General garment care advice

Washing
Always follow the manufacturer's garment care guidelines as labelled before washing. It is advisable to wash knitwear inside out.

Ironing
Make sure your iron is set to the correct temperature as given on the garment care label. Many school uniform garments are 'easy care' and do not need ironing, refer to the manufacturer's label for drying instructions to get the best finish from these items. Do not iron over the printed area or embroidered areas.

Tumble drying
Always follow the manufacturer's garment care guidelines as many garments are best left to dry naturally. Never tumble dry a pleated garment as this can reverse the heat treated pleating process - always hang up on a suitable hanger to air dry.

Fabric conditioner
We advise not to use fabric conditioner as many garments are specially coated for easy care and fabric conditioner interferes with this process.

Iron-on labels
These do not adhere to stretchy fabrics. Only affix to garments you can iron and remember to put a layer e.g. a handkerchief, between the clothing and the iron to avoid scorch marks.

Velcro fastenings
Never wash a garment with its Velcro fastening unfastened. The material is abrasive and can cause damage to other items of clothing in the wash.

Pilling and bobbling - a general guide
Knitted goods are prone to pilling, some more than others. The main reason is friction or rubbing against another object and this does not necessarily mean that the garment is faulty. Pilling can be caused by any of the following:-

• External friction i.e movement against another fabric or object;
• Heat generated by the individual when the garment is worn;
• Washing the garment at the incorrect temperature and/or with other fabrics that will rub against the garment;
• Tumble drying the garment at too high a temperature, which causes the heat to draw out the fibre.

Some garments appear to have 'fluffed up' after a short period of wear and this is due to surface fibre from the yarn coming to the surface. The yarn in these cases is slightly hairier than usual and the hairs disappear after a period of wear and washing. This is similar to a carpet, where when first laid, the loose fibres come to the surface and are vacuumed away. If the fibres do not wash away, various devices can be used to removed the excess fibre to enhance the look of the garment. Once the fibre is removed the garment is unlikely to pill again.


Check that bags and outerwear do not have any exposed velcro fastenings which may cause damage to garments worn beneath them. 

Our advice
We find that the best solution is to turn garments inside out when washing. When pilling occurs it should settle down after washing a number of times. However, if pilling is excessive, please feel free to return to us for inspection.  

Laundry care symbols for garments explained