How to Wash a Printed T-Shirt So the Design Lasts for Years

To make a printed t-shirt last, turn it inside out, wash it cold on a gentle cycle, tumble dry low or hang it, and never iron directly on the design. Heat and friction are what destroy prints, and every step below is about avoiding them.

The routine

1. Turn it inside out. The print rubs against the drum and other clothes during a wash. Inside out, the fabric takes that abrasion instead of the ink.
2. Cold water, gentle cycle. Cold water keeps cotton fibres from contracting and keeps water-based inks from loosening. Gentle reduces agitation.
3. Mild detergent, no bleach, no fabric softener. Bleach strips color from the print and the shirt. Softener coats fibres and can dull a DTG print over time.
4. Wash with like colors. Especially for the first two or three washes on a black tee.
5. Tumble dry low or hang dry. High heat is the fastest way to crack a print and shrink a shirt. Low heat is fine; air drying is better.
6. Never iron the print. If you must iron, turn the shirt inside out and keep the iron off the design area, or press with a cloth between.

DTG vs screen print vs vinyl

Care is similar across methods, but failure modes differ:

• Direct-to-garment (DTG), which is how Banned Clothes tees are printed, soaks water-based ink into the cotton. It won't crack or peel, but it can fade if washed hot repeatedly. Cold washes are the whole game.
• Screen print sits on the surface as a layer of plastisol ink. It's tough but can crack with heat and folding over years.
• Heat-transfer vinyl is a sheet pressed on top. It peels at the edges with dryer heat and should always be air dried.

Fading, cracking and shrinking: what's normal

• Slight softening of the print after the first wash is normal for DTG. The ink is settling into the fibres. It should stabilise after two or three washes.
• A little shrinkage in length is normal for any cotton tee. On a pre-shrunk Bella+Canvas 3001 expect up to about 3%, roughly half an inch on a size L, mostly after the first wash. Cold water and hang drying keep it minimal.
• Cracking or peeling on a DTG print is not normal. If it happens in the first weeks, it's a production fault; email us and we'll replace it.

How often to wash

Less than you think. A cotton tee worn for a few hours in normal weather doesn't need washing after every wear. Airing it out overnight and washing every two or three wears roughly doubles the life of both the print and the collar.

Storage

Fold, don't hang. Long-term hanging stretches the shoulders and collar of a cotton tee. If you do hang, use a wide hanger and never hang it wet.

Quick reference

| Do | Don't | | --- | --- | | Inside out | Right side out with zips and buttons | | Cold, gentle | Hot or heavy-duty cycle | | Mild detergent | Bleach or fabric softener | | Tumble low or hang | High heat | | Iron inside out, off the print | Iron on the design | | Fold | Hang long-term |

Follow this and a WTF Is A Kilometer or White Monster tee will outlast the meme. The same care instructions are on every product page under "Fabric & fit".