A few simple tricks and good habits will ensure that your uniform not only last longer but also look better. While these are great benefits, knowing that your professional conduct include uniform care maybe just as satisfying.
How to keep your uniform last longer and look better.
Below, we have summed up our experience as to how to sustain an impeccable and professional look while in uniform.
Maintenance of uniform jacket and trousers:
If possible, avoid wearing heavy bags with shoulder straps on your shoulder. It may ruin the shoulder construction of the jacket, leaving a bubbly and wrinkled shoulder.
After wearing, whenever possible, hang your uniform outside on hangers to freshen up. Wool garments do not pick up odors to the same extent as synthetic garments. And, even better, with a bit of fresh air, they are also much better in getting rid of unwanted odors. The best way of freshening up your wool garments is definitely outside but indoor airing works to some extent as well. This is not to say that wool garment never need cleaning but with some freshening up, they need it much less frequently than synthetic or cotton clothes. As a rule of thumb, if your wool clothes still smell after an outdoor freshening up, it is probably time to dry clean or wash them.
Uniform jacket
To maintain your uniform store it in a closed (dark) closet, away from direct daylight. Store your jacket on a hanger. Even a uniform jacket spend more time in the closet than on the wearer, so an appropriate hanger is imperative. Appropriate suit hangers fit the curves of the jacket, they are slightly angled and have shoulder support. Hangers for men’s jackets have broad shoulder support, women’s smaller. Even more importantly, they come in various widths. Find a hanger with a width that fits the shoulder width of your jacket. The aim is that the hanger should extend all the way, but not beyond the point where the shoulder meets the sleeve. If you cannot find a hanger that fits perfectly, go for a slightly narrower one. Never store your jacket on a hanger that is too wide. It will leave your upper sleeves with a peculiar shape.
Uniform trousers
The best way to maintain your uniform trousers is hanging them on a hanger with a bar for trousers as shown above. Fold them and hang them over the bar. When doing so, be careful to fold and hang the trousers in the original press folds (most often your uniform was delivered on an appropriate hanger). Alternatively, hang them on clip hangers, which is easier, either in the hem of the trousers or in the waistband. Also, in this case, be careful to fold and hang the trousers in the original press folds.
When airing your clothes (see above) no longer is enough to keep them fresh, dry clean or wash your uniform trousers according to the instructions on the care label. If you wash your trousers, preferably use gentle wash or wool program and wool detergent.
When ironing your uniform trousers you definitely want to avoid a shiny cheap looking surface. Fortunately, it is not difficult to avoid. Please double check the temperature on your iron is set too “wool”. If the iron is too hot, it might leave shiny patches. Additionally, use the iron to press (pick it up, put it down) avoid moving it around on the fabric. These two simple hints will help you avoid shiny trousers.
The press folds are crucial for an impeccable look. Fortunately, the original pressing should be visible even after washing. Thus, be careful to iron your trousers with the press folds in the same position. In order to keep the same sharp press folds as originally, a professional pressing might be required from time to time.
Knitwear
If possible, leave unfolded for a few hours, to let moisture evaporate. Even better, hang it outside for some time to freshen up. Then fold as shown below and store in a dark closet.
Remember, wool sweaters require less washing than most other garments, particularly if you let them air between wearing. When they do need washing turn inside out and wash according to the instructions on the care label. If possible, use gentle wash cycle/wool program using a wool detergent, this will keep your sweater looking good for a longer period of time. Olino’s sweaters may be tumble-dried. However, they will last longer, if you dry them lying flat on your drying rack.
For a prolonged lifetime, iron the sweater at low temperature, or steam it, and remove excess wool with a lint remover.
Shirts
You can safely wear your Olino uniform shirts with or without an undershirt. Fabrics are all Oekotex certified which is your guarantee against harmful substances.
Wash inside out according to the instructions on the care label using a mild detergent. Preferably, dry on a hanger, this is the most gentle way to dry the shirt. If you tumble-dry, do so inside out to minimize wear on the shirts.
The Olino shirts have an easy-care finish and do not have any thick double stitches, thus they are extremely quick to iron. For best results use steam iron at 3 dots/app 200 C/400 F.
Ties
After wearing, untie the knot but do not just pull with full force to get it off as quickly as possible, that may ruin the tie. Pull gently, or, even better, untie the knot the way you tied it. The reason you should not pull too hard is that you may pull the delicate fabric out of shape or ruin the hand stitching on the backside of the tie.
Store the ties in a dark closet. Keep the ties hanging or roll them and keep them in tie compartments. A hanger with a tie rack is quite inexpensive and takes up little space. Alternatively, use a regular hanger with a bar for trousers.
If your tie gets wrinkles, put it on a hanger and let it hang for some time. In most cases, the wrinkles will disappear. If not, steam it until the wrinkles go away. Do not use a hot iron. If you do not have a steamer, try hanging it in the bathroom while you take a hot shower.
Scarves
Uniform scarves come in many different sizes, shape and fabric qualities. Generally, they all benefit from being untied and hang on a bar on a hanger to regain the shape and get rid of the worst wrinkles.
A steamer or steam iron at low temperature will help you get rid of most wrinkles. If you do not have a steamer, try hanging it in the bathroom while you shower.
To store the scarf, hang it untied, roll it or fold it loosely to avoid hard folds. To avoid fading, store your scarves away from daylight.
Most often made from polyester or silk. Usually, polyester scarves may be washed at 30 degrees however please check care instructions before laundry. The scarf will probably need a little ironing especially on the edges. Do so, at a low temperature and, if possible, use steam iron.
Silk is much more delicate. Always check the care instructions before doing anything. Often the instructions say dry clean only which then is the only safe option. Hand wash is always more gentle than machine wash, preferably using gentle or silk detergent. Scarves that can be washed will hold up longer if you hand wash them instead of putting them in the washing machine. However, do not wring, twist, or rub the silk scarf while washing it. Squeezing out the water gently is one way of drying the scarf. Even better, lay it flat on a dry towel, then press and roll the towel to squeeze out the water. Air drying your scarf is always the best option because it is the most gentle, do not put in the dryer.
To remove wrinkles on your silk scarf, never iron it while it is completely dry. Iron while damp. Lastly, never use high heat when ironing silk. Make sure the iron is on low/silk setting.