How should I launder my apparel to ensure a long-lasting print or embroidery? (whether screen printing, digital printing, or embroidery).
The tags on the inside of your garments contain helpful instructions for laundering your apparel. But those instructions are intended primarily to protect the fabric and stitching of the garment itself. They don’t necessarily tell you how to look after your custom imprint or embroidery.
Once you’ve customized your apparel with your own unique design, you’ll also want to keep that design looking new and vibrant for as long as possible. You can help make that happen by following the best practices below. Additionally, see the other sections on this page for tips specific to digital printing and embroidery.
- Turn garments inside-out before washing and drying.
- Machine-wash at a low temperature and as gentle a cycle as possible.
- When machine drying, use a lower temperature if possible. Air drying is even easier on imprints.
- Don’t iron directly on the print or custom-embroidered areas.
- Avoid bleach and other harsh detergents.
- As always, follow any other care instructions on the garment tags.
Are there any specific tips for laundering digitally printed items?
- Digital prints are durable but are more liable to fade from wear compared to screenprints. So it’s especially important to launder with care.
- Turn inside-out before washing and drying.
- Machine-wash in cold water only.
- Lay flat to dry & avoid machine drying.
- Tumble dry low heat if machine drying is required.
- Do not iron the imprint.
Are there any specific tips for laundering embroidered items?
- Especially for embroidered items, be sure to dry apparel promptly after washing and avoid the use of the steam feature on your iron. Wetness can cause embroidery to shrink and distort.
- Don’t wring embroidery dry.
- If thread colors bleed into the wash, rinse in lukewarm water, then rinse repeatedly in cold water until the rinse comes out clear.
- Avoid washing embroidered apparel with other items that have metal zippers or fasteners. These could catch on the embroidery and cause damage.
- Consider sandwiching embroidery between two pieces of cloth while ironing to protect it from the heat of the iron.
- Avoid rubbing stained embroidery since this can damage the thread.
Are there any specific tips for laundering Screen Printed Transfer items?
- No. These can be treated the same as Screen Printed shirts.