When you’ve invested in high-quality dress shirts for work and formal events, you’ll want them to last as long as possible. In this blog, we’ve put together a few tips and tricks for taking care of your dress shirts.
Read The Label
This might seem like an obvious piece of advice, but many people make the mistake of ruining their dress shirts by failing to look at their specific care instructions. It’s also a good idea to pay close attention to whether or not it’s actually safe to have the shirt dry cleaned because some dress shirts can actually become permanently damaged after dry cleaning chemicals are applied. If you do choose to visit the dry cleaners, be careful of which washing technique you opt for, because the ‘wash and press’ method can end up smashing the buttons in your shirt or stretching the fabric.
It’s also important to take note of the temperature recommendations for washing and drying your shirts. These temperatures are chosen carefully by the manufacturer because some fabrics may become damaged or shrink at particularly high temperatures.
Store Them Properly
A key factor in how long your dress shirts will last is how you choose to store them. The ideal storage environment for most clothes is a dark, clean, cool, and dry closet, which can help to slow the growth of bacteria and prevent color fading and UV damage. There’s no need to worry about moths when storing your cotton shirts, but any mildew or moisture can do irreparable damage. Mildew can leave a lingering, musty smell and can literally erode cotton fibers.
It’s a good idea to invest in garment bags in order to protect any shirts that you don’t wear every day. Consider how you store your shirts immediately after washing them, too, as crumpling them up with your moist gym towel in a laundry bag is not a good idea.
Be Careful When Using The Dryer
Tumble dryers can cause quite a bit of damage to your clothes. They can cause pulling, pilling, and shrinkage, and can cause your favorite shirt to crinkle up and lose its crisp edges. If the shirt label says so, you can place your dress shirt into the dryer to begin the drying process, but be careful not to leave it in for too long as this can create creases. While your shirts will likely need to be ironed or steamed before you wear them, you won’t have to spend as much time ironing out the creases if you complete the drying process on a hanger.
Before you place your shirt in the dryer, ensure that all the buttons are undone and that the shirt is placed inside a mesh bag to protect the buttons. Once you’ve finished drying your shirt, Stretch out the collar and cuffs into their original shape and hang the shirt on a high-quality, wooden hanger to avoid creasing when it’s hanging in your closet.