TOP 5 WAYS TO MAINTAIN YOUR UNIFORM

The process of designing, delivering, and fitting your uniform can be a timely and costly investment for a business and keeping the wardrobe looking fresh, clean, and crisp is of the utmost importance to ensure your team look professional, presentable, comfortable and continue to give an impression of luxury and class.

You may have worries about the efficiency, longevity, and overall ability to get the look you want when washing your employees’ uniforms or workwear. While the ultimate goal is to have a clean and professional look, there are several ways to achieve that goal.

1. SELECTING A LAUNDRY FACILITY

Many of our clients have a dedicated laundry facility onsite to ensure full control of the laundering process. Doing your laundry in-house lets you precisely control temperature, use of detergents, spin rates and drying times, you can then respond to all your laundry needs fast and reliably without depending on delivery to an external supplier and their turn-around times for handling and returning your staff uniforms.

However, for many smaller businesses this is not always possible, therefore it is best to outsource this to a reputable offsite facility.

The important things to consider when outsourcing:

· You select a reliable and consistent launderette; remember you want to build a long-standing relationship so ensure communication is right from the start. Do you research, look at their reviews and ask for recommendations from colleagues.

· Visit their facility to ensure they have the correct machinery and that is a clean working environment.

· Bring example garments to your visit and talk through each garment with the facility. Take with you a clear washing guide for the supplier for them to put on the wall, with all washing instructions per garment.

2. FOLLOW THE WASHCARE INSTRUCTIONS

If you fail to follow the instructions, you may face problems like ripped fabric,weakened fabrics and shrinking. Washing, drying, and ironing at extremely hot temperatures may cause the garment to shrink or melt. Iron on the reverse where possible, as this can reduce shining and damage to the front of the garment, and keep temperatures low.

3. STORE YOUR GARMENTS CORRECTLY

For blazers, jackets, coats, and structured clothing ensure they are hung, as this will reduce creasing and crushing. Select a smooth hanger to avoid snagging and a gripper so it does not slip off the hanger. Always fold knitwear, hanging knitwear can cause stretching and distortion of the garment, especially at the shoulders.

4. KEEP UP BASIC REPAIRS

Ensure repairs are done as soon as possible to avoid further damage, such a tacking up hems and repairing loose buttons. Prevention is better than waiting for it to be irreparable.

5. LAUNDER REGULARLY

The longevity of a uniform will require daily maintenance andweekly cleaning. Only clean your uniform when it has been used, is dirty, or has been stored away for a lengthy time. The first wash of your uniform is very important to ensure you preserve the colour.

At Studio 104 we design our uniforms with laundering at the forefront of our mind and select fabrics suitable to allow for industrial laundering. All our carefully considered garments are provided with comprehensive instructions on how to care for your uniforms to ensure you are able to look after your garments correctly.

Written by Christine – Senior Product Developer

This article is part two in our series on Uniform Fabric. Read part one here Choosing the Right Fabric

‍