There’s nothing like the look and feel of brand-new back-to-school clothes. And when you care for French Toast schoolwear right, you can keep that day-one fresh feel going all year long. From our softest sweats to our crispest Oxford shirts, all of our pieces do great in the washing machine.
But if you really want to keep those pleats sharp and that white button-up looking bright, then you’ll want to know how to use the washing machine to your advantage. Here are a few pro tips to keep uniforms looking clean enough for picture day, any day of the week.
School Uniform Care Tips
A little extra care goes a long way. Follow this easy checklist, and your French Toast schoolwear will look as clean as it did on day one.
➔ Check the labels. Always follow care instructions listed on tags, from water temp to dryer settings to recommended detergent type.
➔ Separate by color. This will help keep their white shirts white and that navy polo a rich, dark blue.
➔ For any clothes with an embroidered logo or patch, turn the fabric inside out. This will help protect the logo in the wash.
➔ To prevent wrinkles, hang up skirts, jumpers, pants and button-up shirts instead of folding them.
➔ Get in the habit of touching up skirts, pants and button-up shirts with a cool or warm iron from time to time. Check the tag for iron settings.
➔ Check buttons now and then to make sure they’re secure. If you’ve got a loose button on your hands, here’s our How to Sew A Button article for beginner-friendly sewing tips.
➔ Juice spill or grass stain? It’s best to treat that as soon as you can. The longer stains sit, the likelier they are to stay. Here are some tips on How to Remove 7 Common Stains.
How to Wash School Pants
Step 1: After treating any spots or stains, throw the pants in the washer using cold water and a gentle cycle. The cold temp helps the pants keep their color, and the gentle cycle helps prevent wear-and-tear on the threads. Use a cold-water laundry detergent for the best results.
Step 2: Machine drying your French Toast pants is A-okay. Tumble dry on low heat.
Step 3: If needed, iron the pants on a warm or cool setting to smooth out any wrinkles. Check the care instructions for temperature settings. Hang the pants up instead of folding them into a dresser – this will keep them looking wrinkle-free and ready for school.
How to Wash a Pleated Skirt
Want to keep those neat pleats, wash after wash? Caring for our pleated skirts is simple:
Step 1: Check the care label for any restrictions
Step 2: Choose a gentle laundry detergent. This will give you the right amount of cleaning oomph without being too tough on fabric.
Step 2: Set the machine to cool and the spin cycle to gentle. The less agitation the better. If you don’t want to run an entire load through the wash, you can always hand wash a skirt in cool water instead.
Step 4: Tumble dry on low.
How to Iron Pleats
Like a fresh perm, our pleated skirts are born to hold their shape through a good wash. Still, it can’t hurt to sharpen up the edges with a quick bit of ironing now and then – think picture days, graduation or if they just scored a French Toast skirt as a hand-me-down.
What you’ll need: iron, ironing board, paper clip, clothespins
Step 1: Lay out the skirt on the ironing board. You’ll want to iron only a single pleat at a time.
Step 2: Slip the paper clip over the first pleat you want to iron. If the pleat has lost any of its sharpness, the paper clip will hold the sides together so you can iron along the crease.
Step 3: Use the temperature setting listed on the tag. Start from the waistband and iron down to the hem. Move slowly, holding the iron for 3-5 seconds then lifting it. Repeat the same paper-clip-and-iron process for each pleat. And make sure to move the paper clip as you go – you don’t want the hot iron to touch that!
Step 4: Remove the paper clip and hang up the skirt with clothespins. Once the pleated skirt is ready, hang it up in the closet to keep those freshly ironed pleats looking sharp and ready for the next time they wear it.
Follow these tips, and their schoolwear will stay sharp as a number 2 pencil. There’s even a good chance you’ll leave something to pass down to a younger sibling or neighborhood friend.
