Washing 100% cotton dress shirts?

[unpainted huffheinz]

I put my Barba, Purple Label, and custom made shirts in the commercial 'Speed Queen' washers and dryers, and so far have not had any major mishaps. I wash on warm water and dry on low heat for 15 minutes or so. The linen and cotton/linen Barba shirts dry in ten minutes just hanging so I don't bother with the dryer on those.

 

[likeitaloud]

Yea I think easy washing drying is going to be ok on the shirts I didn't pay anywhere close to retail on them anyway. I tryed to air dry them but it's just too much hussle for a few shirts and the whole process ends up looking welfare when you are having damp shirts around the house.

 

[Golf_Nerd]

Originally Posted by 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 red somewhere you can't put them in the drying machine?

There were many good tips here. Here is another one: test another laundry from time to time.

 

[blackjack]

There's a guy in Japan who has posted an incredibly detailed explanation on how he irons his dress shirts right after he gets them out of the washing machine. He apparently adds some special liquid starch in the rinse so that the shirts end up incredibly stiff:

http://tinyurl.com/otakushirtdude

 

[likeitaloud]

Very impressive! I'll try it

 

[chobochobo]

Dang. I just put them all into the washing machine, air dry them and get the lady who comes in to tidy once a week to iron them.

 

[Asch]

A properly working washing machine, in my experience, does not damage cotton dress shirts, even when using warm or hot water. My only consideration in washing my shirts is color loss: vivid colors and patterns will get cold or warm water, whereas my white shirts I wash hot. For me, the discoloration minimization I get with a hot wash (plus a bit of oxiclean) outweighs any miniscule harm caused by the machine. Your mileage may vary if you don't sweat much.

I hang-dry my shirts, but I'm doubtful the machine would do much harm there, either, if a delicate setting is used.

 

[Hengo]

Originally Posted by chobochobo

Dang. I just put them all into the washing machine, air dry them and get the lady who comes in to tidy once a week to iron them.

+1
Also, I find it a bit odd that the tags in my Kiton shirts say I can wash them in 60 degrees, whereas my Borrellis say 35 degrees. Are the latter much more delicate? If that's the case, then I think I'll stick to kiton in the future. I like to be able to clean the shirts properly in warm water.

 

[likeitaloud]

Originally Posted by blackjack

There's a guy in Japan who has posted an incredibly detailed explanation on how he irons his dress shirts right after he gets them out of the washing machine. He apparently adds some special liquid starch in the rinse so that the shirts end up incredibly stiff:

http://tinyurl.com/otakushirtdude

Can someone suggest US alternatives to the solutions he uses when he washes the shirt.

 

[Tailor In Style]

If you are washing it yourself remember to take out your collar stays!

 

[AnGeLiCbOrIs]

I just send 'em to the cleaners for laundering. My cleaners (is/are) very professional and so far my experience has been very positive. My best shirts get "hand finished" by the cleaners. My Borrelli Royal Collection (Super 1,000,000s [or so] fabric) still looks great after about a year of regular wear.

Of course YMMV since when I tried using a hand finish service at another local cleaner they charged me more and did a really poor job.

I pay $1.40 for regular cleaning and $3.00 for hand finish. Hand finishing for suits costs $12.50. The other cleaner charges a whopping $1.95 for laundering and $4.25 for hand finishing.

 

[blackjack]

Originally Posted by likeitaloud

Can someone suggest US alternatives to the solutions he uses when he washes the shirt.


Sta Flo liquid starch rinse:

http://www.dialprofessional.com/dmd/...cfm?page_id=55

http://www.henkelna.com/cps/rde/xchg...and=0000000H08

 

[Dashaansafin]

Does anyone know how to get the dirty ring out of the collar of your white shirt?

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by Dashaansafin

Does anyone know how to get the dirty ring out of the collar of your white shirt?

Get a tooth brush or fingernail brush. Rub some bar soap onto the brush. Get the stained area wet. Rub some soap onto that. Scrub gently. Rinse. If still stained, repeat until not stained.

Works unless the dirt has been pressed/cooked into the cloth.