part just ok in my book, it gets too cold here for the heat to make much of a real, lasting impact. But on occasion I will fire up the heater wearing it under a parka if it's cold or by itself if it's not too cold. More of luxury item than super functional but whatever. It works

Had the same heating experience with the Milwaukee heated hoodie. It doesn't retain heat nor block cold air infiltration very well on windy cold days but when worn under a light jacket it does okay. Nice hoodie for brisk days otherwise without the bulk. My Bosch jacket heats up fast and blocks the wind like a regular jacket should but is not recommended to be machined washed. I have noticed some battery drainage when leaving the battery/cable connected when the jacket/hoodie is not worn for a few days so I keep a spare battery handy in my bug-out bag.

 

[rlitman]

I have noticed some battery drainage when leaving the battery/cable connected when the jacket/hoodie is not worn for a few days so I keep a spare battery handy in my bug-out bag.

I have the M18 adapter. If the switch is off, there is no drainage. If the switch is on, the power adapter will drain the battery in a few days, whether connected to the jacket or not.

 

[dowmace]

I wash my hoodie every few days and it gets worn every day. I've found that with my carhartt vest over it I can't stand the high setting for long it starts to feel like its burning hot within a few minutes. Without the vest its much less dramatic.

The washer and dryer have yet to cause a problem for me. But I have a newer style hoodie

 

[mrvm]

I have the M18 adapter. If the switch is off, there is no drainage. If the switch is on, the power adapter will drain the battery in a few days, whether connected to the jacket or not.

Thnx, that's hard-to-find info about the M18 adapter.

 

[cheechi]

Regardless of the instructions on my hoodie I plan to delicate/gentle wash & hang dry. There's less padding on it to protect the heat elements I like it too much to chance it.

 

[abvw]

I washed my first gen in the washer (recommended hand wash only) and hung dry. Still works great!