washing t-shirts

[Antler4641]

I did a search and couldn't find anything on the subject. I just bought a couple of t-shirts that fit me very well. I'm nervous about washing them, though. I don't want them to shrink at all, or if they are going to shrink the first time I wash them, I don't want them to shrink after that. I know that I should hang dry them instead of putting them in the drier. Does it matter what wash setting I use? Will they shrink with hot, warm, or even cold water? I want them to be nice and soft, but if they get much smaller they will be too tight.

 

[Flame]

I find 100% cotton to stretch over periods of wear. So occasionally I throw them in the dryer on low setting, but they are always washed in cold water and line dry otherwise.

 

[Antler4641]

Okay, I'll be sure to use cold wash from now on. I wonder why these particular t-shirts say "warm wash" on them, though. So would that actually slowly shrink them over time?

Also, what contributes to the softness of a t-shirt? Is it the warmth of the water, the detergent, the method of drying, or just general aging (being washed a number of times).

 

[Flame]

I think the cotton used matters the most. But I'm afraid I'm not well versed in different makes of cotton.

 

[Get Smart]

I wash my "good tshirts" by hand and air dry. I only machine wash/dry old beater tshirts.

 

[BioSore]

Ok, I have a weird add-on question on here. I'm hoping I'm not asking a stupid question, but anyways... here goes. How do you guys wash your jeans (both raw denim and pre-washed)? I don't want to ruin my jeans. I'm at home now, so I have the convenience of both a washer and a dryer (seperately). Next year, though, I'll be at college, in the dorms, so I don't know how exactly I would pull off air/line-drying (not that I do this now, though...). What would/do you guys do?

 

[Geowu]

pre-washed: wash them the way you want, turn them inside-out first and preferably don't tumble dry too much.

as for raw denim: it depends a lot. excluding the first shrinkage thing, you can wash your raw denim inside-out once a month or less, every three months, six months... cold water preserves the original state better than warm water. dry cleaning preserves the original state even better than cold water. warm water increases the indigo loss and the fade. hand-washing have less effects than machine washing. use a natural soap without any bleaches, brightening agents, etc. you can hang dry them in the shadow, or in the sun (may slightly bleach them over loooong exposures). tumble drying can weaken the fabric, but only if you do it lots of times.

 

[minya]

Originally Posted by Get Smart

I wash my "good tshirts" by hand and air dry. I only machine wash/dry old beater tshirts.
Problem with this is, sometimes the shirts start to get a funny shape... since, like Flame said, cotton stretches a lot. Putting them in the dryer on low, even for say half a cycle, will get the shirts back to their original shape. It's good to do this every now and then. But, yeah, I cold wash my shirts and usually air dry them. btw: if you want some really soft shirts, get cotton/polyester blends.

 

[Brian SD]

I use Woolite Dark and machine wash on delicate. Perhaps I dont take that good care of my shirts, but I've not noticed any problems doing it this way.

 

[hermes]

i do what briansd does

cold water on gentle cycle inside out
specific cold water detergent (woolite or zero) or if dark tees, cold water detergent for darks (tide for darks, cheer for darks, woolite for darks, etc)
drip dry them on a plastic hanger with thick shoulder bulges

 

[Magic44]

The yarn is the key to the T shirt to prevent any stretch. Most manufacturers never tell you the yarn type because it is probably a cheaper yarn. Gassed cotton yarn and gassed mercerised is the Rolls Royce of T shirts. They are 100% pure but will not shrink or bobble and will keep their shape. In hear in my quest for a great T shirt that there is a UK brand developing something like this but not at the luxury prices you don't want to pay. Hope this helps.

 

[colin_]

here's a question, how often do you guys wash your tshirts? I mean just every-day wear on tshirts, not working out or anything.

 

[BioSore]

Originally Posted by colin_

here's a question, how often do you guys wash your tshirts? I mean just every-day wear on tshirts, not working out or anything.

Oddly enough, I'm wondering this, as well. I'm sure the answer is fairly siimple (wear it once), but it'd be shame to waste money otherwise for not asking a simple question.

 

[minya]

I usually wash mine every 2, maybe 3 wears if I'm particularly un-sweaty. In the summer if I sweat like a pig I wash them after every wear.

Basically, I wash them when they stink like pits.

 

[BioSore]

Originally Posted by minya

I usually wash mine every 2, maybe 3 wears if I'm particularly un-sweaty. In the summer if I sweat like a pig I wash them after every wear.

Basically, I wash them when they stink like pits.

Thanks bud. Like I thought, pretty simplistic. Twas what I was thinking.

And btw, good posts, both on this board and on SA. Course, the SA thread is more like a mesh of.... random **** spliced together, but yeah.