The homies over at T&A wrote this a little while ago, but it is a great tip on how to keep your dress shirts… well… dressy and not turn into casual shirts by means of improper laundering. I think J. Crew’s secret wash is just what guys I knew back in college do to their shirts: use a harsh detergent on a harsh wash cycle and follow that with a nice long tumble dry on high heat.
A: Stepping up your game and buying quality clothes is just the first step. Once you have some quality threads, you need to take care of them. I’ve found that shirts (button-down shirts, specifically) can really take a beating in the wash/dry process, so here’s a quick guideline:
- Always wash with cold water. Hot water is usually used for “heavily-soiled” clothes and my shirts are rarely “heavily soiled”. Hot water is overkill.
- Use less detergent than you think. Too much detergent can wear your clothes down and it’s largely unnecessary (most washers are meant to use less detergent than most people use).
- Wash with like colors. You know you need to separate. It only take two minutes. Just do it.
- Lastly, before you load up the dryer, take your shirts out, give them a couple of shakes and hang them up to air-dry. This will help prevent your shirts from shrinking (especially in the arms) and from breaking down too quickly. You won’t get that “almost ironed look” if you hang them up, but if you really need a crisp shirt, just break out the iron…
