How to save time and frustration when washing your front of house aprons
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As a restaurant manager, you know that keeping your team’s front of house aprons clean is essential to maintaining a professional appearance.
But washing and drying those aprons can be time-consuming and frustrating, especially if they’re not washed correctly. Luckily, there are some easy steps you can take to save time and frustration when it comes to washing your team’s front of house aprons.
Let’s take a look at how to do that.
Step 1: Place both waist straps of the apron together lengthwise. Holding the straps together, fold the straps in half lengthwise.
Step 2: Now that the straps are half their usual length, loop tie the apron straps together to create a knot. Pull the knot together tightly ensuring that the straps won't come undone when placed on a high spin cycle. Don't make the knot too tight as you need to undo the knot when the straps are wet.
Step 3: Wash the aprons on a 40 degree wash with a 800 revolution spin cycle. Washing on this cycle ensures that all dirt and food particles are removed from fabric while still being gentle enough so as not to damage fabrics or materials used in making your team's Front-of-house aprons.
Step 4: When the wash cycle is complete, remove the aprons from the washing machine, undo the knot and open up each apron individually before placing them on your clothes line or drying rack to air dry naturally. By not tumble drying them, you will help prevent any shrinking of materials due to over exposure to heat from tumble drying machines which can cause irreparable shrinkage.
Extra tips
Sort the washing:
Ensuring front of house aprons are kept clean and nicely presented is imperative for a professional working environment. To make the washing process easier, it's recommended to sort your aprons according to colour prior to washing them.
Separate the dark colours from the light ones to prevent any unwelcome colour bleeding that could occur. This small effort will save you time and help protect garments while preventing frustration in the long run.
Soaking and Prewash
When it comes to your aprons, care is key!
There is no need to soak your aprons before washing and you definitely don't want to bleach them.
Bleach should never be used - it will not only turn your aprons pink but also cause them to deteriorate quickly. Additionally, pay attention to the type of products used when soaking - sodium percarbonate should definitely be avoided because it can start to destroy cotton which comes into contact with the metal buckles. Finally, fabric softener should not be added either. Although fabric softener makes clothes feel softer by coating them with a waxy residue, this severely impacts their ability to absorb water and perspiration properly. Therefore, it's good practice for both hygiene and longevity sake that you refrain from using fabric softener when washing your items.
Temperature
Taking proper care of your front-of-house aprons is key for keeping them in good condition. Make sure to always check the washcare label and follow the instructions - washing the aprons at the correct temperature is essential. Most aprons can be washed in a standard 40-degree machine wash, however, do not go any higher as this could result in shrinkage or fading of the material.
Additionally, avoid tumble dryers - it's best to line dry them either outside in indirect sunlight or inside on an airer. Taking proper care of your garments will ensure they will last long and keep you looking professional!
Conclusion:
Keeping your team’s front of house aprons clean doesn’t need to be time consuming or frustrating. By following these simple steps - placing both waist strap of an apron together lengthwise; loop tying them into knots; washing them on a 40 degree wash with an 800 revolution spin cycle; and opening each one individually before placing them on a clothes line or drying rack - you can save yourself time and frustration while still keeping your team looking their best!
To learn more about removing stubborn stains from your team's Front-of-house aprons, read our ‘How To Remove Stains & Wash Garments' article for more tips!
Cream Collection has premium quality, front-of-house aprons and hospitality wear for your restaurant and hotel teams.
View our range of FOH workwear and aprons online today and place your order.
Store owner replied:
Wow! What awesome pics Josh, you look great as usual :) Thanks for your ongoing support.
Whether working the grill, pass or larder. You are always going to look good in the shirt. Comfortable & cool (if you are standing over a coal grill for 12hrs you are gonna sweat no matter what you wear). Always feel proud rolling into a shift in one of these.
Store owner replied:
Wow! You look great Olly, and Thank you for your beautiful review. It's much appreciated and we are sure this will assist other chefs who work in hot environments and want to look and feel cool. Thank you again.
The apron is well made of a lovely quality material, was well packaged and delivered promptly. Very happy with the purchase!
Store owner replied:
Hi Jullo, we are sorry to hear that you are disappointed, but there are numerous images of the "Mystery pack colour combinations" and as it is a Mystery pack with a saving of $32, is no specific colour that you can order. There are numerous images of the various colour combinations for this product, so it is a "mystery pack" as to what colour you will receive. Please feel free to reach out to us directly to see how we can turn your disappointment into a win, as we are here to assist at any time. Hope this helps.
I love the product, comfy and cool to wear. Special the apron really love it with the design.
Store owner replied:
Hi Phillip, thanks for taking the time to leave your comment - glad that you appreciate the quality of the apron which is made here in Australia. You're absolutely correct, this is lightweight denim as we mention on the website. Although it feels lightweight, these aprons last for many years and are absolutely loved by our chefs and I hope that they'll become a firm favourite of yours too. I'm here to assist with any questions you may have.
Store owner replied:
That's great to know that the aprons are comfortable to wear, thanks Nika, your comment is very much appreciated.
I was excited to order and received my 100% organic cotton chef Jackets and Aprons but was disappointed to find that there is a 2% spandex (Lycra) which takes away from the organic that you promote so strongly. Is there a reason for this and why isn’t it on your website under fabric content.
As far as I know the addition of spandex to your products takes it away from the circular economy as it is a synthetic material and makes the whole garment no recyclable.
I have been a chef for over 30 years and don’t think I have ever come across a chefs Jacket with spandex in it (polyester yes) A good fit should make putting a stretch material unnecessary.
Store owner replied:
Hi Sion, Thank you for your review. You are 100% correct, and I personally take full responsibility for this. We have added the fabric content this morning on all products. I can assure you we don't intend to mislead anyone - it was an oversight when changing the product descriptions recently. The 98% cotton is certified organic cotton. The 2% addition of spandex is woven in as when we worked with chefs to develop the collection, they wanted an element of stretch in the garments to allow the garments to be more tailored but move with the wearer to make them super comfortable. I will also email you directly to assist further.
Love it so light weight and breezy good for working in a fast paced kitchen wile still looking sharp cheer
Store owner replied:
Yay! That's great to hear that you're loving the softness of the fabric. Thanks for letting us know and may you enjoy wearing them for many shifts. xxx
This is probably theee best fitting and comfy jacket I’ve ever owned! I’m going to order a few more in the new year!
Thanks again guys for being so easy about the return due to them not fitting properly!
Thanks
Store owner replied:
You chose well Amanda! So glad he loves the fit and comfort of it. Thanks for letting us know.
Very flattering shirt. My only comment would be that the small is quite small. I’m a straight size 8 and I feel this is more like a size 6.5-7. But I’m still very happy with it.
Store owner replied:
Glad you like the flattering fit of this chef shirt Kaye. Thanks for letting us know about the sizing, we will consider this if we repeat this style in the future.
I have been a professionally trained cook for the past 40 years, so I have come through the traditional whites in a brigade system.
So far one of the best aprons / gear you can see some thought has been put into the design
Very nice
Les
Store owner replied:
Thank YOU Mr Leslie. Sorry you had to wait 40 years to wear "one of the best" but glad you found Cream Collection eventually. Enjoy every moment wearing the gear.
Was a present for my son. He is very happy with it.
Store owner replied:
Thanks Bea for your 5 star review, glad you love the comfort of the chef shirt. Enjoy!
I purchased the white Jo apron. Great quality apron, however the design was slightly different from the other photos of the same apron in different colours. I would prefer the pen pocket to be straight at the top (rather than slanted) and from an aesthetic standpoint I wasn’t fan of the round ring on the neck strap (but that’s probably me being picky)
Store owner replied:
Hi Andrew, Thanks for your 4 star review. I'll contact you about the images as the image of the white apron is as per the image on our website. The reason the pocket opening is slanted is that it is designed for ergonomic reasons, but we understand that every wearer has their personal preferences. Hope you are enjoying the comfort and fit of the apron. Thanks again.
Store owner replied:
Thank you Philipp! What a lovely review you have given, we appreciate it and glad that you are happy with the "insane quality" Thank you again.
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