Washing 100% cotton dress shirts?

[likeitaloud]

Recently I bought 4 RL dress shirts and 1 J.Crew and Burberry. I believe they are all cotton and I want to wash them now. I live in a building with commercial washing/drying machines downstairs. Non of them are white most are subtile different colours.

So how do I wash them? Put them together and wash on color? And what about drying I read somewhere you can't put them in the drying machine?

 

[sbbbjm]

for my dress shirts this is my routine usually -

- when i'm done wearing the shirt i'll spray some shout on the collar and cuffs where they might be ring around the collar etc

- when it's actually time to wash em i'll fill a rubbermaid tub with cold water and put some detergent and a little bit of oxyclean, throw the shirts in, and agitate for maybe 2 or three minutes and then just let em soak overnight

- next morning i rinse em out and just let em air dry - don't leave them soaking longer than overnight bc sometimes colors bleed

i have a couple of borrelli and RLPL shirts that i wash this way, bc i don't want them to look worn out. those pay machines are pretty heavy duty and will wash the crap out of your clothes lol

 

[nmprisons]

I just get some detergent, put them in the washing machine in the delicate cycle and hang to dry. Seems to work fine. Perhaps it is harsher than sbbjm's approach, but it is certainly easier.

 

[likeitaloud]

well sounds good but I have to wear then in about 24 hours.

Isn't air dryed clothes extremely rough and hard? (Kinda like a towl gets?)

 

[nmprisons]

you should either put a fan near them to keep them moving a bit or do what I do and just walk into the room where they are hanging and shake them every 15 or 30 minutes.

 

[Doc4]

Originally Posted by likeitaloud

well sounds good but I have to wear then in about 24 hours.

Isn't air dryed clothes extremely rough and hard? (Kinda like a towl gets?)

Do not put your shirts in the dryer. Air-dried shirts will be a bit "rough and hard" but that goes away shortly after you put the shirt on, so it's a transient thing only.

As for the actual washing, I keep white shirts on their own, and other shirts I wash by colour family: all the blues today, the pinks and lilacs next time, and so on. If the colours are not too bold/deep, and generally complimentary, you may be able to wash them all together if you don't have enough for separate washes. ... cold water ... regular cycle ... nothing special ... gets the job done.

 

[ohm]

Originally Posted by likeitaloud

well sounds good but I have to wear then in about 24 hours.

Isn't air dryed clothes extremely rough and hard? (Kinda like a towl gets?)

Just wash (cold) and dry them on delicate.

 

[Full Canvas]

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Here is Mr. Kabbaz's post-crash SF link to his web page on shirt care (including laundering and ironing). It's unlikely you will find anything more comprehensive.

___

 

[goodlife]

Originally Posted by Doc4

As for the actual washing, I keep white shirts on their own, and other shirts I wash by colour family: all the blues today, the pinks and lilacs next time, and so on. If the colours are not too bold/deep, and generally complimentary, you may be able to wash them all together if you don't have enough for separate washes. ... cold water ... regular cycle ... nothing special ... gets the job done.

Take them out and give them a gentle shake to eliminate any bunching. Place them in a plastic shopping bag with as little folding as possible. Remove and iron one at a time. Iron in thisorder Cuffs-Sleeves-collar-yoke-back-front. Replace collar stays and hang dry to eliminate any remaining dampness.

 

[Recoil]

Originally Posted by Full Canvas

-

Here is Mr. Kabbaz's post-crash SF link to his web page on shirt care (including laundering and ironing). It's unlikely you will find anything more comprehensive.

___

Good guide, but I don't really agree with ironing the top of the sleeve. When I take my shirts to the laundry to be cleaned and pressed professionally they always come back with a nice smooth sleeve.

 

[Johnathan]

My dryer has a setting called "air fluff", which is what I use. It doesn't get warm, it just moves the clothes around and blasts them with cold air.

 

[Epaulet]

I wash all of my shirts in cold water & the normal cycle. I air dry each one of them individually on its own hanger.

Once they dry, they're more or less wrinkle-free. I shake them out a few times and put them on. No iron required!

 

[Bill Smith]

I wash my shirts gentle cycle in cold water, hang dry and then iron.

 

[BdeRWest]

Delicate cycle and then iron to dry (a tip from Savile Row Shirts)

 

[JayJay]

I wash my cotton shirts in lukewarm water, then hang dry.