How to Wash Hi-Vis Clothing

No matter the industry you're in, knowing how to wash high-vis clothing correctly is an important part of being a responsible owner, and should be supported by employers. Unfortunately, it's not always a simple process, but we're here to help offer some guidance.

How often should you wash Hi-Vis clothing?

You should only clean Hi-Vis workwear when the vividness of the clothes’ colour has deteriorated. With more wear, come more washes. However, over-cleaning can be a problem too.

Did you know that most Hi Vis products only have a maximum life of 25 washes, unless stated otherwise on the label? That means if you wash these pieces twice a week, then it will no longer comply with current EN ISO 20471:2013 standards in just 12 weeks time. Repeated washing or abrasion by the wearer can cause the reflective tape to degrade over time.

What to Consider When Cleaning Hi-Vis Clothing

Make sure you always read the care label on your workwear. It specifies how many times the clothing item can be washed before and what temperature you should opt for.

You want to aim for warm, but not hot, ensuring that it's high enough to remove stains effectively, but not hot enough to cause lasting damage to the clothes. Watch out for the pH levels in your detergent - do not exceed pH 11 as excessive alkalinity erodes the fabric threads and decolours the reflective tape.

When washing at home, high visibility clothing with the fabric and reflective material, should be washed using detergents that do not contain certain types of Optical Brightening agents (OBA’s), to avoid damage to fabric and tape luminosity.

Many well known domestic well-known brands of laundry detergents typically indicate on the detergent packaging whether OBA’s are present or not within their wash chemistry as standard. New home wash detergents are increasingly being launched on to the market to meet this challenge. If in doubt the safest answer is to seek help from staff in a professional laundry company, they will be able to offer good informed advice.

Washing By Hand

If spot washing or getting rid of a particular stain, it might be easier to hand wash. This method also gives you some greater control over how much pressure and soap you use to tackle an area.

Follow our handy how-to guide below to keep your Hi-Vis looking their best.