Connecting to Collections Care

Hello,

We have a varsity letter jacket that is in good condition with the exception of the sleeves - they are sticky. Is there a way to clean or treat the material to remove the residue? We would like to put it on exhibit.

Many thanks in advance!

Corinne

Hi Corinne,

Thank you for reaching out to C2C! Is there a tag on the jacket that lists the materials it's made of? If the sleeves were made of a synthetic leather, it's possible that the stickiness is coming from the degradation of the material itself. This would likely have a different cleaning approach than for a sticky residue from an external source. 

In the meantime, I will reach out to some of our experts for their recommendations!

Best,

Nemi Velez

Hi Corinne, 

Our experts are asking for a little more information before they can make reliable recommendations for your situation.

Here are the questions they asked:

• What year was the jacket made?
• Are the sleeves made from fabric? Or something that looks like leather?  
• How extensive is the stickiness? all over the sleeves; just certain areas of the sleeve(s)?
• Is the stickiness a different colour than the sleeve colour it is sitting on?
• Does the stickiness have an odor?
• Any indication in their records that someone has treated the sleeves (ie cleaning; etc.) in the past?

I will pass on your responses and hopefully get some good information for your sticky situation :)

Best,

Nemi Velez

Connecting to Collections Care Community Monitor

Hi Nemi,

Thank you so much for your help! To answer some questions - I believe the jacket is from around the late 1980s. I believe the sleeves are a synthetic leather. The rest of the jacket is a felt material with a quilted interior lining. The stickiness is all over the sleeves but has no odor or color. I don't have any knowledge of someone treating the jacket in the past.

Many thanks,

Hello Corinne, 

I've heard back from textile conservator Margaret Geis-Mooney regarding your situation. Based on her experience, she believes the sleeves to be made of a synthetic polymer material - likely polyurethane (PO) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Both of these are considered "malignant" plastics which deteriorate in ways that could harm surrounding collection materials. For PVC in particular, there is a plasticizer additive that originally made the material soft and flexible but oozes out over time and deposits onto the surface. This is likely where the stickiness is coming from. Margaret noted that there are potential health hazards associated with plasticizers and you should take precautions to ensure the safety of yourself and staff. When working with the jacket, wear nitrile gloves to avoid contact with the skin and use a disposable cover on work surfaces to avoid transferring the stickiness. She recommends parchment paper as an accessible, inexpensive option. 

Unfortunately, research from the last 10 years or so has found that removing the residue will only speed up deterioration and lead to even more plasticizer oozing. The most up-to-date guidelines suggest to leave the stickiness as is. While this may cause issues for exhibiting, it does not mean that you can't display the jacket at all. You will just need to take specific precautions in the exhibit design. Here is what Margaret recommends: