Is the FR quality of a cloth lost after washing?

FR/AR engineering yields durable material to withstand laundry even industrial laundry. However few factors must be kept in mind while considering laundry.

• Kind of work and duties of the wearer
• Type of fabric
• Number of uniform sets issued to the employees
• The correct method of laundry

Industrial Laundry

Companies that are equipped with Industrial Laundry generally use 11 garments/sets of garments for every employee. Due to which each set of uniform gets washed only 25 times a year and each set gets worn approximately every other week. Garments in an industrial laundering program last much longer as compared to the once laundering in small laundries because of the less number of laundry per year of each set.

Home Laundering Examples

Not all companies are equipped with industrial laundry. But most of the companies use the general thumb rule, which is five (5) sets of uniforms per employee. Due to this, the employees have to laundry them weekly, which automatically doubles laundering to 50–52 times per year.

Even there are companies that issue three (3) sets of uniforms per employee, which means they are laundered 70–75 times per year. Garments wear out much faster in that case.

But when considering the laundering of fire-resistant clothing there are a few factors that affect the life expectancy of the garment. Such as:

Consider the fabric when assessing wash expectancy and workwear durability.

• An FR material with 100% Cotton can last for approximately 12 to 16 months
• FR material with 88/12 Cotton-Nylon Blends can last approximately 18 to 30 months
• FR material with Synthetic Blends can last from approximately 2–1/2 to 4 years

Though FR garments are durable, the lifetime of the garment is largely based on the duration a person wears it. It is dependent on the worker’s job role and duties and also how rough a worker’s day-to-day work is, especially on their clothing.

But, FR/AR properties are good to extend the life of the garments. Hence you can feel safe wearing L4FR clothing as long as it is in its best condition.

Did you know?

When fabrics are tested for NFPA 2112 certification, the test performed to verify the flame resistance of the fabric is ASTM D 6413, which is a Test Method for Flame Resistance of Textiles (Vertical Test). This test is usually conducted before and after 100 laundries/dry cleanings. The fabric must pass all requirements to get the certifications that too after 100 washes. This makes it more evident how durable FR clothing is.

Talking about L4FR they are a family-run business and they have over 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Their main aim is to provide you the highest quality products/ garments that are both safe and comfortable to wear.