How to Properly Clean Custom Clothing
We all love our customized clothing as they are an extension of our personality, so we need to cherish and take care of them. According to Printful, customized clothing lasts for a long time, but if you want to ensure its durability even more, you must wash them properly. Here is how to properly clean custom clothing, including embroidery, and some other valuable tips.
Read the Care Label First
No matter where you made your custom clothes, you should always check their care label before washing them. Custom clothes often require a bit of extra care when washing, but if you can’t find useful information on the care label, you can always contact the store where you purchased it from to ask for more tips.
Removing Stains
Whenever you see stains on your custom clothes, try to remove them as soon as possible with pre-treatment methods before laundering them. For example, you can use a stain removal or spot-cleaning solution.
Some stains might be difficult to remove, but you can always soak the clothing in cold water for a few hours and use a gentle detergent before laundering.
Wash Custom Clothes Separately
Custom clothes can’t be cleaned in the same batch as your regular clothes. You should store all of your custom clothes in a different cleaning batch to prevent dye-transfer issues, which might cause permanent staining. In many cases, custom clothes usually do well in cold rather than warm water. Screen-printed clothes are especially vulnerable in hot water since the higher temperatures can weaken the fibres and the print overall.
Don’t Use Fabric Softeners or Bleach
Fabric softeners are great for certain types of garments but not for customized clothes since they can leave residue and damage them by causing colour fading. Bleach, including colour-safe ones or other traditional chemicals used in washing garments, should also be avoided when washing custom clothes.
Embroidered Garments Require Even More Care
If you have embroidered custom garments, place them in a lingerie bag or pillowcase before you put them in the washing machine on a gentle cycle to add more protection. These types of clothes are very sensitive, and the best way to wash them is by hand in the end.
If you do wash them by hand, ensure you keep the embroidery flat and don’t squeeze the embroidered areas because you can damage it easily.
Turn the Custom Clothes Inside Out
After selecting a gentle detergent and preparing your custom clothes batch for washing, you should ensure that all of them are turned inside out. This will help you avoid dye transfers and other problems arising from rubbing. Both screen-printed and embroidered custom clothes benefit from this added layer of protection.
Dry Your Custom Clothes Properly
When it comes to drying your custom clothes, you should hang or lay them flat and not put them in a dryer because heat can cause colours to fade, crack designs, shrink, or lose shape. If you must use a dryer in emergency situations, make sure you use the lowest temperature available and put your clothes inside out in the dryer.
When you leave your custom clothes to dry, ensure there isn’t any direct sunlight or heat source next to them because it can also cause damage. If you must iron your custom clothes, do it at the lowest possible temperature.
If you have to iron over a design, use a thin cotton towel over the design as a method of protection, and don’t forget to turn your garment inside out beforehand as well. Iron on the wrong side because on the right side can damage your garment.
If you want to use steam to iron your clothes, take the same precautions mentioned above to avoid garment damage, and never steam the artwork directly.
Storing Your Custom Clothes Properly
When you want to store your newly cleaned custom clothes, use a delicate hanger. If you want to fold the custom garments, do it gently and store them in a cool, dry area with no sunlight. It’s best if you store your custom clothes together in an area that isn’t damp or prone to mildew or mould. Though storing and cleaning might seem like an extra hassle, it will add many years to your custom clothes lifespan. Show them the same love you had when you made them!
