Tag Archives: t-shirt care

Hang dry

Tips To Hang Dry Your Clothes And T-Shirts

Hang dry

Following laundry instructions as they are printed on the tags of clothes, including T-shirt often means that you end up hanging them to dry. Some people have a love of hanging clothes to dry outside and do so during all 4 seasons. Still others simply like to hang clothes inside to dry, in order to save on laundry costs or to avoid shrinkage. Whatever the reason you choose to hang dry your clothes and T-shirts, there are some things to keep in mind.

•    Hang clothes in an area where air circulates freely. If you hang them outside, this is easily done. However, for clothes hung inside it is important to space them apart and allow air to flow around them. This reduces the chance of mold and speeds up the drying process.

•    If you are using clothes pins or clips of some sort, pin them on a part of the clothing that will be least affected if they leave an indentation. A good choice for pants is the waistband. A good choice for T-shirts is the hem, especially if you plan to tuck in the tee.

•    Also if you pin up your clothes to dry, be sure to use enough pins to make sure the wet item does not stretch and sag disproportionately while drying. Pinning just the end of clothes made out of absorbent cotton, like T-shirts, often results in stretched out ends when the item is dry.

•    For clothes that are hung outside to dry, it is important to make sure you are not putting them there during high pollen count season if you have an allergy sufferer in your house. It will affect his or her allergies greatly.

•    Another thing to remember about outside drying is that the sun has a natural bleaching effect on clothing. Therefore white tees and clothes will look great dried outside, while color clothes will fade more quickly from drying outside.

•    For the best look possible from a line dried item, pull and tug out wrinkles as you are hanging it, restoring it to its intended shape. This will also save ironing time.

How Many Times Can You Wear A T-Shirt Before Washing It.

Everyone tends to have their own schedule of wearing clothes for a certain period of time before washing them. Some items can easily be worn more than once, depending on the type of clothes, where you wear it and what you do while wearing it. In the case of a T-shirt, typically they are washed after each use. However, in reality there are several variables, which can affect this. So in order to determine whether or not you can wear a T-shirt again before washing it, weigh the following factors.

•    If the T-shirt was worn next to the skin, you may not be able to wear it a second time before washing it. If you layer your T-shirts, the one on the outside will not be exposed to the oils and perspiration of the skin and will remain clean enough to be able to be worn more than once before needing to be washed, providing you don’t get it dirty in other ways.

•    How long the T-shirt was worn also determines whether or not you can wear it multiple times before washing it. If you put on a T-shirt and wore it for just a few hours, you may be able to wear it another time or two for a similar time period before needing to wash it.

•    What you were doing while wearing the shirt will help you decide if you need to wash it after one wearing. If you wear a T-shirt while sitting around watching TV or doing computer work in a climate controlled room, you should be able to get a second wearing out of it. However, if you wear it to the gym, outside, while doing exercise, while cooking, in an environment that has a strong odor or while doing dirty work, you will not want to wear it again until you have washed it.

•    The fit of a T-shirt helps to determine the frequency of washes. If your T-shirt is form fitting, it is more likely to pick up oils and odors from your skin and will need to be washed more often. If your T-shirt is loose fitting and barely skims your torso, it may be one that you can wear twice before needing a wash, depending on the other factors above also.

If you have a favorite T-shirt or one that you need to wear repeatedly for some reason, you can save yourself from having to do laundry everyday by following a few simple tips to make sure you get the most use of your tee between washes. Wear it only when you need to and for as short a time as possible. Put another solid colored T-shirt under your favorite one. Restrict the activities you do and the places you go while wearing it. You can also buy a duplicate T-shirt to make sure one is available when you need it.

Get a custom-made T-shirt printed to duplicate your often-worn T-shirt. Custom printed T-shirts can replicate practically any T-shirt, so you have exactly what you want on your shirt and have the quality, cut and style of T-shirt that you want too.

Why Do The Bottom Of My T-Shirts Keep Stretching Out

T-shirts are a great looking addition to any wardrobe. They come in so many different colors and styles that you can easily use them to your advantage in almost any outfit. You can dress them up or down and can get a lot of use from T-shirts. However, there are some people who are plagued with problems with their T-shirts. One of these problems is that the bottom of their T-shirts keep stretching out. While this seems like it might be a rather unusual problem for someone who has never experienced it, quite a few people consider it an issue.

Below are some of the reasons the bottom of your T-shirt might keep stretching out:

•    If you have wider than average hips, you may be pulling down the T-shirt to cover them, whether self-consciously or unconsciously. Constant pulling on your T-shirt and stretching it wider than it was meant to be will lead to the bottom of your T-shirt being stretched out.
•    If you have a nervous habit of pulling at the hem of your clothes or twisting it, the stress on the garment will inevitably lead to the T-shirt being stretched out at the bottom.
•    If you surf in your T-shirt or do any other activities in which your T-shirt will get wet, the bottom of the shirt will inevitably tend to stretch out because the T-shirt will hold the water and stay heavy at the bottom. .
•    If you happen to have a child who loves to hold tight to Mommy, you may find that the bottom of many of your T-shirts are getting very stretched out also from him or her pulling at them.
•    Certain fabric blends have very specific laundry instructions, like lay flat to dry. If you do not follow these instructions and hang your shirts to dry, you will find that the ends stretch out from the weight of the water.

Why Do T-Shirts Fade In Color?

We all love new, vibrant colored T-shirts. In fact, when we first buy them, we often choose T-shirts because they are the perfect color we are looking for. However, the rather unfortunate thing about cotton T-shirts, in particular, is that they will inevitably fade. Some fade very quickly while others keep their color longer. Purchasing certain types of T-shirts and specific care techniques will help to ensure your T-shirts stay looking good longer. So, why do T-shirts fade in color at all?

There are multiple factors that play a part in T-shirts fading with time. Below is a list of the most common ones.

•    Certain fabrics tend to hold dye better than others. Cotton, the most common fabric of T-shirts, is not one of these fabrics. In fact cotton is notorious for fading quickly in color.
•    The laundry is a primary culprit in making T-shirts fade in color. Color cotton tees have a tendency to fade with washes and especially when dried in the dryer, because the T-shirt fibers break down over time.
•    Hanging color T-shirts to dry outside is also not a good idea. The sun has a natural bleaching effect on clothing, so it is advised to let colors dry inside, away from the sun’s rays, to preserve the intensity of the color.
•    The dye process used in the fabrication of the T-shirt material will also impact how quickly or slowly a T-shirt fades. Cottons that have been dyed using hot, longer processes will have more resistant color than other processes, as the chemical process needed to bind the dye to the cotton will be better activated.
•    The quality of the T-shirts is important for fading. Often T-shirts that are cheaper and of less quality will fade much faster than others. This is often because the production methods were not good quality and attention was not paid to the colorfastness of the item.

Tips to prevent T-shirt colors from fading:
•    Turn them inside out before washing them.
•    Use a mild detergent and warm or cool water, not hot.
•    Do not put them in the dryer but hang them inside to dry instead.
•    The first time you wash a new vividly colored T-shirt, add a cup of vinegar or some table salt to the water with the detergent. This will help the dye to set in better.
•    Use one of the new detergents that is specially formulated for dark colors.

If you happen to have some faded out T-shirts, the absolute best way to replace them is with custom-made tees. You can have a shirt completely replicated through custom printing so that it perfectly matches the one that no longer looks good enough to wear.  When you are making the choices required when ordering a custom-made T-shirt, be sure to order the highest quality one you can, especially if you are getting one in a dark or vivid color. They will hold the color best and stay looking good much longer.

How To Make White T-Shirts Whiter

It seems that white T-shirts are always the ones that get stained, dirty and discolored the quickest and easiest. Inevitably, our favorite ones are always amongst those that don’t look their best. However, you can relax by knowing that there are multiple things that you can do to make your white T-shirts even whiter.

•    Use bleach in your wash cycle with detergent if the T-shirts washing instructions do not warn against chlorine bleach. You may also soak the T-shirt in a mixture of bleach and water for a short period of time before washing it. Be sure to check instructions and do not leave the T-shirt soaking for too long in bleach or you will have a shirt with holes in it.
•    If your T-shirt’s instructions indicate no chlorine bleach, you can opt for color-safe bleach. Pre-treat stains by applying it undiluted to the spot and then soak the T-shirt overnight in a mixture of water and the same color-safe bleach. Wash as usual.
•    Adding bluing to the rinse cycles of your wash will also help to add some of the whiteness back to your favorite white T-shirt. Be careful to dilute it in water first to avoid blue stains on your tee.
•    Hang your favorite white T-shirt outside to dry it. The sun has a natural bleaching effect. Even in winter, white T-shirts will whiten up outside.
•    Vinegar also works as a bleaching agent for clothes. Add it to your wash cycle or soak your clothes in it. It is also very effective in getting rid of odors in T-shirts. Just be sure to not mix vinegar with bleach.
•    Baking soda added to your laundry will also help to whiten your T-shirts. A half-cup with your regular detergent will boost the detergent’s whitening power.
•    A half-cup of hydrogen peroxide added to your washing machine, along with your laundry detergent will also effectively whiten your tees.

Sometimes no matter what you do, your T-shirts will remain looking less than pristine. If you have neglected them for too long, they are too old or have been stained by certain things, there is no going back. If this is the case, you may want to simply replace the T-shirts in question and start off taking better care of the new ones. If you have a T-shirt that is unique, full of memories or a favorite for some other reason, you can get it recreated perfectly by opting for a custom-made T-shirt.

When investing in new white T-shirts, ordering custom-made ones ensures that they say exactly what you want them to. You get to choose the style, fit and quality of the T-shirts too , which means they will inevitably be amongst the more favored shirts in your wardrobe, earning them more attention and care. Keep your new white T-shirts clean and super white by using the above tips regularly and they will stay looking their best much longer.

Rate My Style, I Just Wear T-Shirts

Do you love t-shirts? Do you love them so much that you wear little or nothing else besides t-shirts? Just because you wear nothing but t-shirts, it doesn’t mean that you have poor style. If you know how to wear t-shirts well, can keep them in good condition and will get rid of your older, more worn t-shirts, you can have great style for far less than many other types of clothing would cost.

If you only wear t-shirts, it’s important to keep them in good condition. With a worn, old t-shirt, it’s easy to look sloppy and far too casual for many situations. Keep your t-shirts in good condition by washing them only as often as you need to and using pre-treating stain removers to get out the worst stains.

Keep white t-shirts looking great by occasionally washing them with bleach. This will keep them looking bright white instead of getting dingy over time. Using some baking soda in the wash can also help them to look their best and whitest. If you sweat a lot, consider wearing a t-shirt under your white t-shirt to keep the underarm’s from looking yellowed and stiff.

Most t-shirts will last a long time and through many washes. By taking good care for t-shirt, it can last 50, 60 washes or more. However, there comes a time when a t-shirt should be discarded and replaced with a brand-new one. If your entire wardrobe is t-shirts, it’s a good idea to occasionally look through your shirts and make sure that they are all in good, wearable condition. If they have holes in them that are noticeable, it’s best to get rid of the shirt. If you have t-shirts that are stained and you’ve tried in vain to get the stains out with no success, it’s best to get rid of those shirts as well.

Just because you wear t-shirts only, it doesn’t mean that you always look casual. It’s easy to dress up t-shirts with a fitted blazer and a nice pair of pants. A t-shirt, slacks and a pair of high heels or dress shoes look dressy as well as being comfortable. Make sure to coordinate the color of your t-shirt, pants, jacket and shoes. Even if the shirt is in good shape, it will not look its best if it is worn with clashing colors. Stick with an overall group of colors in your outfit. For instance, an outfit can have an earth-tone theme with a green t-shirt, brown pants and dark brown shoes. Or, you can have a citrus theme with a yellow t-shirt, an orange skirt and yellow flats.

If you take some care with the way you look and you take good care of your t-shirts, you can have impeccable style while wearing nothing but t-shirts every day. You can be the envy of your friends because you always look so well put together without having spent a fortune on your wardrobe. With a little work, your style can easily rate a 10.

How to Get Clothes Soft Without Using Fabric Softener

Getting clothing soft is one of the most sought-after effects of washing and drying clothes. However, fabric softener is avoided by many people who have sensitive skin or who don’t like the smell of most fabric softeners. Some people also have concerns about the chemicals used in fabric softeners and what their possible effects on health and the environment may be. To solve this problem, there are ways to get soft clothing without using harsh chemicals as fabric softeners.

Vinegar is a substance long known to soften clothing. It is inexpensive and it is a completely natural substance. To use vinegar as a natural fabric softener, use plain white vinegar. Wash the clothing as usual and wait for the first rinse cycle. Then, during the beginning of this cycle, add about a cup of the vinegar to the clothing. This will soften the clothing without leaving any harsh residue, and it will be rinsed out during the final rinse at the end of the washing cycle.

Another method is to use less detergent on the clothing. Stiff clothing is sometimes caused by simply using too much detergent. This can leave residue in the clothing that makes them feel stiff or heavier than they should be. If your clothing often feels like this, experiment with how much detergent you really need. Cut the detergent in half and see if the clothing still comes out clean. If so, it will likely feel far softer than it did when you were using double that amount.

To get a fast softening effect, try ironing the clothes with steam and then rolling up the clothing. This keeps the humidity in the clothing and keeps it softer. After about 10-15 minutes, the clothing will have cooled and will be soft and ready to wear.

Another easy method to add a little softness is to always use the second rinse on your machine. Many people overlook the second rinse or don’t think it’s necessary to use it. However, a second rinse will get more detergent residue out of the clothing and will take out any small particles of dirt that have been left behind. This will leave the clothing in the load feeling far softer than if they had been denied that final rinse.

Baking soda is used by some people to soften their clothing. This can be used in several ways. It can be used as a substitute for the detergent, though this might not get rid of all the dirt and grime that detergent would. It can also be added along with the regular detergent. This allows the detergent to do its job, but it will keep clothing softer at the same time.

If you dry your clothing on a clothes line, this will contribute to stiffer clothing. To make the clothing softer, use a dryer. It may be more expensive to use than using a clothes line, but using a drier will make a big difference in the way the clothing will feel against your skin.

New clothes

How to Keep T-Shirts and Clothes Looking New

New clothes

Most articles of clothing including t-shirts look their best when they are brand new. Keeping the look of new clothing is one of the biggest struggles of clothing care. There are some washing and drying techniques that make clothing wear out far quicker than if the clothing is treated with other washing and drying techniques.

One of the harshest things that can be done to laundry is to use an electric drier. These age clothing faster than just about anything else that can be done to it. To keep clothing looking newer for far longer, use other drying techniques if possible. Using a dryer does make clothing feel softer but it strips it of many of the fibers of the clothing. If you’ve ever noticed the lint that comes out of a dryer lint trap, you’ve seen where those fibers end up. That lint is largely small particles of the clothing that was dried in the machine.

If you want to bypass the dryer, using an old-fashioned drying line can dry clothing quickly and without wearing out the fabric. If you have bright colors drying, be sure to put the line in the shade. Bright sunlight can cause colors to fade more quickly. This will make the drying process take longer, but the clothing will eventually dry in the fresh air.

Another way to keep t-shirts and clothing looking newer longer is to use cold water to wash the clothes. Hot water is a harsh way to wash clothes and can lead to fading of the colors and for the fabric to ball up into the pills that can form on cotton. Use cold water whenever possible to wash your clothing. There are times when clothing is so dirty or has so many odors that washing it in cold water won’t solve the problems. In those cases, try warm water instead of hot. You might also try alternating between using cold water and hot water on each load of laundry. This cuts in half the number of times that the clothing is washed in hot water while still giving it a deep cleaning every other time.

Harsh detergents are another problem with keeping clothing looking new. The detergents that we use may be effective, but they can also cause some damage to clothing and fade the colors. Using the gentlest detergents possible, that still get out the dirt and odor, will keep the clothing looking better. If the clothing is not getting clean by using a gentler detergent, try a pre-treatment regimen first before using the gentler detergent.

If possible, don’t use bleach to clean the clothes. There are of course times when only bleach will remove a stain. But, on everyday loads, don’t include bleach in the wash. It causes fabric to wear thin far more quickly than a regular detergent. After just a few washes in bleach, a thin fabric may develop holes. If you do use bleach, use it as a spot-treatment if possible instead of adding it to the wash.

How to Remove Mold From Your T-Shirt

Mold spores are always in the air, and they are always searching for ways to begin growing on any surface. When something is wet for a prolonged period of time, those spores start to infiltrate the item and will soon begin growing mold. Mold can be extremely dangerous for those with mold allergies, and it can plague the sinuses and noses of those who aren’t. It also leaves unsightly stains on t-shirts that can be difficult to remove. But, with a little work, many moldy t-shirts can be made free of mold and ready to wear.

There are a few easy-to-find, inexpensive substances that are extremely useful for getting rid of mold. One of these is vinegar. Specifically, white vinegar is a strong chemical for getting rid of many types of stains, but it will not stain your clothes. It is one of the best and most natural substances for killing mold and restoring a t-shirt.

White vinegar can be used in the washing machine to get rid of small amounts of mold. It can be poured directly into the wash along with the detergent, or it can be added on its own during the rinse cycle. It will also get rid of the smell that mold can leave behind on clothes even after the mold has been removed.

If there is a lot of mold on the t-shirt, getting rid of as much mold as possible before the t-shirt is washed can help the vinegar to be more effective. To do this, use a small scrub brush outdoors to brush away the mold. If this is done inside, it can adversely affect the health of those in the home by putting the mold into the air. Once the mold has been scrubbed away, you can leave the t-shirt lying in the sun. This will allow the heat of the sun to kill the spores that remain on the shirt.

Once this has been done, the t-shirt can be put into the washer and washed with vinegar. It may take more than one washing cycle to completely get rid of the remaining mold stain and the moldy smell. If any of the mold persists, you may have to choose a harsher substance to get rid of the mold.

Ordinary laundry bleach is another effective substance against mold, but only if the t-shirt is white. If the t-shirt is another color, it will likely be ruined by using bleach.. If the mold is heavy, it should be brushed away outdoors before using the bleach. To use it, just let the t-shirt soak in bleach for about 10 minutes. Then, rinse the t-shirt and let it dry outdoors in the sun. Once it has dried, add it to the laundry and wash it as usual. Use a little white vinegar in the wash if the mold smell remains on the shirt.

If the mold spot is small, try soaking just the moldy portion of the t-shirt in bleach before it’s washed. This will cause less damage to the t-shirt but will remove the offending mold from the fabric.

How to Care for Vintage T-Shirts and Clothing

Vintage clothing requires special care for many reasons. Because vintage items are older, they may have fabrics that have been weakened over time. This means that the standard way that you care for your other clothing may be too harsh for your vintage items. It’s also hard to replace vintage items, making it even more important to take care of the ones you have.

To keep your vintage items in their best condition, practice preventative care. This means being careful when you wear them and wearing them to the right occasions. An outdoor occasion or one where there will be a lot of children may not be the best place to wear your vintage items. You should also take care not to wipe your hands on your vintage clothing. You may have unconsciously done this with newer clothing, but vintage clothing requires more deliberate care.

The seams of vintage clothing are their most vulnerable areas, so you should be prepared to sew up the occasional seam or hem on these items. Carry some thread with you if you are wearing vintage items, and always make sure you have plenty of thread colors if you love to wear vintage pieces.

After you have worn your vintage t-shirt or other item, take it off and turn it inside out. This will allow you sweat to dry from the garment before it has a chance to set into the fabric. This will minimize the staining that can be done by sweat and will allow you to treat the garment more delicately when it’s time to wash it.

Once your sweat has dried from the garment, wash it. Don’t leave the item of clothing lying around for any longer than is necessary. This will mean that if any stains have been left behind, they will be easier to remove than if they had days to settle in.

Always use the gentlest detergent you can and use the gentlest washing cycle possible. A slow washing machine cycle is best to use for vintage clothing, but hand washing the clothing is an even better idea. If you do use a washing machine, make sure you wash it with clothing that is colored as much like the vintage item as possible. This keeps the colors of different items from migrating on to the vintage item and discoloring it. If you can wash the item by itself in the machine, this will keep any competing inks from getting onto the vintage piece.

If an item has been worn once for a short time or even a couple of times for short periods of time, it might not need to be washed at all. If any sweat has evaporated and the item isn’t stained and doesn’t smell bad, it may not need washing. If possible, go without washing it and evaluate the need to wash it each time it has been worn. While a newer garment might be thrown into the laundry each time that it’s been worn, a vintage item will get a little weaker each time it is washed.

How to Get Rid of Static Cling on your T-Shirt

Static cling is an unattractive and uncomfortable side effect of dry air. When an item is washed and dried in a drier, this can create the type of dry air that is perfect for static cling buildup. Sometimes, the dry air outdoors or in the house is what causes the static cling, and sometimes it’s a combination of environmental effects. But, there’s no reason to keep static cling in your clothing when there are many ways to be rid of it.

One of the easiest ways to eliminate, or to at least reduce, static cling on your t-shirt is to use dryer sheets. These are used for two purposes- to make clothing feel softer and to reduce the static cling that often results from using the dryer. These sheets are simply added to the laundry when the clothes are put into the dryer and then removed after the load of clothing is dry.

If you don’t want to use a fabric softening sheet, there are also liquid fabric softeners that can be added to the wash, and they sometimes have a similar effect of reducing the static cling. These are added at a specific time during the wash cycle as is directed by the label.

Apart from fabric softeners, there are other substances that can help to keep the cling away. One such item is talcum powder. A small amount of powder applied to the body or to the inside of clothes can keep the clothing from clinging to you or to other items of clothing. It also adds a fresh smell and can help keep clothing from being discolored by sweat.

Moisturizer is something that can be used in small amounts to stop static cling. A tiny dab of skin moisturizer can be rubbed on the inside of clothing to keep it from clinging. Or, it can be rubbed along the outside of an article of clothing to keep it from clinging to itself. To keep it from clinging to you, moisturize your skin with lotion just before putting on clothing.

There are a few products on the market that are made specifically for getting rid of static cling off your t-shirt or other clothes.. These work very quickly and are easy to use. A static cling spray can be sprayed directly onto the clothing while you are wearing it and the cling should cease immediately.

Hairspray is another inexpensive method of removing static from clothing. Spray clothing lightly with hairspray to get rid of static cling. For the best results from hairspray, use an aerosol spray and hold the can about two feet away from the garment when spraying it. Otherwise, too much hairspray will make your clothing too stiff for comfort.

Another spray to use to get rid of static on your t-shirt or clothes is spray starch. This is made to make clothing stiffer, and one of the side effects of this stiffness is less cling. It washes out of clothing easily and it will not stain the item. Follow the directions on the starch can for the best results.

How to Make a T-Shirt Feel Worn

A t-shirt is an article of clothing that is unlike many other garments. The more worn it feels, the more comfortable the t-shirt will be. Like a worn pair of jeans, there are few things that are quite as comfortable as a t-shirt that feels nice and worn. The t-shirt can be made to feel more worn than it is in a number of ways. It can also be made to feel less stiff by avoiding some types of garment care.

If a t-shirt feels stiff, it might be getting the type of care that makes clothing feel less worn. This may include spray starch and ironing. If you want the t-shirt to feel more worn, don’t iron it and throw away the starch. Starch has never made anything feel more comfortable.

And as far ironing: don’t. Most t-shirts don’t wrinkle anyway. If they do happen to have a few wrinkles, they will smooth out as the t-shirt is worn. Ironing a shirt makes it feel a little stiffer and not as if it was well worn. Washing and drying is all the care that a t-shirt really needs most of the time.

For a little extra comfort, always use fabric softener when you wash your t-shirt. This gives it an overall softer feeling and makes it feel as if it has been worn many times. Some washers have an area where a liquid fabric softener can be added and released slowly over time. There are also liquid fabric softeners that can be poured directly into the washer along with the detergent.

For the dryer, use a fabric softener sheet. These are placed in the dryer with the wet clothes and thrown away after the clothes are dry. A dryer sheet will leave the t-shirt feeling soft and comfortable every time you use it.

To keep the t-shirt feeling soft, also be sure to use the correct amount of detergent. Using too much can leave a heavy film on the clothes that will make them feel a little heavier and not as soft. A shirt that is clean but not full of soap has a much nicer feel.

Some people like to stone wash their t-shirts. This can be done by actually washing it with a rough stone, but more often it’s actually done with sandpaper. Rubbing the t-shirt with large-grain sandpaper will very quickly make it feel worn. Simply lay the t-shirt flat and rub it in an up-and-down motion all over the t-shirt.

Perhaps the most effective way to make a t-shirt feel worn is to wear it. Wearing it often, even under other clothing, will make it worn and comfortable in no time. Wear it, wash it and throw it in the dryer and it will become more worn than if it were worn rarely and kept in a drawer. And, the great thing about a t-shirt is that the more you wear it, the more comfortable it is. So don’t leave it in a drawer- get out there are wear it.

How to Avoid Stretching Your T-Shirt

How do you find that perfect fit? You know a t-shirt that flatters your body in all the right places and just makes you more confident when you’re wearing it. Finding the perfect fit can be difficult and may take many hours of trying on one t-shirt after another until, by what you may believe is a miracle, you find it! Now that you’ve found your perfect fitting shirt, you have a new problem, how to keep it fitting just like the day you bought it. We’ve all had the experience of buying a clothing item that fits perfectly the first time you wear it. But after you wash it once, it’s never the same again. So what are you to do? How do you avoid stretching your perfect fitting t-shirt?

Proper clothing care is the first step in preventing stretching and hopefully preserving your perfect fit. As much as you may want to avoid it, you do eventually have to wash your perfect fitting t-shirt. When you take the plunge, wash it in cool water in your washing machine. Then either hang it to dry or tumble dry it on low in your dryer. So you can avoid hauling out the iron and ironing board, you may want use the dryer. However, make sure that you frequently check your shirt during the drying process. If you’re not careful, the evil twin of stretching, which is shrinking, may occur. Using these steps is the best offense for keeping your t-shirt from stretching by maintaining, as closely as possible, the clothing fibers in the same position as when you bought the t-shirt.

A perfect fitting t-shirt is one that hugs your body. For women, this style helps show off the curves of her silhouette. For men, it clings ever so slightly in the chest and arms to show off all the work he’s done at the gym on his pecs and biceps. Your t-shirt does just that and is perfect for you. When friends and family see how good your t-shirt looks on you, they may ask to borrow it or even just try it on. Beware! If you want to avoid stretching, you need to refrain from being your usual kind self. This shirt is a one of a kind work of art just for your body. All those hours spent shopping could be undone by a few extra pounds or the slightly different body shape of your friend or family member. If they suggest your t-shirt it can be shrunk if it is stretched out, don’t become weak and give into their request. Going down that road can open you up to a repeating cycle of shrinking and stretching as you try to get those clothing fibers back to that perfect position.

Finally, it is also important to carefully consider any layering you do with your t-shirt. Depending upon how closely the shirt hugs your body, even another thin t-shirt underneath could stretch it.

Although with a little care and extra work, you can keep your t-shirt from stretching, it is smart to always be on the lookout for another perfect fitting t-shirt. Owning a few of them can keep you from freaking out should stretching accidently happen just before an important date.

How Long Will a T-Shirt Last?

Worried that your favorite t-shirt’s days are numbered? That it’ll die a premature death? Worry no longer. T-shirts never die. Ok, they do eventually, but most of them will live a very, very long time as long as they are not worn every single day. But even if you do want to wear the same shirt every day, the t-shirt will still give you a few blissful months of comfort.

The more often you wear and wash a t-shirt, the more likely it is to wear out. The number of times that the shirt is dried in a clothes dryer also has a lot to do with how long it will last. Any shirt will last longer if it is laid flat to dry or hung up to drip dry rather than being put into a clothes washer. A shirt worn for only an hour or two may not need to be washed and dried at all. If the shirt can go without being washed every time it’s worn, it may last even longer.

A t-shirt that is worn rarely or only once every month or two can certainly be dried in a drier and still last a long time. A shirt in a smaller rotation of clothes, worn once a week and dried in a machine may only last a few months. A shirt that is worn more rarely will last for years or even longer. A shirt that is worn only once or twice a year for a specific type of occasion will last significantly longer than one that is worn weekly or monthly.

Taking good care of a t-shirt means not using bleach on it more than once or twice- bleach causes fabric to weaken and will create holes in it over time. When something is spilled on the shirt and you’re afraid it may stain, try to get the substance out of the fabric right away so that bleach will not have to be used. For a blood stain, soak the t-shirt in cold water immediately. This will take even large quantities of blood out without having to weaken the fabric.

To make the shirt last longer, use a gentle detergent and use slow agitation. This is a good guideline for any other clothing that you want to make last longer as well. A very harsh detergent and fast agitation can make the fabric thinner, weaken the seams and eventually cause holes in t-shirts and many other types of garments. Look for detergent that is made for babies or that doesn’t contain harsh fragrances.

Taking good care of a t-shirt will mean that it will last just about as long as you want it to. It is by no means unusual for a t-shirt to last for decades. If you’ve ever seen anyone wear a vintage t-shirt with a year on it, you have seen how long it is possible to keep a t-shirt. There may not be very many Roaring 20’s t-shirt still around, but there are probably plenty of Woodstock ones.

How Do You Remove Sunblock From A T-Shirt

Sunblock stains on T-shirts are common summertime laundry problems and they can be difficult to deal with. Often sunblock stains do not even show up right away, but may turn up as yellow or orange stains with time. If you are on top of sunblock stains, watch for them and know what to do about them, you can keep your favorite T-shirts looking great.

The best way to prevent stains is to carefully wash T-shirts in an enzyme-based detergent if they have been in contact with sunblock. Be sure to check the tee before putting it in the dryer, as heat will aid in setting the stain, making it even harder to get rid of. If you find that a T-shirt has made it through the washer and has a sunblock stain on it, you need to pre-treat it, let is soak and then rewash it.

Since sunblock is an oil-based product and is often waterproof, care must be taken in removing such stains from a T-shirt or your shirt may be permanently stained. Treat your T-shirt as you would for any item of clothing that came into contact with a greasy mess. You can use dish detergent that has grease-fighting properties as a pre-treatment. You can also apply a protein-based stain treatment that is good at dealing with oily stains. If the laundry detergent you use is protein-based, you can also pre-treat with it. After applying the pre-treatment, let it sit for at least a half hour, although overnight is best. Rub it in gently to make sure it gets into the fibers of the clothes. Then wash the T-shirt in the hottest water that is safe for it.

If you do get to the point of seeing those unsightly yellowish stains appear on your T-shirt, there is still hope. Bleach and vinegar are often helpful with small or light colored stains. For bigger or darker ones, there are bathroom cleaners on the market that advertise that they remove rust and hard water stains. You may use those in your laundry to remove those impossible sunblock stains that nothing else will work for. Just be sure to not mix those cleaners with other detergents or bleach. Wash once with the bathroom cleaners and then a second time with laundry detergent for the clean scent and soft feel.

A great solution to sunblock stains is to opt for T-shirts that are darker in color and will not show the discoloration from such stains. You can also try to prevent the stains by putting on your T-shirt only after your sunblock has dried. You can also try having a little fun with the idea of sunblock stains and having a T-shirt custom-printed with something like:
•    Official Sunblock Stain T-shirt
•    Yes, I wear sunblock. See the stains!
•    My sunblock did this (arrows pointing to collar and sleeves)

If your favorite T-shirt gets ruined by sunblock, don’t despair. Thanks to custom-made T-shirts, you can now recreate your favorite T-shirt exactly. In fact, you can even get a couple of them in case it happens again.

Get your custom-made sunblock T-shirt today and enjoy the sun safely.

How To Get Toothpaste Off My T-Shirt

There are many horrible stains that can be very pesky to deal with on your favorite T-shirt. Luckily, toothpaste is not one of them. It is in fact one of the easier stains to remove. Generally, you can just throw the shirt into the washing machine and it will come out clean. The key is, as with all stains, to not let it set in, especially if it is a colored gel or whitening toothpaste.

In fact regular white toothpaste, not the gel kind, is recommended to use as a stain remover for certain kinds of oily makeup stains, fresh marker stains, crayon stains and more. In fact plain, cheap toothpaste is a multi-purpose stain remover for white T-shirts with stains of all kinds. If you are wearing a white T-shirt and happen to get a colored stain on it, many tipsters recommend covering up the stain with plain white toothpaste to help you get through the day if you can’t deal with the stain right away. In addition to T-shirts, toothpaste is also suggested for cleaning carpet, shoes and more.

However, if you happen to get a glob of toothpaste on your T-shirt, it is in your best interest to scrape off the excess immediately and soak the T-shirt. This is especially true for dark T-shirts which have received a whitening toothpaste glob. Whitening toothpaste contains bleach and therefore can leave bleach marks on dark shirts, ruining the shirt irreparably. For this reason, getting to the stain as soon as possible is very important.

If you are getting ready for work and happen to get toothpaste splatters on your dark-colored T-shirt as you are brushing your teeth, you can attempt to get them out with a wet cloth. This sometimes works if the splatter is still wet. However, toothpaste really does need to be washed out with lots of soap and water typically. Therefore, your best bet, especially if you are crunched for time is to throw the T-shirt in soak and get another one.

If you are unlucky enough to not catch those whitening toothpaste stains in time and you end up with a spotty shirt, you can always choose to dye it or put it in the stock of clothes you use around the house when cleaning. Bleach of any kind is the worst thing that can meet your clothes.

Custom-made T-shirts are great for those sloppy tooth brushers. You can get a T-shirt made that pokes fun at your clumsiness or that talks about the benefits of toothpaste stain removal. Some fun options to print on a T-shirt include:
•    Official Tooth Brushing Shirt
•    Step 1: Clean Teeth, Step 2: Remove T-shirt with toothpaste splatters
•    I hate toothpaste splatters
•    Toothpaste stains suck
•    New markers for 2 year old – $3, White toothpaste to remove marker stains from sofa and carpet – $2, Saving 2 year old’s derriere – Priceless

Get a fun custom-made T-shirt and show off your feelings about toothpaste and stains today.

How Do I Remove A Beer Stain From My T-Shirt?

Everyone has one of those absolute favorite T-shirts. Doesn’t it always happen that it is inevitably that shirt that somehow manages to get the most stains? It’s always happens when you are least expected too. You are out with friends having a good time and all of a sudden you look down and you have a beer spilled on the front of your T-shirt. You know it’s going to leave a stain for you to do battle with. These things never happen when you’re at home near the laundry room. It’s always when you are away from home and the stain has the opportunity to sit and worsen.

Luckily it is relatively easy to remove beer stains. The key with removing such stains is the same as with many others: be sure to treat or wash the stain as soon as possible. Here are some tips to help you get beer stains out of a T-shirt:

–    Take it off as soon as it happens and soak it in cold water. If this is not possible right away, do so as soon as you possibly can.
–    After rinsing the stain, wash it in cold water as usual.
–    Remove the T-shirt from the water and examine it. If you can still see the stain, do not put it in the dryer, as this will set the stain.
–    Do a laundry pre-treat on the stain, by rubbing detergent onto the stain and letting it sit for at least 5 minutes or so. You may also try vinegar on the stain. This is very good on white clothes but will also bleach clothing. Therefore if you use vinegar you must rinse it out immediately after using it.
–    Rewash as usual to finish removing the stain.
–    If the stain is being really difficult, you may want to consider soaking it in bleach for colors overnight and then doing another wash.

It is rare for a beer stain to be this difficult to remove, although dark beer stains can be more challenging than others. If all else fails and your favorite T-shirt is stained, you can always just get another one to replace it. Custom-made T-shirts are great because you can have them made exactly to your specifications, so you can recreate your favorite T-shirt perfectly.

One of the best ways to avoid having to deal with beer stains is to buy dark T-shirts. Black T-shirts are always in fashion and you can customize them to say whatever you want them to. What a great way to cover up the fact that you have a tendency to spill beer. If you really want to though, you can have fun with it and flaunt the fact that you know the best way to deal with beer stains. Have a custom-made T-shirt printed that says something like:
–    Official Beer Drinking T-shirt
–    Under These Words Lie the Stains of Many a Good Beer
–    Beer Stain Disguise
–    I’m a Clumsy Beer Drinker

Get your custom-made beer stain T-shirt today and show that you know how to deal with beer stains.

How to Make the Print on a T-Shirt Last Longer

Most print used on t-shirts today is superior to the print used decades ago. That print wore off easily, leading to the crackled appearance that appeared after just a couple of washings. Today’s t-shirt print can still fade after a number of washings. The print can be made to last longer with a little bit of extra care.

The print on a t-shirt usually fades from being washed. The key, then, is to take care during each washing and to make sure that the t-shirt is washed as gently as possible. Rubbing up against other clothing in the wash is one of the causes of fading during washing. The repeated friction of the t-shirt against other items can be avoided with one simple step. Start the special treatment by turning the t-shirt inside out. This will minimize the contact that the printed area has with other items in the same load.

The temperature of the water when the t-shirt is being washed is also a factor. For an especially dirty shirt, most people want to wash it in hot water to get rid of all the dirt. This hot water, however, can contribute to the print fading before it should. Hot water is hard on clothes of any type, and printed clothes can particularly feel the effects of it. Try washing the t-shirt in cold water instead. If this isn’t enough to get the dirt out of the t-shirt, try to soak the shirt first to loosen the dirt. You might also try a pre-treatment that is rubbed into the fabric to help fight the stains. A pre-treatment will not be as hard on the t-shirt as hot water and may actually lead to the dirt coming out of the shirt more easily.

Drying clothes in a clothes dryer is one of the fastest ways to break down the print. The dryer uses heat and movement to dry the clothes. Not only will the heat start to break down the print, the fast tumbling creates a friction that can help wear it out faster. To prevent this, try tumbling the shirt without the heat setting. You might also try lying the t-shirt flat to dry or letting it drip dry instead of putting it in the dryer at all. Hanging it to dry may change the shape of the shirt, however, so many people prefer to let their t-shirt lie flat.

A printed t-shirt that is often exposed to direct sunlight will also fade faster than one that isn’t. To some extent, this can’t be helped. There will certainly be times when a t-shirt is exposed to sunlight. And normal sunlight in the course of an outing won’t fade the lettering. However, a t-shirt that is often worn to outdoor sporting events will look faded before it ordinarily would. The key for thee occasions, then, is to rotate the t-shirts that are worn to these events. Having two t-shirts for weekend baseball games, then, is a much better way to preserve the print than wearing the same one each week.

How to Make Your T-Shirt Soft

T-shirts are so popular because they are comfortable, easy to wear and are likely one of the softest items of clothing you own. The soft, combed cotton that is used for t-shirt has a feel that is unlike any other. There are some types of clothing care, however, that can take away some of that softness. If your t-shirts are starting to feel a little stiff or if you just want to make sure that they never end up feeling that way, there are several ways to take care of it and ensure a softer t-shirt.

Fabric Softener

Using a fabric softener may seem like a simple thing, but there are an enormous number of ways to use it. There are the well-known dryer sheets that can be added to the dryer along with the wet clothes, but there are a number of other types. There are fabric softener balls that are added to the washer. These balls add a liquid fabric softener into the wash at the right time. Another way to use fabric softener is to pour in a liquid type that is poured in during the rinse cycle.

Drying

The key to the softness of any item of clothing is usually the way it has been dried. Line drying a t-shirt will leave it far stiffer than putting it through a dryer cycle. Many people choose to use line drying anyway because of the energy savings or the cost of a dryer. Some simply prefer the way clothing smells after it has been line dried. If you like line-drying your t-shirts, try using a quick 5-minute drying cycle after the t-shirts are mostly dry. This will result in a t-shirt that has still saved energy and still has the smell of line-dried clothing, but it will have the soft feel of t-shirts that have been dried in a dryer.

Softening the Water

If your clothes aren’t getting softener, it may the water itself that needs softened. If you have hard water, it can take a serious toll on your clothing every time it’s washed. To soften the water, add a little bit of vinegar into the washer during the rinse cycle. Some people also use two rinse cycles when washing their clothes to ensure that all of the soap has been removed and to make sure that the vinegar is having an impact on the t-shirts.

To make sure that any t-shirt doesn’t get hard again, also make an effort to keep it clean. Some t-shirts may harden when they are left dirty for long periods of time. Sweat, body oils, dirt, deodorant and other substances can harden the fabric if they are left on it for too long. Wash t-shirts as they become dirty and then make sure to take a step or two to ensure that the wash will lead to softer t-shirts. This will ensure that the comfort of a brand-new t-shirt goes on and on, even when the t-shirt has been worn and washed many times.

How to Keep Your T-Shirt Color Bright

The colors of a new t-shirt are always brightest when the t-shirt is newest. Over a long period of time and many washes, the colors will begin to fade. However, there are a number of ways to keep the colors bright and to keep fading to a minimum.

One of the fading factors is UV light. Direct sunlight will eventually fade the colors of t-shirts. For this reason, dry a t-shirt indoors to preserve the bright colors. It’s also a good idea not to stay in bright sunlight while you are wearing the t-shirt. This can fade the shirt just as quickly as hanging it in the sun can do. Also consider where you store your t-shirts. If there is direct sunlight shining into your closet, that can fade your t-shirts as well as anything else being stored there.

A t-shirt with a bright color should only be washed with other clothes that have the same or a similar color. Washing the shirt with very different colors can mute the colors of all of the items as the dyes are mixed together. If the t-shirt has color like nothing else in your wardrobe, wash it by itself.

When washing the t-shirt, use a color-safe detergent. These may be color-safe bleaches or just detergent that is made for keeping colors from fading. The washing itself should be done in cold water to prevent too much of the dye from being lifted out of the material. Hot water will take it out far too quickly and will cause a faded look after a few washings. Use short washing cycles if the t-shirt isn’t terribly dirty as well to reduce the time that the t-shirt will be wet.

Because there is usually a little bit of dye that is lifted from clothing when it is washed, there are specific products that can capture that dye and prevent clothes from being dulled by the dye from other garments. One of these is dye grabber sheets. These are placed into the washing machine when the clothes are loaded. The sheet will absorb the dyes and leave the clothing looking far less faded.

Another way to ensure brighter colors is to use a common household ingredient to the wash. Many people regularly use vinegar in the wash to keep dyes from being lifted out of fabric and colors looking bright. To use vinegar in the wash, get a supply of white vinegar. This is an inexpensive type of vinegar available at any grocery store. Measure one cup of the vinegar and pour it into the washer along with the detergent. You don’t have to use less detergent than usual when you do this. The result will be t-shirts that keep their bright colors longer. The detergent generally takes care of any vinegar odor, and using a dryer sheet can also be helpful.

When drying, use a tumble dry mode instead of a heat dry mode. This will keep some fading from occurring and keep the colors looking brighter.