Uniform Rental Programs

Contractors often buy uniforms, but they can also get them from a rental service. Through this option, a vendor makes regularly scheduled visits to launder, repair and replace the uniforms in a contractor’s program. Benefits of this include little to no initial investment, the confidence that employee uniforms will always look clean and professional and not having to store extra uniforms onsite, says Brian Garry, director of segment marketing, Cintas, Cincinnati. Rental programs can cost from $2 to $7 per employee per week depending on the program and factors like the number and type of garments.

Daniel Hanson, owner of SCLM Co., La Verne, Calif., utilizes a uniform rental service, and each of his employees is given 11 shirts and 11 pairs of pants after a 30-day probationary period. One morning a week, Hanson’s employees bring their dirty uniforms in and have a clean set to take home at the end of the day.

“Even though the uniforms are a substantial cost for our company, I feel they are an extremely valuable investment in our image and outward appearance,” Hanson says.

Contractors can usually replace basic uniforms like T-shirts and hats annually, while larger programs that include hats, shirts, pants and jackets may require monthly updates, Garry says, adding this depends largely on turnover and employee size ranges. Rental programs can help keep appropriate uniforms on hand because a vendor can take care of all a contractor’s uniform needs during regularly scheduled visits.