How to clean cord board cords

[Rokumoncat]

Hi All,

Any good suggestions on cleaning cloth cordboard cords? I have a bunch of dirty but otherwise good cords that I would love to clean rather than pay for new or NOS cords. I found these in a barn in a box and they are quite dirty but not rodent eaten or messed on by cats or anything like that.

I remember when I was a kid (many, many years ago) that an old phone man told me that the phone company would clean handset coiled cords by washing them in a clothes washer. Never knew if he was pulling my leg or being serious.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Thank you again!

Best,

Joe
a.k.a. Rokumoncat

[TelePlay]

If you use the forum search function with the word "woolite" you will get a lot of links to member's posts about using Woolite to clean cloth covered wires. After cleaning, they will look like near-new, the colors will be much brighter. The methods posted are quite simple and they do work.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?action=search

such as " . . . scrubbed the cord with a tooth brush using a warm solution of Woolite.  I used compressed air to blow off the excess water . . . "

[unbeldi]

I have used various cleaners for cords, including Fantastic, which is pretty strong.
But for cloth handset cords I prefer to use something made for delicate materials. Woolite has done a nice job.

I just cleaned an ivory handset set cord by winding it on a plastic dowel and spraying it amply with a Woolite carpet cleaner we had under the kitchen sink. Then I used a soft brush gently to work up a nice foamy lather and let it sit for a while, then rinsed a couple time with hot water, followed by another application, and final rinsing.  I followed this up with a treatment with steam out of the nozzle of a boiling water kettle to soften the rubber inside and hopefully make it retain the coil better when I take it off the dowel, which I still haven't. But now a after a few days it looks pretty good.  The cord itself is not perfect, has some bad spots, but it is original and clean.

Board cords are probably less delicate than handset cords, and something similar should work on them too.

Before and after:

[Rokumoncat]

Thank you! I will try this tonight...

Best,

Joe

[Rokumoncat]

Just to let everyone know, I spent about three hours cleaning cordboard cords with woolite and a toothbrush. After cleaning them, I hung them under a ceiling heat vent and let dry overnight. The next day, I took the plug sheaths off (I have that tool for taking those tiny screws out) and checked the connections. All was well. Next I checked for continuity and shorts. No issues there. So now, I have clean if not bright cords for my 555, which I is presently disassembled so that the frame can be painted and castors put on it. At my age, I no longer wish to horse around 400 pound antiques. Now if I could only find a tie circuit...;-)

Best,

Joe