For those with a long arm
 

How often do you wash your leaders? And when do you replace them?

My leaders are printed not to get them wet. I supposed they could be dry cleaned. They get dusty but not really dirty, so I haven’t thought about replacing them.

I haven't had to wash mine, I think they don't really get very dirty and so I don't see a need ...yet...
I made mine from a heavy muslin. I think I would consider replacing them if they began to be unstable (i.e. stretched in places) or if they seemed to shift. I use Leadergrips with mine as well vs pinning, so maybe if you pin that might make a difference? I can't say, just posing it as a thought that may affect wear...

I have a sit down, so no leaders to worry about.

I'm not sure but I think she might mean they need washing because they are stretched out of shape. Washing brings them back from what I hear. Mine are stretched now and probably need to be replaced rather than washed.

I wouldn't consider washing them. The canvas they're made of would probably shrink and might not hold its shape that well.

I replaced my leaders once, after I moved from OR to CA. They had been wrapped around the poles during the move and got pretty dirty. If not for that, I would not have replaced them.

The Leaders on my Gammill are made of canvas, so would probably shrink if they were washed. They still look like new after 20 years. I figure if a person takes care of them, they should stay clean and not need washing.

I washed a set, and it shrunk very badly. The bad thing about that is that the Velcro didn't shrink, so it turned into a puckered mess that couldn't be used.

Mine are also heavy canvas but I’ve only had my my LA about a year so I’m hoping not to have to replace them for quite sometime.

I’ve never washed mine. They were replaced once- but only because I purchased a new ( upgraded) machine, table everything and it all came with new ones. I still have the old ones- they were about 15 years old and there’s nothing wrong with them. The new ones are 6-7 years old now and they are still like new.