Whitening a chef's jacket

rawn

I'm not sure which forum suits this best, so if a mod thinks it belongs somewhere else please feel free to move it!

I have a chef's jacket that's not stained really but is off-white in contrast to my apron and hat. What's the best way to whiten it properly? I figured just bleaching it but I read that this can damage the fibres and turn it grey. Any ideas?

Semele

I used to have to wear a white uniform when working in a kitchen and I had to bleach it as washing never got the stains out properly!
I used to soak it in a basin of cold water with washing powder and a small squirt of bleach until the stains were gone- I can't remember how much bleach exactly but I erred on the side of less and upped it as necessary- then rinsed it and put it in the machine to get rid of the bleachy smell. It never seemed to damage the fabric, as I only used a small bit and let it sit for longer instead.

rawn

Semele wrote: »

I used to have to wear a white uniform when working in a kitchen and I had to bleach it as washing never got the stains out properly!
I used to soak it in a basin of cold water with washing powder and a small squirt of bleach until the stains were gone- I can't remember how much bleach exactly but I erred on the side of less and upped it as necessary- then rinsed it and put it in the machine to get rid of the bleachy smell. It never seemed to damage the fabric, as I only used a small bit and let it sit for longer instead.

That's great, thanks! I'll try that

barleybooley

Heavy duty cotton like that will be well able for bleach so I'd recommend that too. A boiling wash is also good.