Garment Care

Washing your shirts every time you wear them is actually more about our habits than hygiene, and to be honest, it is not even necessary most of the time. In fact, washing your shirts less often will prevent them from colour fading and aging. Generally, it is enough for reuse to air many shirts properly, hang them on a hanger after shaking them a little. In addition, many stains can be handled with stain removal methods that you apply to the stained area without washing the entire shirt. There is no need to think that it is unhygienic. On the contrary, it will ease the burden on both your laundry basket and your wallet. 

It goes without saying that running your washing machine on a long program for a single shirt is a waste of both water and energy. Therefore, unless it is an emergency, wait until your washing machine is full. However, it is better not to wait too long because running your machine beyond its capacity will cause your shirts to wear out and they won’t be washed properly. 

Pay attention to the washing instruction symbols on your shirts. These instructions are specially prepared for each shirt by our expert teams at our fabric suppliers and they aim to prolong the life of your shirts. 

Thanks to current technologies, washing machines and detergents, you no longer need to wash your shirts at very high, almost like boiling temperatures. Low temperature programs may as well perform the task, easing the burden both on your shirts and on the environment. This does not mean that you should wash every shirt at 30C, of course. It is useful to check the condition of your shirt before washing; if the low temperature is sufficient, washing in this way will prevent your shirt from wearing out. 

Prefer eco-friendly laundry detergents and be careful not to use too much. Using too much detergent does not mean that your shirts will be cleaner or more hygienic, thus it will be sufficient to use reasonably. It is a known fact that laundry softeners have antistatic effects to prevent lint accumulation on dark coloured fabrics, and for this reason they are very popular. However, you should keep in mind that chemical-based softeners harm both your shirts and the environment. Thus, if it is necessary, use organic softeners. Try to avoid softeners with such ingredients as optical brighteners, chlorine, synthetic perfume and dyestuffs, paraben, phosphate, petroleum-based chemicals and sulphate. 

Try to skip the dryer as much as possible in order to prolong the lives of your shirts and minimize your impact on the environment. Air drying is always a better option both for your shirts and the environment. But do not forget to hang up your shirts right after they are washed. Leaving your wet clothes in the machine for a long time will cause wrinkling or even mould at some point. 

Different types of shirts need to be washed in different ways; thus, we recommend that you separate your clothes according to their types before washing them. Although sorting by colour is the most popular method, we also recommend that you sort by fabric types or washing temperatures. In addition, make sure that the pockets are empty and the zippers are zipped in order to make sure your clothes will not damage one another while washing. Lastly, do not wash coloured clothes that will be washed for the first time with light-coloured clothes. 

If your shirt has been stained, treat the stained area right away. Natural materials such as cotton, linen or wool absorb stains very quickly; so, the longer you wait, the harder it will be to get rid of the stain. Unfortunately, there is no common stain removal method applicable to all kinds of stains. For this reason, make sure that you apply the stain removal method in accordance with the type of both the fabric and the stain. To decide, you can take a look at our “Stain Removal Guide”, where we share some tested stain removal methods on the most common stains. 

As we mentioned in the “Treat the Stains Immediately” section, treating a stain right away will prevent the stain from penetrating deep into the fabric and it will also prevent you from wasting water and energy by unnecessarily washing your shirt for a small stain. But of course, you may need to have your shirts dry cleaned depending on how you use them. Unfortunately, most of the traditional dry-cleaning methods are not sustainable. In fact, many dry-cleaning companies use chemical perchloroethylene that cause health problems and create air pollution. So, when you go to a dry cleaner, ask if they use perchloroethylene, hydrocarbon solvent or D-5 cleaner and if possible, ask them to use other dry-cleaning methods. Even better, you can ask them to use environmentally friendly/ecological cleaners of whose main solvents are CO2 and water, if possible. Always keep a reusable clothing cover in your home and reduce the use of plastic covers by taking your shirts to the dry cleaner with this clothing cover. Lastly, do not forget to return the hangers that you received with your shirt so that they can be reused. 

Some fabrics may be more or less prone to wrinkling depending on its texture. If necessary, straighten your shirts with steam rather than ironing. Steaming will allow the fabric fibres to open more gently. You may not even need to iron your shirts if you wash them at low spin speed, gently shake them after taking them out of the machine and hang them on a hanger and dry them. If your washing machine has a “Wrinkle Reduction” program, using this feature will also prevent the formation of wrinkles. Alternatively, you can also wash your shirts at a low spin speed, so they will come out a little wetter than normal washing. If your shirt definitely requires ironing, it is useful to determine the safest temperature for your shirt after carefully reading the washing and care instructions on your shirt. When ironing a cotton or linen fabric, if the fabric is slightly moist, the fibres will open more easily, and your shirt will be straightened faster.