The dress shirt is a good investment, therefore, when it comes down to cleaning, you really need to make the right choices. With proper care, a high-quality dress shirt can be worn for years and continue to look great.
Whether you prefer to wash your shirt at home or bring it to cleaners, in this article, we’re going to explain in detail how a dress shirt should be cleaned, in order to keep it looking great for years.
1. Wash and press method in professional laundry
‘’Wash and press’’ is the method of cleaning you usually get when taking your shirt to the dry cleaning.
Moreover, it sounds exactly like what it is -– cleaners put your shirt in a washing machine with water and detergent, and then the shirt is pressed straight out of the machine, while it’s still damp. Basically, the service is more about the pressing technique itself. However, this cleaning method is relatively cheap and easy, and it still keeps the shirts looking great.
2. Wash your dress shirt at home
While it’s perfectly fine to send your dress shirts to the ‘’dry’’ cleaning, you can also replicate this process at home and save money or simply get a little more control over how your shirts are washed. Follow these steps for optimal results:
Start by preparing the dress shirt – unbutton all of the buttons, including cuff buttons and any collar buttons.
Pre-treat any stains carefully prior to laundering. Problem-areas are: stains, collars, cuffs, and underarm stains.
Set up your washing machine – you should wash shirts using cold water to prevent shrinking. Try using the Delicate cycle for lightweight dress shirts. If the shirt is made from a heavier fabric, opt for the Normal cycle.
Use a high-quality detergent, that is appropriate to the color of the shirt. Also, consider using a whitening booster or enzymatic cleaner in concert with detergent.
Wash the shirts in the washing machine, and then let the spin cycle wring most of the water out of the clothes.
When you remove the shirts from the washing machine, take them by the shoulders, and give them a good shake to uncrumple the fabric, before these intense wrinkles will dry into the shirt.
Either transfer the shirts to a hanger (ideally, a wooden hanger), or immediately press them.
Next, you’ll want to iron the shirts, when they’re mostly/completely dry.
As you see, it means that we’re skipping machine drying the shirts entirely. In part, because you’ll get better results by allowing them to air dry or by pressing, and in part because skipping the dryer will cut down the color fading factor.
If your dress shirts are of the no-iron variety, you'll probably be satisfied by the way they look after they've been hung to air dry. But for more formal shirts you should press shirts shortly after they've come out of the wash.
In addition, here’s a look at how different fabrics like to be handled:
Polyester, nylon, and spandex – almost always machine washable.
Cotton and linen are prone to shrinking and fading. Washing in cold water in the wash and air drying will address both problems.
Wool, silk, and rayon/viscose are fabrics that don't love exposure to water. Wool and silk still can be hand-washed, but clothing that contains rayon or viscose should only be dry cleaned.
By the way, here at Deo Veritas, we adjust for shrinkage before we begin building your cotton shirt. As a result, you could expect a maximum loss of 3% after washing/drying.
3. Dry clean at cleaners
Mostly it’s not recommended to dry clean cotton dress shirts, however, this cleaning method will definitely not damage the shirt and minimize the shrinkage. The only downside factors are the expensive price and the fact that perspiration-based dirt can be left untouched, as dry-cleaning solvents contain little to no water.
Altogether, washing dress shirts in water is mostly required only for removing water-soluble dirt and stains from sweat.
How often should you wash a dress shirt?
The short (and the right) answer is: only when it gets dirty. For dress shirts, the first thing to look at is the inside of the collar and the cuffs. That’s where you’ll first start to see sweat stains. Another thing to do to lengthen the time period between washing your dress shirts is to always wear an undershirt.
How to maximize dress shirt life?
Don't overdo it with the amount of detergent, because it can have a detrimental effect on your clothing. You can even use less detergent than it is recommended, and instead of its focus on the spot cleaning.
If you don’t want premature yellow spots on your dress shirts’ collar band, don’t leave the shirts in the hamper for too long before washing. Otherwise, the sweats and oils will set into the fabric of the shirt.
Avoid using a drying machine – instead, hang dry, and your shirts will maintain their shape better.
Don’t count on your cleaner to find and remove stains. If you know there’s a spot on your shirt, point it out yourself.
Don’t use hot water for washing your dress shirts.
There's just something about having a pulled-together look. However, even high-quality dress shirts don’t last perfectly clean forever, so in any case, you want to take care of your dress shirt properly.
Take into consideration our recommendations, and you’ll definitely keep your dress shirts looking new much longer.
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