Workwear does not only get ruined on the job. Sometimes it gets ruined in the laundry room.
The wrong detergent or additive can leave residue, trap odor, fade color, stiffen fabric, damage reflective trim, and create problems for FR-rated clothing.
The big three to avoid
1. Fabric softener
Fabric softener coats fabric. That coating may make normal laundry feel softer, but it can create problems for workwear.
- Traps odor
- Leaves residue
- Reduces absorbency
- Can affect moisture movement
- Should not be used on FR clothing
- Can build up over time
2. Dryer sheets
Dryer sheets work by leaving a coating behind in the dryer. That is not what you want on FR gear, high-vis clothing, towels, base layers, or workwear that already fights sweat, oil, dust, and diesel.
3. Chlorine bleach
Bleach can be useful in some laundry situations, but it is usually a bad fit for workwear. It can damage fibers, fade color, weaken fabric, degrade reflective trim, shorten garment life, and create problems for many FR garments.
Optical brighteners: the sneaky one
Optical brighteners are added to many detergents to make clothes appear brighter. They do not necessarily make fabric cleaner. They change how light reflects off the fabric.
For workwear, they can be a problem because they leave chemical residue on fabric and may not be ideal for FR clothing, high-vis garments, or reflective materials.
Heavy fragrance does not equal clean
Fragrance can make laundry smell good, but fragrance does not remove diesel, grease, hydraulic oil, sweat, or grime. For workwear, heavy fragrance can mask the problem while residue stays behind.
Why residue is the enemy
Workwear gets exposed to petroleum, sweat, dust, grease, metal particles, concrete dust, hydraulic oil, diesel, and jobsite grime. When detergent, softener, fragrance, or brightener residue builds up, it can trap odor and make fabric stiff.
What to look for instead
- Free from fabric softener
- Free from dryer-sheet style softening agents
- Free from chlorine bleach
- Free from optical brighteners
- Strong on petroleum soils
- Clean-rinsing
- Safe for high-vis and FR-focused laundry routines when care labels are followed