How to wash a printed t-shirt so the print survives

Prints do not fail at random. They fail from heat, friction and bleach, roughly in that order - and all three are avoidable. Do these four things and a printed tee will outlast most of the plain ones in your drawer.

Wash it inside out

This is the one that matters most and the one people skip. In the drum, the printed face rubs against everything else for an hour. Turned inside out, it rubs against itself. That is the whole trick.

30°C, not 40°C

Heat is what softens and lifts a print over time. Thirty degrees gets a t-shirt clean - it has done for years - and it is gentler on the colour of the fabric too. Nothing about a printed tee needs a hot wash.

No tumble dryer

A tumble dryer is heat and friction at the same time, which is the exact combination that cracks a print. Hang it up instead; a tee dries in a few hours. If you must use the dryer, lowest heat and get it out while it is still slightly damp.

Never iron directly over the print

An iron on a print is a hot plate pressed into it. If the shirt needs a going-over, turn it inside out and iron the back of the print, or go around it. Steaming from a distance is fine.

What actually kills prints

• Bleach and “whitening” detergents - they will go for the print as happily as the stain.
• Fabric conditioner, in quantity - it coats the fibres and over time works at the edges of a print. Occasional use is fine.
• Leaving it screwed up wet - a damp printed shirt folded against itself in a laundry basket for two days is asking for trouble.
• Scrubbing a stain on the print itself - blot, do not scrub.

How long should it last?

Treated like this, the print should outlive your interest in the joke. If a print fails early and you have looked after it, that is a fault and not wear and tear - send us a photo and we will sort it.

All of ours are printed in Manchester on quality ringspun cotton. Have a look at the range.