Use the right washing cycle for dress shirts Wash the shirts on a delicate cycle, using hot water for whites and light colors and cold water for dark colors. Of course, if the care label indicates specific setting, follow those instructions. Be sure to use a high-quality detergent.
Set up your washing machine: To minimize wear on a fine or lightweight dress shirt, use the Delicate cycle. If the shirt is made from a heavier-duty fabric, or is particularly dirty, you may opt for the Normal cycle. Whites and light colors can use hot water.
Select the “easy care” setting on your washing machine, as well as a low spin cycle of approx. 400 to 600 rpm. Ideally, you should wash shirts at 40 °C. After washing, place shirts in the drier at a low temperature (please follow care instructions) or hang them up to dry on a hanger.
Use a delicate or hand-wash cycle with cold water to minimize the risk of color fading and lettering damage. Turn the t-shirt inside out before placing it in the machine to protect the lettering.
Normal: This cycle is for cotton or blended fabrics with average soil. The cycle combines high-speed wash action and high-speed spin, making it harsher on clothes. Heavy Duty: Select this setting to wash towels and sturdy fabrics like jeans. It is also appropriate for heavily soiled items.
Use the right washing cycle for dress shirts
Wash the shirts on a delicate cycle, using hot water for whites and light colors and cold water for dark colors. Of course, if the care label indicates specific setting, follow those instructions. Be sure to use a high-quality detergent.
We recommend a cold water wash for darker fabrics, but warm or hot water is okay for white shirts or lighter colors. To minimize shrinkage, we recommend letting your shirt air dry on a sturdy hanger. If you do use a dryer, we recommend low heat and you should remove the shirt while it is still damp.
Avoid hot water – high temperatures will cause cotton to shrink, so opt for a delicate cycle or a cold wash to avoid your favorite cotton items from shrinking. Flip them inside out – to protect the outside of the garment from the abrasive agitation of the washing process, turn them inside out.
The delicate wash cycle uses high levels of cold water and a low spin speed for carefully tending to undergarments and delicate fabrics that need to be handled with care, like lace, lingerie, or silk neckties. Specialty items like electric blankets or stuffed animals may also benefit from a delicate wash.
Generally, it is best to wash your whites in warm or hot water. Washing your white clothes in a higher temperature helps to remove dirt, grime, and stains more effectively. Just make sure to avoid adding any colored fabrics, as warm water might cause the colors to bleed.
Choosing the right laundry cycle depends on fabric type and how dirty your clothes are. Use delicate cycles for soft fabrics and heavy-duty settings for tougher stains. Water temperature affects cleaning power and energy use. Warm water is good for most clothes, while cooler temperatures protect delicate items.
Use a Heavy-Duty Cycle & Wash Hot
Depending on the machine, the setting will either read bulky or heavy-duty for heavily soiled clothing. You will want to wash work clothes separately from other laundry. Generally, washing work clothes in hot water is ideal.
The t-shirt with a + icon indicates you can pause the cycle to add more clothing. Some front-load washers have an Addwash door, which makes it even easier to add more clothing during a cycle.
When to Use Warm Water – For man-made fibers, knits and jeans, use warm water (90°F). Most of your clothes can be washed in warm water. It offers good cleaning without significant fading or shrinking. When to Use Cold Water – For dark or bright colors that bleed or delicate fabrics, use cold water (80°F).
No prewash
For Infusible Ink projects, we do not recommend prewashing apparel or other fabric blanks. Most fabrics, and even hard blanks like coasters, have lint fibers on them not visible to the naked eye. Dye from these fibers can activate during transfer, infusing unwanted blue speckles into your blank.
Clothes are much more likely to shrink when exposed to hot water or high dryer settings. Washing clothes in cold water goes a long way toward preserving the “off-the-rack” size. Avoiding heavy duty cycles, fast spins and high-heat drying can also prevent shrinkage.
Generally, cold wash cycles are fine for all clothes including delicates and colored clothing. Warm water should be used for clothes that are more soiled and for whites, and hot water for very soiled clothing or items that need to be kept clean, like underwear and towels.
Select the temperature based on the contents of the load: for whites, select hot water; for colors, select cool or warm. Keep in mind that cotton and synthetic towels of any color will get the cleanest when washed in warm to hot water.
Cold water is fine for most clothes and other items that you can safely put in the washing machine. It can remove many stains from clothing, including grass on your kid's jeans or makeup smudges on a sweater. Delicate fabrics (lace and silk) and dark, colorful fabrics actually do best in cold water.
The Power Steam program is perfect for lightly soiled cotton, synthetic, and mixed fabrics items, effectively removing stains. The SpinDry/Rinse program rinses your load and spins it dry without detergent.
Using a gentle- or delicate-cycle setting and a minimal amount of mild laundry detergent with your load is the best method for washing a down comforter, pillows, and other down-filled items.
Step 5: Choose the Proper Setting
For most laundry loads, the normal wash cycle is best. But if you haven't experimented with cold-water washing, give it a shot. Many detergents have been reformulated to work better at lower temperatures, so we think you'll be happy with the results.