How Should I Care For My Screen-Printed Shirt?
Posted May 10, 2021 in Blog, FAQs, Screenprinting
How Should I Care For My Screen-Printed Shirt?
As an established screen printing shop in St. Louis, MO, the team at STL Shirt Co. understands that you want to keep your printed shirts in the best condition possible. A well-made screen printed shirt can last for years, and be a great way to show your pride in an organization, remember a cherished event, or support a sports team. However, like all garments, there are certain steps you should take to ensure that your screen-printed shirt does not fade or shrink over time.
Do’s and Don’ts Of Screen Print Shirt Care
- Do: Wash screen-printed garments inside-out. This will not only protect the ink used in screen printing from fading faster but also prevent it from smearing or smudging against the washing machine’s drum or other items in the washer. Turning your shirt inside-out also prevents fibrillation, which is when the shirt fabric fibers show through the print and cause it to look faded and scratchy.
- Don’t: Use bleach when washing screen printed shirts. Chemicals in bleach weaken the dyes used in screen printing as well as the fabric of the shirt.
- Do: Always wash screen printed items with like colors and fabrics. This prevents color transferring as well as pilling (where fabrics rub up against each other in the wash and cause small fuzzy balls to form on the surface of the shirt).
- Do: Wash screen printed shirts in cool water using mild detergent (such as those designed for people with sensitive skin) or products like Woolite®. Using cool or cold water prevents shrinkage and also saves you money when doing the laundry. We suggest using the gentle/delicate cycle on your washing machine.
- Don’t: Use liquid fabric softener. While you may think that this will keep your shirt’s fabric in better condition and reduce static cling, the chemicals in fabric softeners break down the ink on your shirt and cause it to fade.
- Do: Hang garments to dry or lay them flat on a drying rack.
- Don’t: Dry screen printed shirts using higher heat. In addition to causing shrinkage, higher heat in a dryer can cause pilling and crack screen-printed ink. Use low or no heat if you must use a clothes dryer and avoid using dryer sheets.
- Do: Pre-treat garments if the water in your area is hard, and your building does not have a water-softening system. The minerals in hard water cause shirt fabrics to become stiff and uncomfortable, as well as fade the ink used in screen printing. We recommend soaking shirts in a mixture of one gallon of water and one cup of white vinegar if the water in your area is exceptionally hard.
- Don’t: Dry clean screen-printed shirts. Chemicals used in the dry cleaning process result in spots and stains appearing on printed garments.
Choose Quality Screen Printing | STL Shirt Co.
Of course, the best way to make sure that your screen-printed shirts will not fade, crack, or shrink in the wash is to have your screen-printed shirt made by a company that uses top-quality ink, cutting-edge printing processes, and sources shirts from premium brands. At STL Shirt Co., we are committed to providing all our clients with the finest quality, union-made, screen-printed shirts. We know that you want your shirt to last for years to come, and as such strive to give you a shirt you’ll love to wear again and again.
No matter the size of your order or when you need your screen printed shirts, choose STL Shirt Co. to create custom-printed shirts for your next event. Call us today at (636) 926-2777, or contact us online, to speak with a member of our team and get a quote for your screen printed shirt order.
