How to best take care of your garments!

The importance of garment care

When it comes to garments, caring for them is extremely important. A well cared garment will last much longer compared to a mistreated item and will ensure you are saving time and money by not having to buy clothes on a more frequent basis.

This blog will give you several handy tips that may be of use to you regarding great garment care! It covers a range of different things you can do to ensure your garment lasts longer, from washing through to stain removal pointers. We’ve got your back!

• Stains… something that can ruin your whole after-dinner mood! The key to these pesky things is to ensure it is soaked in water as soon as possible. Stains need to be treated as quickly as possible before they are washed as they can set into the material if not treated promptly.
• The washing machines itself – when it comes to the machine, it is important to note that you should load to at least 1/3 and leave a gap the size of your hand width between the top of the drum and wash load. To avoid bobbling on your clothing ensure you are flipping garments inside out, this will create less fuzz.
• Temperature is one of the most important factors as it can change the shape of garments. Reading the wash instructions on labels can indicate what temperature garments should be washed at. The labels state the highest temperature to wash at – any higher than this and it will affect the garment. Washing on cooler temperatures can ensure longer life for garments and with energy prices rising, this is also a good way to save some money, not to mention the benefits to the environment.
• Dye – even in cold water fabric dyes can still bleed! To avoid this, we advise you to separate clothes into whites, darks, coloured and delicates.
• Clean the machine! As well as ensuring your clothes are clean, you should make sure your equipment is too – this can be done by running a 60-90 degrees maintenance wash cycle in an empty machine, with a bleach containing detergent.
• Detergent is a key part of completing a great wash. You should consider things such as: how big is my washing load – do I need to use this much? Or how dirty are my garments? Do they need more detergent than usual? Powder based detergents are said to be better, to keep whites looking brighter and liquid/pods are most effective for colour care.
• Finally, make sure you pay attention to the care labels! These little labels may not seem important, but they can really guide you into carrying out the appropriate care for your clothes. They indicate whether items can be washed, ironed, or dried, with temperature information and more.

Let’s talk fabrics…

1. It all starts with the prep – it is essential to read the care labels on garments to be sure on temperature. Shirts should be moist (you can use the water from the iron for this) but not wet.
2. The next step to focus on is the collar. You should pop the collar up and press the iron on one side, then the other. Once you have done this you can flip the shirt and repeat the process.
3. You should then turn your attention to the front of the shirt, focussing on the shoulder and collar area. Ensure you are getting close to the buttons but not going over them.
4. Now it’s time to look at the cuffs. Unbutton them and you should start by ironing the inside. Once the inside is done move onto the outside and then around the buttons – try to avoid going over buttons but if you cannot, make sure they’re covered by a towel.
5. On to the back of the shirt. For this part position one of the shirt sleeve heads into the square edge of the ironing board, this will allow you to iron half of the back of the shirt and slide the other half over to be ironed afterwards.
6. Finally the sleeves. They need to be flat and smooth before starting at the top, following it down to the cuff. Once one side is complete, flip it over and repeat.

Different stains require different action, some examples and how to remove them are:

• Coffee – to remove a coffee stain you should soak the garment in warm water with ½ a teaspoon of dish washing detergent and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar.
• Red wine – begin dabbing the stain with wet paper towels, sprinkle over baking soda and salt. Once the area dries, wash as normal.
• Mud – grab a spoon and begin scraping the dried mud off the garment, then take a soft bristle brush and scrub gently. Once it lifts you should wash as normal.
• Blood – similarly to coffee, you will need 1 teaspoon of dishwasher detergent and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, but for this you will need to soak in cold water instead.
• Chocolate – pop the garment into the freezer for 15 minutes so the chocolate can dry and go hard. After freezing take the garment out and begin scraping the dry, frozen chocolate with a spoon. You will then need to add dishwasher soap and rub the stain, follow this by washing as normal.
• Oil – blot the oil stain on the garment, then apply a mixture of 1 to 2 vinegar and water. You should then rinse it and apply detergent. Leave the garment for 15 minutes before you proceed with washing.

Having this knowledge can give you a head start on saving those stained garments with cleaning products you can easily access at home.

In summary, caring for your garments correctly is the key to ensuring they last longer and helps you save time and money, preventing buying more clothes when you don’t have to. Longer lasting garments also have a positive effect on the environment as is slows down fast fashion.

If you would like to access our garment care guides please email marketing@murray-uniforms.co.uk and we will be happy to provide them.