The Laundy shirt care guide: How to wash dress shirts ?

Dress shirts, particularly white ones, seem to gather dirt and stains faster than other kinds of wear. Dress shirts are especially easy to sweat stains as they’re usually worn beneath heavy clothing, so it important to know how to wash dress shirts. 

To some people, it’s painful to wash shirts, but it is not supposed to be so! There are lots of choices for laundry dress shirts that are easy, fast, and effective.

Maintaining your awesome look is very important, and crisp, clean dress shirts are a crucial part of that look. Dress shirts are often expensive, and you don’t have to blow your budget regularly by purchasing new ones. So, you’ll need to know a way to keep your shirts looking new for as long as possible.

What Is This Article About?

Due to the issue when it comes to washing dress shirts with the correct approach, many look for laundry services since they don’t know how to perfectly wash shirts. However, if you’re like us, who want to avoid wasting some money on more vital investments, you’d prefer to find out a way to DIY like to.

For those who haven’t been into washing dress shirts and have had laundry services throughout their life, the change can be intense for some. While researching can be useful, below is a guide list that will emphasize what steps to take for efficient washing.

If you wash shirts, without knowing how to wash them, you may end up ruining the cloth or fabric. This brings frustration and can even cause you to look less than formal at any event you choose to wear them.

Dress shirts are not just dinner attire, they can be helpful to wear to any occasion, even to meetings, work, or other business-related events. This look not only generates high self-esteem just when it involves impressing other colleagues, even the bosses but boosts immeasurable confidence.

This is not only about shirts, most shirts have a particular way that needs to be washed, especially tie-dye shirts. A lot of people don’t know that there are different ways to wash tie-dye shirts and the way to wash white shirts at home.

The Best 3 Ways To Wash A Dress Shirt are:

1. Professional dry cleaning and laundry
2. Using a washing machine
3. Hand washing

Below we explained everything you need to know below, about these 3 options, their benefits, drawbacks, and the way to information on all three choices.

Professional Laundry and Dry Cleaning

It’s a great convenience to take your dress shirt to the dry cleaner to wash, however, it as well comes with its benefits also its disadvantages.

One of the simplest choices is to induce a wash and press for your shirt from an expert cleaner. throughout a wash and press, your evening shirt can 1st be machine washed.

Dry improvement, as critical as wash and press, uses little but nice at obtaining out oil primarily based stains. thus if your shirt is affected by sweat stains, a wash and press is the most suitable choice. If your shirt has oil or grease stains, then latch on dry clean.

Water which suggests perspiration-primarily based stains are tough to get rid of.

Professional dry cleaning services may be pricy, thus if you have got a lot of shirts to clean on a restricted budget, you will simply wish to use a washer and clean the shirts yourself.

Talk to your native dry cleaner to search out which treatment is best for the problems you’re presently facing.

To help avoid creating too several journeys to the dry cleaners, find out how to hold an evening shirt properly. This can facilitate to stay your shirt wrinkle-free and in wearable condition.

How To Use Machine Washing

Use the subsequent directions to machine wash your dress shirts properly.

Keep your laundry in order that you’re laundry similar things along (dark garments, colored garments, white garments.) Wash your shirts with different dress shirts made up of identical cloth, and with identical colors.

• Prepare the evening shirt by utterly unbuttoning the front piece of cloth further because of the cuffs and collar.
• Pre-treat stains before putting the shirt in the wash. Treat stains that will be too severe to be removed by the washer.
• Place the dress shirt into the washing machine and add high-quality liquid laundry detergent. Be cautious of the color as well as the material of your dress shirt before choosing the right detergent to use.
• Adjust the settings on the washing machine to gentle/delicate. If the shirt is made from a thicker fabric or has severe stains or sweat marks, you may choose to use the normal setting.
• Wash with cold water. Hot water shrinks clothes and makes dark colors bleed.

Once the spin cycle is finished (how long does a washer take?), remove the shirt from the washing machine and air dry by hanging (line dry) or laying flat (dry flat) on a drying rack. Avoid the dryer and its tumble dry settings when caring for your shirts.

Once dry, hang your shirt up or fold your dress shirt if you’re packing it for a trip.

How to Hand Wash Dress Shirts

To successfully wash your dress shirt without issue, kindly follow the instructions below. because if your dress shirt is expensive or delicate its best to hand wash it.

1. Fill a container with cool to lukewarm water.
2. Add a high-quality liquid laundry detergent to the container. Read the instructions on the label and add the appropriate amount. Do not use too much. A few drops are usually enough.
3. Completely open and unbutton the dress shirt.
4. Submerge the shirt in the water, and let soak for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Use your hands to agitate the shirt in the water until it has been cleaned to your satisfaction.
6. Rinse the shirt under cool water until all the soap has been removed and the water runs clear.
7. Lay the shirt evenly on an absorbent towel and roll it up like a sushi roll. Gently apply pressure on the roll to remove excess water from the shirt.
8. Air dry by hanging or laying flat on an indoor drying rack. Even if you know how to use a dryer, I highly suggest you don’t.

To Wash Dress Shirts Say “No” to a Chemical Clean

Not only is it costly to dry clean dress shirts between every wear, but it can also be downright. Dry-cleaning is tough on dress shirts and it can weaken the fiber which leads to tearing and rasping. Also, industrial ironing can wear down the dress shirts or even break the buttons. Using cheap starch is not a good idea because it is sometimes overused and it will build and cause a dull coating. But use the best detergent for your dress shirts and avoid harsh chemical substances used for washing dress shirts.

Shrinkage Stretching and Other Considerations

Most fabrics shrink 1- 3 over the first few washes. This is is a normal thing and should be anticipated. We factor expected shrinkage into your shirt size, so please only evaluate fit after at least one wash.

Fabric shrinkage is most noticeable in the” length” areas (sleeves, collar, and overall body length).

The way you care for a shirt can significantly impact how much a shirt shrinks. Casual clothes are often more susceptible to high rates of shrinkage if cared for improperly.

We’ve seen an added amount of dry cleanser stretch shirts during their pressing process.

Wash your shirts with similar fabrics, If you put dress shirts inside the same water you put your jeans, towels, or heavy sweaters, you might lose a button or two, the shirt could tear, or it may have other damages that could happen.

Other Important Tips

• Remove collar stays before washing or ironing.
• Pre-treat or inform your cleaner about the stains.
• Hang your shirt on a wooden hanger when it’s not being worn.
• Try to not leave shirts in the hamper for too long. Body oils can absorb into the shirt resulting in yellowing around the collar.

Wash at Home

It’s recommended that you wash your dark dress shirts at home with cold water and detergent, but you can use either hot or warm water to wash white or light-colored dress shirts at home. We also recommend using low heat when using the machine dryer and don’t forget to remove the white when it’s still damp because this will reduce shrinkage and also make ironing easy.

7 Tips for Dress Shirt Care

Now that you know how to wash dress shirts, below are 7 tips for proper dress shirt care.

1. Iron Wrinkles On Damp Shirts

To remove most of the moisture before ironing, put the dress shirts in the dryer

Then’s how to iron a button-up shirt the right way

• Start with the sleeves Sleeves tend to be the trickiest. Ironing them first helps to get them out of the way to prevent creases once you start moving the shirt around the ironing board.
• Iron the back and Pay extra attention to the pleats.
• Iron the front If there’s a pocket, iron from the sides toward the center.
• Save the collar for last Again, work from the sides toward the center.

2. Hang And Store Dress Shirts Very Well

Immediately after you finished drying and ironing your dress shirt, hung them as soon as possible to avoid wrinkling which will make you iron it a 2nd time. Give a one or two inches apart in your wardrobe to allow easy ventilation.

Quality hanger is very important, like wood hangers for dress shirts but tick plastic hangers are the best and will do a perfect job avoid iron hangers because of rust. Wire hangers should be avoided as well because they can easily bend and which can affect the shape of your shirt.

3. Remove Stains As Soon As Possible

Stain is the worst thing that can happen to your dress shirts if not properly taken care of. Removing deodorant marks, sweat stains and other types of stains takes your money, time, and energy and sometimes you will end up getting rid of the dress shirts when the stains refused to disappear.

Below are some of our best formulas for pre-treating sweat stains from dress shirts

• Dish detergent and hydrogen peroxide
• So-Clean
• Aspirin and hot water
• White vinegar and warm water
• Lemon and table salt

4. Launder Less

Every time you wash and iron your shirts, the colors and fibers deteriorate, this is why after a couple of washing your dress shirt will look less new and more faded day by day. So consider skipping a wash if your dress shirt is not noticeably dirty.

Avoid leaving your shirt in the hamper for a long time, body sweats have lots of time to set in and it can lead to the yellowish of the dress shirts. Also, innerwear singlets can help you reduce the need for laundry.

5. Keep These Items Handy

Stock up on these basics and leave a set in the office, in your vehicle or bag, and at home

• A lint roller
• A simple sewing kit
• A stain remover pen

These items can go a long way, especially when you are on a trip with no time to visit the dry cleaners. Knowing how to wash your shirts and take care of them will save you a trip to the tailor. Stain remover items should always be in handy.

6. Remove Plastic Bags From Dry-Cleaned Items

As soon as you get home from the laundry, immediately remove your dress shirts from the packaged nylon bags, because leaving them too long in the plastic bags will make your dress shirt turn yellowish.

7. Wear Deodorant, Not Antiperspirant

Get rid of antiperspirant and get deodorant because antiperspirant can leave yellowish stains that are hard to remove.

How to Remove a Stain From a Dress Shirt

Try some of the following stain removal methods if a stain has occurred on your dress shirt.

1. Act Quickly

Acting very fast is the best thing you can do when removing a stain from your dress shirt. Once a stain has occurred, immediately get a damp cloth and dab the stain off of the fabric.

2. Use Lemon Juice or White Vinegar

Use a cleaning detergent of lemon juice or white vinegar. Sock a cloth in it and dab it on the stain or just sprinkle it on the affected area.

3. Use an Absorbent Powder

Use an absorbent powder, for example; talcum powder or cornstarch, or even baking soda pop to extract the stain from the affected part. cover the stain with an absorbent powder and place a heavy and flat something over top of it to sit overnight, you can use a book for this. Then in the morning dust off the powder o see if the stain was removed. You will be marveled by the total disappearance, then you can put it in the washing machine to completely finish the job

Conclusion

Rember to unbutton all buttons, don’t forget cuffs and collars. Remove any collar stays. Some are fused into the collar, so leaving them in isn’t an issue. Pre-treat any stains with detergent or spot clean( be careful and test in a small area first to check for colorfastness). One great product to try is the collars and cuffs bar from The Laundress. This product works great for pre-treating those hard rings around the collar stains.

Use the delicate cycle( or HD- wash where available) for lightweight cloth(e.g. Broadcloths and Poplins). For heavier fabrics(e.g. Oxfords or Pinpoints), choose the normal cycle. Hot or warm water is the best for whites or light colors. Use cold water for dark colors or colors that might bleed.

For soap, there are lots of good ones to use. Avoid anything that’s chlorine-grounded. 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. Use a spin cycle to get the utmost of the water out of the garment, opting for a slower speed for your delicate fabrics.

Once the wash cycle is complete, remove them very fast else letting them sit for too long will allow the fabric to develop wrinkles. Rather than putting dress shirts in the dryer, hang up the shirt to dry instead. Use rounded hangers to avoid sharp hanger marks when dry. More about why drying is detrimental to your shirt is below. Iron the shirts when they’re slightly damp. Avoid starch as this can embed into the cloth and wear out your shirt prematurely.