Initial Inspection/Disposal Criteria

1. Inspect fabric and webbing for any holes, cuts, tears, or burns. Tears less than ½ inch can be repaired.  Tears or cuts longer than ½” render the item unserviceable. 
2. Inspect for any area of abrasion that has weakened fabric beyond repair.
3. Inspect for any webbing that is cut, burned, or abraded beyond economical repair.
4. Inspect each leg. If either leg has more than five patches, remove from service.
5. Chaps should be removed from service if not labeled with specification USFS 6170-4F, 4G, or 4H or are not certified to NFPA 1977‑05.
6. Inspect all molded nylon hardware for dirt, cracks, breaks, and proper function.
7. Return to stock if item does not show any signs of use and passes visual inspection.
8. Refurbish if the item needs to be cleaned and/or damage can be repaired economically.
9. Dispose of item if it fails initial inspection.
10. Dispose of item if wood chips and sawdust are evident inside the layers at the bottom of the chaps.
11. Dispose of item if the first layer of yellow Kevlar has a cut that is more than 1 inch long.
12. Dispose of item if improper repairs have been made, such as patch jobs that stitched through the Kevlar.

Refurbishing Procedures

A. Cleaning

1. Allow any mud or loose dirt to dry and then remove using a stiff-bristle brush.  If stains remain, wash as recommended below.
2. Remove light oil and dirt stains by brushing with a Citrosqueeze® solution, brush with a bristle brush, rinse thoroughly and hang to dry.
3. For heavier oil or grease soak in a Citrosqueeze® solution for at least 4 hours, brush with a bristle brush, rinse thoroughly and hang to dry.

DO NOT MACHINE WASH OR DRY.

DO NOT USE BLEACH TO CLEAN FABRIC.

DO NOT PRESSURE WASH.

B. Repair

1. Repair burn holes and cuts. 
2. Use Seam Grip® to repair holes or cuts in the nylon shell. 
3. To repair holes less than ½ inch in length, apply a dot of Seam Grip® over the hole and allow the Seam Grip® to dry. 
4. Allow chaps to dry for at least 12 hours before using.
5. Replace burned, abraded, or cut nylon webbing with like items.
6. Replace broken or nonfunctioning hardware.

C. Testing for Performance

• Retest all replaced hardware. The hardware should function easily with little force being applied and no difficulty in the release.

D. Repackaging

• Pack 10 each in NFES #002007 carton (24” x 16” x 16”).