When you buy a custom t-shirt, towel, banner, or anything in between to promote your business, it is important that you know how to care for them. The last thing you want is for the cool, trendy shirts you just bought to bring to the trade show to be worn and ragged after a few washes. If you purchase a custom screen printed shirt from screen printing experts in Austin, it can last you for years before it starts to wear. Here are some do’s and don’ts when it comes to caring for your screen printed apparel.
- Wash Inside Out.
- Wash with Like Clothes.
- Wash with Cold Water and Dry Without Heat.
- Don’t Iron.
- Wash without Bleach.
- Wash with Gentle Detergent
- Wash Inside Out.
When a shirt or any material is screen printed, the ink binds to the fabric fibers to hold the image on there. One of the quickest ways to separate that ink from those fibers is to have them constantly ground against and tugged on by clothes in the washing machine. By simply turning the clothes inside out before throwing them in, the design or text will be protected from other clothes rubbing against it. This can prolong the life of your garments exponentially.
Wash Your Austin T Shirts with Like Clothes
What you wash screen printed shirts with is just as important as how you wash them. When putting clothes into the wash, you have to make sure that you are washing them with similar materials. If you put your printed tees into the wash with your work pants and garage towels, the designs on the shirts will get torn off by the tough fabrics. Always try to wash your screen printed clothes with the softest materials possible.
Wash with Cold Water and Dry Without Heat
When ink is heated up, it starts to break down and weaken, eventually leading to wear and erosion of the design. Using cold water to wash your garments will prevent designs from breaking down and fading. In the same way as washing with hot water, drying with high heat can also damage screen printed designs. In fact, since the air is also drying the ink out, it is even more susceptible to cracking and flaking. Always care for your clothes with cold water and no heat to prolong their lifespan, plus it will save you some extra cash too.
Wash Without Bleach
Just like heat, bleach also eats away at the integrity of screen printed ink. If you need bleach to tackle a tough spot on a white, it is best to use a stain remover stick and wash the garment smartly.
Wash with Gentle Detergent
Harsh chemicals in heavy duty detergents also eat away at the ink on printed shirts. Ensuring that you use a gentle, garment friendly cleaning product will prevent close from losing their luster.
At the end of the day, how you treat your screen printed garments is how they will treat you. If you learn how to care for them properly, they will care for you for years to come.
Need for more tips for how to keep your screen printed t shirts looking good as new? Contact RiverCity Screenprinting & Embroidery, a team of screen printing professionals in Austin, to learn more.