Serving, like any job, has it’s moments - good and bad. But nothing quite compares to the moment when your co worker bumps into you, spilling the contents of a fresh brewed iced tea pitcher all over your brand new, perfectly pressed, now formerly perfect white shirt.
Maintaining the server whites can be a challenge and expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. A new shirt from *the discount store that shall not be named* runs about $13 plus tax. With luck white shirts can be picked up at Ross or TJ Max for around $10. Outside of regularly scrounging the thrift stores ( I have co workers that do this successfully), any bump, slip, splatter, or drip can set you back a healthy portion of your nights wages in uniform replacement costs.
In the past I tried soaking, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, spot stain removal, spray starch, and hair spray (it works a bit like scotch guard if applied to the shirt prior to the shift). I even tried soaking my shirts with dishwasher detergent. Pre-treating my shirts with a pure or laundry bar soap and water has worked the best for me. All of these things work well - especially the bar soap, but not every mustard, tea, steak grease, or spaghetti sauce stain would come out. Outside of adding dry cleaning to an already stretched budget, what is a server to do?
Ask Grandma - go old school. The best way I have found to protect my server whites without spending a fortune on dry cleaning is good old fashioned boiled starch. A one dollar investment in a box of Corn Starch will buy you a month (or more) worth of protection. When you starch your shirts the old fashioned way you actually get the starch in the fabric. Stains are more likely to stick to the starch and wash out with the starch during laundering. Bonus, no more spray starch all over the floor under the ironing board. Your shirt will keep it’s razor sharp creases throughout your shift, and you will look more professional. Second bonus, with razor sharp creases management and customers are less likely to notice those stubborn spots that just won’t come out.
David Thompson gives a wonderful guide to making and using your own home made boiled starch in his article on Ehow article: How to Make Homemade Boiled Starch. All you need is 1/4 cup corn starch and water. Dissolve the corn starch in 1 cup of water. After the cornstarch is dissolved add 1 quart of water and microwave until it boils stirring every so often. This gives you stand up and salute heavy starch, after boiling the starch add another quart of water for a "medium starch." I usually add 2 cups of water to my starch solution, I guess you could call it a "heavy medium" starch.
I run my clean shirts through a rinse cycle in the washer to get them wet, put the boiled starch in the sink, dip and agitate each shirt through the starch, and hand wring out each shirt. I then put all my shirts back in the washer and skip it straight to the spin cycle (not rinse - spin only). This removes the excess water and starch solution from the shirts before they go in the dryer.
The dry shirts iron out beautifully with a steam iron and when I’m feeling fancy or encounter a tough wrinkle I use a spray it some homemade linen water (tap water works fine too) on it and it irons right out.
Btw - Homemade linen water is 1/4 rubbing alcohol, 4 cups water, and a teaspoon fragrance or essential oil mixed together in a spray bottle, shake before each use. (Always spot check on an inconspicuous part of the fabric before use). It also make a great air freshener!
Maintaining the server whites can be a challenge and expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. A new shirt from *the discount store that shall not be named* runs about $13 plus tax. With luck white shirts can be picked up at Ross or TJ Max for around $10. Outside of regularly scrounging the thrift stores ( I have co workers that do this successfully), any bump, slip, splatter, or drip can set you back a healthy portion of your nights wages in uniform replacement costs.
In the past I tried soaking, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, spot stain removal, spray starch, and hair spray (it works a bit like scotch guard if applied to the shirt prior to the shift). I even tried soaking my shirts with dishwasher detergent. Pre-treating my shirts with a pure or laundry bar soap and water has worked the best for me. All of these things work well - especially the bar soap, but not every mustard, tea, steak grease, or spaghetti sauce stain would come out. Outside of adding dry cleaning to an already stretched budget, what is a server to do?
Ask Grandma - go old school. The best way I have found to protect my server whites without spending a fortune on dry cleaning is good old fashioned boiled starch. A one dollar investment in a box of Corn Starch will buy you a month (or more) worth of protection. When you starch your shirts the old fashioned way you actually get the starch in the fabric. Stains are more likely to stick to the starch and wash out with the starch during laundering. Bonus, no more spray starch all over the floor under the ironing board. Your shirt will keep it’s razor sharp creases throughout your shift, and you will look more professional. Second bonus, with razor sharp creases management and customers are less likely to notice those stubborn spots that just won’t come out.
David Thompson gives a wonderful guide to making and using your own home made boiled starch in his article on Ehow article: How to Make Homemade Boiled Starch. All you need is 1/4 cup corn starch and water. Dissolve the corn starch in 1 cup of water. After the cornstarch is dissolved add 1 quart of water and microwave until it boils stirring every so often. This gives you stand up and salute heavy starch, after boiling the starch add another quart of water for a "medium starch." I usually add 2 cups of water to my starch solution, I guess you could call it a "heavy medium" starch.
I run my clean shirts through a rinse cycle in the washer to get them wet, put the boiled starch in the sink, dip and agitate each shirt through the starch, and hand wring out each shirt. I then put all my shirts back in the washer and skip it straight to the spin cycle (not rinse - spin only). This removes the excess water and starch solution from the shirts before they go in the dryer.
The dry shirts iron out beautifully with a steam iron and when I’m feeling fancy or encounter a tough wrinkle I use a spray it some homemade linen water (tap water works fine too) on it and it irons right out.
Btw - Homemade linen water is 1/4 rubbing alcohol, 4 cups water, and a teaspoon fragrance or essential oil mixed together in a spray bottle, shake before each use. (Always spot check on an inconspicuous part of the fabric before use). It also make a great air freshener!
