Garment Care

All you need to know (and perhaps a little bit more) about preserving the look, feel, fit and wear of your garments.

Washing

Always look for the garment care label and follow the washing instructions. Washing machines, powders and fabrics are specially manufactured to ensure that when washed at the right temperature your clothes will come out looking their best time after time.

GARMENT FIBRE PROPERTIES

Cotton | Absorbent, strong, washes well with care.

Lycra® & Elastane | High stretch recovery with good shape retention.

Polyester | Durable, easy care, good shape retention.

The wash tub symbol tells you the washing process to be used.

 Spin Cotton Cycle

 Spin Synthetic Cycle

 Spin Cotton Cycle

 Spin Synthetic Cycle

Before washing, close all zips, undo buttons and flatten out collars and cuffs. Check pockets and linings for loose or sharp objects. Turn garments inside out to reduce abrasion so avoiding contamination by fibres from other garments during the washing cycle. Always read the label for correct washing temperature.Do not overload the washing machine. Always use the correct amount of detergent depending on how dirty the garments are.Check garments regularly for marks or stains and remove as soon as possible.

Drying

Always check the care label to see whether a garment can be tumble dried. When tumble drying the following is recommended:

• Cotton Garments | 50-100 minutes
• Cotton Polyester | 35-55 minutes
• Heavy Synthetics | 45-65 minutes
• Light Synthetics | 30-40 minutes

In cases where tumble drying is not appropriate, there will often be alternative drying methods suggested such as dry flat or drip dry.

Do not tumble dry

 Dry Flat – Re-shape Whilst Damp

 Drip dry

• Re-shape whilst damp, by gathering the hem in one hand, holding the shoulders in the other and pulling back into shape.
• When line drying shirts or jackets, always hang from the tail.
• When line drying knitted garments, always fold over the line and position pegs at the under arm.
• When line drying trousers or skirts, always hang from the waist.
• Do not leave clothes exposed to the sun after they have dried.
• Avoid drying garments on radiators or in intense heat as this could distort the shape.

Ironing

The iron symbols advise the optimum temperature at which to iron. The dots represent the recommended iron temperature; the more dots the hotter the iron.

 Up to 110 (Cool)

 Up to 150° (Warm)

 Up to 200° (Hot)

• Do not Iron/Steam Treatment is not recommended
• Iron each garment on recommended setting as per the care label.
• Do not iron directly onto a printed garment. Always iron on the reverse.
• When ironing dark garments avoid “iron shine” by either pressing on the inside of the fabric or through a damp cloth. This is not applicable if using a steam iron.
• Do not iron over buttons, try to press around them. If you do break one, an extra is included on the care label.

Common Wash Problems

Shrinkage | The major factors contributing to shrinkage are heat and excessive agitation. Do not wash at too high a temperature. Always wash on the most appropriate cycle and follow the care instructions.
Pilling & Bobbling | Abrasion and lack of regular washing cause fibre balls to appear on the surface of the fabric. Remove by carefully brushing or picking off.
Fading in Sunlight | Sunlight can be very harmful to fabrics and the effects are irreversible. Reduce exposure to direct sunlight wherever possible.
Colour Staining | Always wash similar colours together. Never leave damp garments together for any length of time.

Stain Removal

Most stains can be removed by soaking in cold water as long as the fabric is washable, but as with all stains, prompt attention is important.
Do not use hot water to rinse the stain as it may cause it to set.
Place the stain to be removed over an absorbent cloth or wad of kitchen paper. In order to avoid a ring, first target the area around the stain and then work towards the centre, preventing it from spreading into the fabric.
Always test the removal method on a hidden part of the garment first to ensure that it does not harm the fabric.

• Alcohol (Beer & Spirits) | Rinse or soak the stain in luke warm water and then launder in heavy duty detergent as per the care label.
• Ball Point Pen | Apply methylated spirit or glycerine sparingly and mop up any loose colour. Rub any remaining stain with detergent and wash as per the care label.
• Blood, Gravy, Egg, Ice-cream, Chocolate | Soak the stain in cold water and salt or in warm soapy water and then wash immediately as per the care label.
• Coffee & Tea | Soak up liquid with an absorbent cloth and sponge with warm water. Rinse with cold water and wash as per the care label.
• Fat, Grease & Oils | Remove as much of the deposit as possible and work in neat washing up liquid with fingers. Treat with warm water and then wash immediately as per the care label.
• Make-up | Do not rub the stain. Pat with talcum powder to soak up any grease and then work in neat washing up liquid with fingers before washing.
• Perspiration | Sponge with weak solution of water and vinegar then rinse. Launder as per the care label.
• White Wine | Rinse the stain in warm water then soak in a warm detergentsolution.
• Red Wine | First soak the stained area immediately in white wine or soda water to remove the colour, then launder as per the care label.
  Please note the colours shown on this website can only be as accurate as your computer monitor allows and are to be used for general guidance only.