You’ve bought a piece of clothing and it’s about time for a
cleaning. Now what? As men, we understand how frustrating this can be
since we’ve probably shrunk a shirt or two before. With the proper
method, we will show you how to wash and care for all your items.

We’ve outlined some simple rules, methods, and tips on how to wash
and care for your clothing items. Just follow these and you’ll have that
crispy new feeling after every cleaning

Washing at home

Giving your clothes proper care and attention is the most important step to prolonging the life of your items.

Washing and drying at home

1. Unbutton all buttons, don’t forget cuffs and collars. 

2. Remove any collar stays. Some are fused into the collar, so leaving them in is not an issue.

3. Pre-treat any stains with detergent or spot clean (be careful and test in a small area first to check for color fastness). 

4. Use the delicate cycle (or hand-wash where available) for lightweight fabric. For heavier fabrics choose the normal cycle.

5. Hot or warm water is perfectly fine for whites or light colors. Use cold water for dark colors or colors that might bleed.

6. For detergent, avoid anything that is chlorine-based. It can turn that deep blue into a sky blue if you’re not careful. Also, fabric softener can coat your fabric, making it even harder to get those stains out so use them with caution.

7. Use a spin cycle get most of the water out of the garment, opting for a slower speed for your delicate fabrics.

8. Once the wash cycle is complete, remove them quickly otherwise letting them sit for too long will allow the fabric to develop wrinkles.

9. Rather than using the dryer, hang up the shirt to dry instead. Use rounded hangers to avoid sharp hanger marks once dry. More about why drying is detrimental to your shirt below.

10. Iron the shirts once they are slightly damp. Avoid starch as this can embed into the cloth and wear out your shirt prematurely.

Pay attention to labels on your clothes

Never have the shirt starched, this may weaken the fabric’s fibers, making it flimsy. Also, avoid getting your dress shirts dry cleaned but laundered instead. Dry cleaning requires chemicals which will warp the fabric. Not to mention, dry cleaners are notorious for accidentally damaging a lot of expensive clothing, so try and save some money (and your clothes) by cleaning them yourself.

Avoid the dryer

Unless you’re strapped for time, leave your shirts out of the dryer. These machines actually rob cotton of moisture which will shorten a fabric’s lifespan more so than any other factor. Not to mention, a good chance you’ll encounter shrinkage which may completely alter the fit of your clothes. It’s best to not take any chances.

General care tips

It’s important to check your pieces now and then to make sure there are no loose buttons, unnoticed stains, rips or wrinkles. This is to catch problems before it’s too late and correct anything before you actually need to wear it. This also helps prior to ironing.

In addition, keep your items spaced a few inches apart on their hangers, letting them breathe and drape naturally, preventing poor form. So take the few minutes to give a look over and see where anything may need some repair