Garment Care

When looking for guidelines on how to care for your clothing, there’s no better reference than the garment’s own care label. Each garment is different and will require a different care process so our advice is to read and follow each instruction carefully to ensure you look after your garments as best you can. In addition to this, we have collated some further tips on how to keep your clothing in the best condition for longer:

Wash before wear

Washing your garment inside out before you wear it will help to reduce any pilling/bobbling as it will remove the excess fibres before they start to rub together.

Prepare garments for wash

Close all zips and Velcro fasteners, open buttons and make sure cuffs and collars are flattened and straight. This will help to avoid snagging in the wash.

Wash inside out

Washing garments inside out helps to reduce pilling/bobbling. Always wash your knitwear inside out.

Cool wash

Wash at 30 degrees to help your garments last longer and to help you save energy. Increase to 40 degrees in the case of stubborn stains, but never any higher.

Avoid fabric conditioner

We do not recommend the use of fabric conditioner when washing school uniform. It is designed to raise fibres to soften the garment, however this increases pilling/bobbling and may weaken elasticity.

Use good quality detergent

Some fabric detergents may contain chemicals that can cause fading and pilling/bobbling.

Wash similar items together

Try to sort your washing loads into similar fabrics and colours.

Avoid direct heat

Avoid placing garments on radiators or over other direct heat sources to dry. Most school uniform items are manufactured with 'easy care' fabric so if you shake them gently after washing and hang them to dry carefully, there should be no need to iron. Never iron your knitwear.

Avoid tumble drying

Only tumble dry if the care label states this is ok. Avoid if possible, as the heat from the tumble dryer causes pilling/bobbling.  Never tumble dry pleated garments as this can reverse the heat-treated pleating process. Hang pleated items on a suitable hanger to air dry.

How to deal with Pilling/Bobbling

Pilling refers to the appearance of little fuzzy bobbles on the surface of your clothing. Certain fabrics are more prone to pilling than others. The main reason for this happening is external friction or rubbing against another object and heat generated by the individual when worn or in the wash/tumble dryer. The appearance of pilling/bobbling does not necessarily mean that the garment is faulty. You can reduce pilling by washing your garments (as per instructions) before wearing them and always washing them inside out and at the correct temperature.