Ruined a few T-shirts in your time?
So we all want our favourite things to last forever. And there’s bound to be a T-shirt or two in that list. Here’s a quick guide on how to keep your T-shirt looking good for long enough to make it a veritable family heirloom.
An assumption is that you’ve bought good quality of course, but even if you’ve succumbed to buying the electrifying lime green “I heart Ibiza’ tee from the nearest beach stall, it’s still possible to keep it going till you grow out of that particular style phase.
It’s probably best to say at this point that because it’s a natural fibre, a 100% cotton T-shirt will suffer some shrinkage, but not noticeably so if you follow some simple rules. Heat is the worst thing you can subject it to, so don’t.
If there’s polyester or other man made fibres in there, then generally it’ll be more robust but there’s no harm in following the same guide.
Okay, here goes.
Rule No. 1: Wear a good anti perspirant and don’t wear your T-shirt unwashed indefinitely. (Unless you’re actively seeking the green/grey armpit look because it’ll happen pretty quickly)
Rule No. 2: Wash in cold water or at a low temperature - 30 degrees is fine but no hotter
Rule No. 3: Wash by hand or on a short and delicate cycle in your machine. The spin speed can be reasonable (around 800rpm)
Rule No. 4: Wash with similar colours. Stick to an all white wash for your white tees
Rule No. 5: Do NOT tumble dry. Ideally your T-shirt should never see the inside of a dryer – it’s the sure fire way to a shrunken misshapen rag. Just take your damp T-shirt, shape it nicely and preferably dry flat
Rule No. 6: Iron with a cool iron on a board. Or don’t iron it at all if you’re a cool dude surfer and have a reputation to keep up. Take extra care with the printed sort and iron those on the inside
Of course, if you're a guy who prefers principles to rules, then just keep it generally cool and calm and you'll be okay.
