You know that moment at the start of shift when you throw your vest on and instantly regret every life choice you’ve ever made? Yeah… that was me.
My vest had officially turned on me.
It started innocent — a little musty after summer patrols. No big deal. Then one August afternoon, I pulled it on in the locker room, and the stench hit me like pepper spray to the face.
I swear I saw my reflection in the mirror flinch.
We’ve all been there. You can’t wash the dang thing. The carrier traps sweat, the panels hold moisture, and the inside smells like every nightmare from a middle school gym class. I tried baby wipes. Febreze. Even dryer sheets. (Don’t judge — desperate times.)
Did it help? Nope. Just made it smell like lavender-flavored BO.
One day, I was briefing with my sergeant, and mid-sentence, he stops and sniffs.
“Is something… burning?”
No, Sarge. That’s just me.
You know it’s bad when the K-9 in the unit avoids sitting next to you. My own partner started leaving the windows cracked — in January. I became that guy. The walking funk.
Every time I took my vest off at home, my wife would yell from the other room,
“Whatever that is — keep it OUTSIDE.”
It’s hard enough dealing with stress, paperwork, and the guy who microwaves fish in the break room. Smelling like a swamp shouldn’t be part of the job description.
Then one of the guys in my unit tosses me a black bottle and says,
“Try this, bro. It’s called Arrest My Vest.”
I thought he was messing with me. But I sprayed it down — both the carrier and panels — and within seconds, it smelled like… nothing. Not covered up. Not perfumed. Just gone.
That was two years ago. Now I keep one bottle in my squad car and one in my locker. I spray my vest, boots, and gear bag every shift. My wife doesn’t yell at me anymore, the K-9 likes me again, and I can actually breathe under my vest.
So yeah, I learned the hard way: you can’t wash a vest — but you can Arrest the smell.
If your vest has seen one too many summers, do yourself (and your partner) a favor.
Grab the bottle with the K-9 on it. Spray it. Forget about it.
Stay safe. Stay fresh.
#ArrestMyVest #CopLife #NoMoreVestFunk
clean bulletproof vest, police gear odor eliminator, remove vest odor, non-toxic odor spray for tactical gear