Caring For Your Chef Wear

Your kitchen uniform likely goes through a lot of wear and tear. Splatter stains and other kitchen mishaps can make your shiny uniform look a little less appealing. Proper care of your kitchen garments is essential to prolong their life and make the most of your investment.

Like any other article of clothing, your chef jacket and other uniform pieces likely have specific care instructions printed on the label. Here are a few considerations you should pay attention to as you wash and care for your chef wear and other kitchen garments.

Know Its Composition

On the tag, the material and fabric blend listed will help guide the care of your garment. For example, an apron made of 100% cotton will shrink more in the wash than a garment made of polyester.

Follow the Symbols

Have you ever wondered what those crazy symbols mean on your garment tag? We will break down the most common ones, which should provide you with further instructions on caring for your chef and kitchen wear.

The symbol above means you should machine wash your garment instead of hand washing. For optimum results, wash inside out in warm water. When using warm water, keep all like colors together – white jackets with other white jackets, brights with brights, and darks with darks. Washing anything in warm water can lead to color transfer – so don’t wash your red chef’s pants with your white jacket unless you’re looking to dye it pink.

Important Notes: When machine washing, avoid combining 100% cotton items with garments with anything containing zippers or Velcro. They can get caught in the cotton material and cause snags. Avoid machine washing your chef’s wear with high lint producing items like fleece and towels, which can transfer onto your garments.

This symbol means “do not bleach!” Doing so can affect the quality of your garment (even if it’s white).

This symbol means “tumble dry low.” Don’t hang items to line dry! This can cause wrinkling. If you chef’s wear is not heavily soiled, wash on lowest setting possible. Washing in cool water whenever possible helps keep your colors looking vibrant and like-new.

Additional Notes: When caring for your garments, do not use liquid fabric softeners or dryer sheets. When you have a technical or performance fabric, it can coat the outermost layer and affect its integrity.

After washing and drying, this symbol means “use iron on medium or high heat.” When ironing your garments, take care not to apply heat directly to any embroidery. Lay an old sheet or pillowcase over the fabric before ironing. Use low heat on embroidery, as the fabric may be polyester.

Finally, this symbol stands for “do not dry clean.” Doing so could affect the look and longevity of your chef’s wear.

Proper care is essential to maximizing the life of your chef’s garments. Always follow the instructions located on your tag and know what the care symbols mean. Fiumara’s chef and kitchen garments are built to last. To learn more about them and how to care for your professional attire, browse our selection online or contact us with any questions or concerns. We are always happy to help you care for your garments.

Shop Fiumara Apparel Now!

At Fiumara Apparel, our priority is to secure complete customer satisfaction. Our work defines the benchmark for exceptional quality and impeccable service. We will always remain committed to ensuring that all our products fulfill customer expectations in terms of quality, durability, and style. We carry a variety of different products including shoes, coats, pants, aprons, shirts & accessories for both men & women. We also offer custom embroidery for those interested in personalizing uniforms. We invite you to shop our store for apparel today.