It seems easy enough. You shop online or you're browsing in your favorite store and you find "The Shirt." It's just the pop of color you were looking for. You know the cut of this brand fits you like it was designed for you. You slip it on, you go to work, out to dinner and then you toss in the laundry, right? Wait, or do you dry clean it? There really is an art to caring for a shirt and we're about to make it easy to remember.
Start by reading the care instructions. The designer of the item you're about to launder is the expert. He or she has laundered this garment hundreds of times and can suggest the optimal laundering experience. Here are the symbols to look for on a garment
(Graphics from textileaffairs.com)
By following the manufacturer's label (mandated by law to be on the garment), you can extend the vibrancy and the life of your clothing. Here are some other tips that can help you extend the life of your shirts:- Before laundering, turn your item of clothing inside out, especially if it has any sort of embellishment.
- Hang garments on a flocked hanger like this style form QVC which doesn't leave creases. The flocking will also keep your garments from slipping off.
- As far as bleach goes, tread lightly. Whitening may be good for your teeth but on some items of clothing, bleach can damage the fibers, making your clothes look worn and more prone to tears and holes.
- If you do dry clean your clothes, remove the plastic dry cleaning bag from over your clothes immediately when you get home to let the clothes breathe. In our home, we also remove the shirts from the wire hangers and move them to the flocked hangers to prevent them from developing a sharp crease from the wire hanger. Never hang your pants over a wire hanger. The sharp crease mid-leg is a tough one to iron out!