Think you know how to wash a dress shirt?

Well, if you’re the type that dumps all your clothes in the washing machine, throws in some detergent, drinks a beer (or two or three), and comes back hours later hoping everything turned out alright, it may be time to study up!

Being a grown up means knowing how to wash a dress shirt…properly.

And once you’ve invested in something as awesome as your own indiTailored dress shirt, you’ll surely want to keep it looking sharp.

So here are the indiTailored idiot-proof (not that you’re an idiot—surely YOU are a charming, intelligent, and thoughtful man) tips for washing your shirt, correctly. Believe us, it will save you many a headache.

Idiot-proof tip #1: Check your labels. If a shirt says dry-clean only—that means dry clean only. If they give you specific directions, your best bet is to actually follow them. You don’t want your swank look turned stanky with ruined fabric all over the place. 

Idiot-proof tip #2: If you can wash it at home, do a quick scan for stains—curry, pen ink, blood (we won’t ask), other things you see on ads for stain removers on TV. If you spot any marks, you can pre-treat using the detergent (or stain removers) you’ve got at home. For heavier fabrics, pre-treat with detergent directly; for more delicate fabrics, use a washcloth. If you are concerned about the detergent damaging the fabric, try applying a little bit of the detergent to a part of the fabric that won’t be visible, if damaged (think inside yolk of the shirt). 

Idiot-proof tip #3: When putting your glorious garb in the washer, be sure to put it on the most delicate setting there is. Once it’s done, put it in the dryer—and this part is important—on tumble WITH NO HEAT. Heat is a glorious thing. It keeps us warm in winter, it makes cookies, but it wreaks havoc on our clothes. After drying, flat iron on the lowest setting, and if you prefer a little more structure, a little spray starch could be just the ticket.

Idiot-proof tip #4: Don’t beat your dress shirt. Although this treatment is embraced by the Chinese at the banks of Yangtze River, it turns out this is not the best solution for clothing longevity.

image from cnsphoto

Does your mouth go dry at the idea of ironing a IndiTailored shirt? Never fear noble sirs, we’ve already tackled How to Iron a Shirt in a prior blog entry.