The chef's white jacket or coat is almost as strong an icon as the chef's hat in the kitchen. But keeping that coat looking white and stain free can be a challenge. Whether the coat is one hundred percent cotton or a polyester/cotton blend, it is easy to keep it looking great.

How To Remove Stains and Wash A Chef Jacket

Kitchens can be messy and spills and stain happen. The key to keeping a jacket white is to treat the stains as soon as possible.

Regular washing will help to remove those stains as well as body oil and soil and the cooking odors that can permeate fabric.

It is also important to have several clean coats handy and rotate their wearing. This will help ease last minute panic and keep a supply of clean coats ready.

Always wash the white items separately from colors and use a heavy duty detergent (Persil, Wisk and Tide are top rated detergents) and the hottest water recommended on the care label. You should always use warm or hot water. Pretreat any stains with an enzyme based stain remover or a bit of the liquid detergent worked directly into heavily soiled areas. Allow the stain remover to work on the fabric for at least 15 minutes before washing.

Check the coats for stains before drying. If stains remain, do not toss in the dryer! The high heat of the dryer will set the stains and make them much more difficult to remove. They will need to be treated again with stain remover and rewashed.

Since washing chef coats may not happen immediately after every wearing, presoaking will make stain remover easier.

Fill a large sink or non-metal bucket with a mixture of warm water and oxygen-based bleach. Follow product directions as to how much to use per gallon of water. Completely submerge the white coats and allow to soak until its time to wash.

How To Bring Back the White

It is better to not use chlorine bleach to remove stains or whiten the fabric. Chlorine bleach can damage fibers and actually cause coats to yellow and become more dingy.

To restore the whiteness, fill a washer or wash sink with warm water. Add 1 cup of oxygen-based bleach (OxiClean, Tide Oxi or Nellie's Natural Oxygen Brightener are brand names) and submerge the coats. Allow them to soak for 24 hours. Then wash as usual with a heavy duty detergent in warm or hot water. During the rinse cycle, add one cup of white distilled vinegar to help rinse away any detergent residue that clings to the fabric and causes it to look dingy. If you have hard water in your area, the white vinegar is a must in the rinse cycle to help remove the detergent and soil that redeposits on whites.

Another tip to help brighten whites is to use laundry bluing. The addition of this product restores whiteness by increasing the light reflection from the fibers.

If the coats are older and need a dramatic whitening boost, purchase Rit Color Remover and follow the directions on the package to help remove dinginess and greying.

These same tips will work to whiten aprons and kitchen towels.