It all starts with clean kit!

Tuesday 22 March 2022 15:00

There is a misconception that for every training session and every game, each Manchester United player is given brand new kit - removed from its packaging and laid out in the dressing room, ready to be worn for the first and only time.

But the kits are, in fact, looked after, preserved and washed after every session on the pitch. It has always been this way.

"The job of being the kitman is to make sure that the players go out worry-free and perform, wearing our colours proudly," says Albert Morgan, who was kit manager during two successful decades under Sir Alex Ferguson.

"I looked after the kit for 20 years. We made history and I loved seeing the team go out with a pristine kit."

Albert and his colleagues have had to facilitate some interesting kit rituals and requests from the players. For example, a famous United no.7 in the 1990s wanted his kit to be the exact same one for every game. Others had a superstition of not wanting their socks cleaned.
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Watch this video to find out more about Ecolab's work with United.
Whatever the need, every match starts with a clean kit, and every one brings its new lot of stubborn stains. Imagine a rainy day with muddy tackles or warm sunshine and grass burns.

Whatever the weather at home, away, or abroad, the drums of the laundry keep turning to get the kit back to its pristine white, black and red.

"It's an important responsibility to clean our kit and it's a full-time operation," adds Albert Morgan.

"Ecolab is now helping our laundry team to look after the kit, wash after wash, game after game. It all starts with a clean kit."
We are extremely particular about our kit. How it's prepared is important to the players. It has to be soft, comfortable, scratch-free. That means we go the extra mile in making our laundry cleaning best in class.

We have put our hygiene partner Ecolab to the task. Now, our laundry room is set up with a digital system that monitors every wash cycle. We track the quality and quantity of water we use. We wash at a low temperature with Ecolab’s SoftGuard delicate solutions, to protect our colours and the environment.

To discover more about Ecolab’s transformational work with Manchester United's kit, go to https://cleanmatters.ecolab.com/clean-as-a-whistle.

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