Washing a Not Silvered Photographic Softbox in a Washing Machine — Chimera Pro II Large Strip Box — Measuring 50x210 Centimeters (21x84 Inches)

© 2013 Peter Free

 

13 May 2013

 

 

Why would anyone wash a comparatively expensive photographic light modifier in a washing machine?

 

I bought a large strip box used on eBay from a Virginia-based seller.  On arrival, it smelled of mildew, even though none was visible.  Having spent part of my youth in the mid-Atlantic states, I recognized that fabric often picks up the smell of damp basements and such.

 

Airing it out didn’t help.

 

After seeing that the Internet offered no definitive advice, and being in an experimental frame of mind, I tossed the Chimera into the washing machine.

 

 

Did it work?

 

Yes, mostly.

 

 

Test conditions

 

Chimera Pro II large strip box (50x210 centimeters, 21x84 inches) washed in a Fisher&Paykel EcoSmart™ ultra high speed spin washer.

 

Settings — normal agitation, warmish water, and fast spin.

 

Detergent — All Free Clear Oxi-Active® and a dose of Febreze Extra Strength (original scent) Fabric Refresher.

 

 

The washing process — a couple of minor glitches

 

 

The outer diffuser on this Chimera is not removable, but the inner baffle is.  So I took it out and washed it in the same load, along with the softbox’s carry bag.

 

I turned the strip box inside out on the hypothesis that the mildew smell was probably most noticeable inside, where airing it out had presumably been less effective.

 

Though careful with the detergent volume, I was not careful enough.  The box’s fabric is stiff and crinkly sounding, and it does not sop up suds the way clothes do.  Although I measured for only one-third of medium load, I still got a few too many suds.

 

The material’s stiffness contributed to another quirk. Some of the fabric protruded above the water surface, which the EcoSmart™ automatically selects (apparently based on weight).  I not so cleverly bumped the water level up to high.

 

The combination of the stiff fabric and the high water level appears to have resulted in the fabric splashing water up over the machine’s washing basket, down through the steel box that holds it, and onto the (fortunately tile) floor.  I had scramble to clean up the mess, before my wife came home.

 

Halfway through the wash cycle, I added a few ounces of Febreze.  That also turned out to be a mistake.  The smell lingered in the Chimera’s fabric, even after the rinse cycle. It remains there a full airing day later.

 

I know from experience that the odor will eventually go away.  But, for now, it’s annoying.

 

 

Drying — plan for a few hurdles, including how to mount the wet softbox on a tripod or stand

 

Ordinarily, the EcoSmart’s high speed spin reliably gets fabric to the damp stage.  Polyester, for example, is almost dry when the machine is done.

 

In the Chimera’s case, this was not true.  Its fabric is not especially water permeable.  The outside of the box wasn’t bad.  But when I turned it right side out, a surprising amount of water began to run out — and onto the already twice-dried tile floor.

 

I had to put the sopping mess on a small lap blanket, conveniently handy in the laundry basket, to carry it through the house and onto the small back patio. Once there, I planned to assemble the box and mount it on a tripod — using the OEC EZ Stand speed ring that I reviewed, here— so as to let air circulate inside and out.

 

However, this also proved to be a bridge slightly too far.  The blanket was not large enough to lay the sewn-in diffuser panel of the box face down — at least not without getting its white fabric dirty.

 

I had to shake the water off, carry the bundle back into the house and stretch it out on the sitting room carpet.   Once I had the speed ring in place, never easy to do on this softbox, I took it back out.

 

The OEC speed ring stand is threaded for the 3/8th inch bolt size that often connects heavy duty tripod legs to a tripod head.

 

Those of you with an eye for dummies (or dummy behavior) will have anticipated what happened next.

 

In the absence of a quick release plate, I had the balance the unwieldy Chimera, with its now attached speed ring, atop the 3/8th inch tripod bolt.  Then, I had to walk in circles around the tripod, trying to get the ring to tighten onto the bolt — simultaneously having to move a couple of patio chairs out of the way to make way for the Chimera’s impressive front to back depth.

 

It took a considerable number circumnavigations to accomplish this, and I was slightly dizzy by the end of the process.  Next time, I’ll dig up a suitably sized quick release plate and adapter to make it easier.

 

 

Did the washing work?

 

The strip box is cleaner than it was before.  And its white fabric did not yellow.  (I avoided using bleach for that reason.)

 

The mildew smell seems to be gone, although I cannot be sure it is not hiding behind the Febreze’s obnoxious residual odor.

 

 

The moral? — You can wash an unsilvered (quality) softbox in a washing machine, without ruining it

 

I only did this experiment because I was reasonably confident the apparently fairly sturdy Chimera softbox would survive it.