A printed graphic tee lives or dies on how you wash it. Print-to-order garments use a print sitting on the surface of the fabric, and how you treat it in the first few washes decides whether it still looks sharp in two years.
Wash cold, always
Thirty degrees or below. Heat is what breaks down print adhesion and what shrinks cotton. Cold washing costs you nothing and is the single most useful thing on this list.
Turn it inside out
The damage in a washing machine comes from abrasion, garment rubbing against garment. Turning the shirt inside out means the print faces inward and the plain fabric takes the wear.
Skip the tumble dryer
Tumble drying is heat plus friction, the two things a print likes least. Hang drying takes longer and roughly doubles how long the graphic stays crisp. Dry away from direct sunlight, which fades both print and fabric.
Do not iron the print
If the shirt needs pressing, iron it inside out or work around the graphic. A hot iron directly on a print will glaze or crack it, and that damage cannot be undone.
Go easy on detergent
More detergent does not mean cleaner. Excess builds up in the fibres and dulls both colour and feel. Avoid fabric softener altogether, which coats fibres and can lift print edges over time. Never use bleach.
On fit and shrinkage
Heavyweight cotton at 260 gsm holds its shape well, but any cotton will shrink slightly if washed hot and tumble dried. Wash cold and hang dry and the fit you bought is the fit you keep.
Every AUREX garment is printed to order in the UK. Free UK delivery on every order.