Washing a LOT of aprons and not getting the strings tied!

[JeanneCake]

I don't have a laundry service at work; I do my own towels (but we use more paper towels and less side towels) and aprons because I have a huge capacity washer and dryer and both have a sanitizing cycle. We have only about 5 dozen white aprons with long ties, but the most I am washing at any given time is about 15- 18.

I try to put in a few large bath towels that I don't care about (I get a little overzealous with the bleach if truth be told) so the apron ties don't get too tangled up, but they do and I am getting tired of all the untangling. Even if I untangle them after the wash, they're just as badly tangled when they come out of the dryer.

Any ideas?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

The ties are probably less dirty than the fronts, yes? Have you tried tying them together in a simple, loose one-loop knot behind the aprons before you toss them in? That's what I do with my aprons (although admittedly I only wash 5-8 at a time, that being how many I've got.) It works very well - the ties come out clean but they don't tangle or get weird in either washer or drier.

[Darienne]

I put aprons into a zipped mesh bag and then have no trouble with the long ties. ...but then I wash not more than two at a time...

[JeanneCake]

What great ideas, thank you! Tying the strings and using mesh bags will definitely keep me from going nuts untangling strings

[baroness]

For very long apron strings, I pair the strings and fold them in half.

Then I tie an overhand knot at the center with all 4 strands as one, BUT instead of pulling the end free I leave it as a little loop and tighten the beginning of the knot around this loop. This will hold through the wash and dry, and release easily.