Not everyone knows how to properly wash a shirt, which is why many people prefer to use laundries to make life easier. It should be noted that regular washing or dry cleaning in such organizations has a negative effect on the fabric, worsening its quality. This is due to the fact that high-hardness chemical powders are used in the washing process. And if you want to keep your favorite item as long as possible, we suggest you find out how to wash shirts in an automatic washing machine.
What areas get dirty the fastest
Different fabrics are used for sewing shirts, of which cotton always comes first. It is liked by fans of light natural items.
Viscose and cotton items are easy to wash and iron. And they keep their original shape better, so water procedures do not greatly affect the quality of things.
Shirts made of silk and satin can attract consumers with their elegant appearance and lightness. But every item has problem areas - cuffs, collars, armpits, on which dust, vehicle exhaust fumes, and sweat quickly settle. These areas are difficult to wash and require a special approach.
We wash in three stages
If you want to see your shirt in good condition after washing, we recommend that you follow certain instructions. This means that there are several stages to go through.
Preparatory
Before you wash your shirt, you should prepare it. First, things are sorted by color. Probably everyone knows that it is strictly forbidden to send light and colored things into the machine at the same time.
The label of the product itself is carefully studied. It should indicate whether such an item can be washed in a machine.
Pre-treatment of stains is carried out, because it is quite possible that the machine will not cope with them the first time. To ensure results, such areas must be treated with a stain remover.
Another secret is that all the buttons on the product are fastened so that it does not become deformed. Naturally, it is necessary to check the pockets for various small items or debris.
Soak
When there is no firm certainty that a simple wash will completely clean the product, additional procedures can be used. If your laundry machine has a special “soaking” function, it should be activated.
The preliminary soaking stage will help in getting rid of stubborn stains on the collar, cuffs and armpits.
If there is no such mode, you can perform manual soaking. To do this, washing powder or soap is diluted in water, and a shirt is dipped into the basin. It is recommended to rub the problem areas a little, wait a while and transfer the shirt to the washing drum.
A solution of ammonia or salt helps to deal with particularly difficult stains. They are added in small quantities to water to enhance the effect of detergents.
Wash
This is the most important process in which certain features must be taken into account. In order not to damage the item, you should clearly know at what water temperature the wash is performed. If in doubt, set the “delicate” mode on the control panel so as not to make a mistake. It is recommended to wash black or colored items with liquid washing powder, because after rinsing it does not leave marks on the fabric.
To protect the item from deformation, wring it out with your hands. At the same time, you should not try to twist the shirt too much so that it does not stretch out.
Drying is performed away from heat sources. To make the future ironing process easier, it is recommended to use a hanger.
How to wash a white shirt
This item requires special care and “manual” handling. To simplify the task, there are several effective ways to clean snow-white material:
- Mix four tablespoons of liquid soap and 50 ml of hydrogen peroxide. Use the resulting mixture to treat contaminated areas. After about forty minutes the product can be washed.
- We take the stain remover and apply a small amount of it to the stain, wait about twenty minutes and start washing.
- A simple toothpaste is effective in getting rid of stubborn stains.It is applied to the problem area, lightly rubbed into the fabric, and after a fifteen-minute pause, begin washing. Just use white paste, without multi-colored additives.
Hand washing rules
If delicate fabric was used to sew your item, then the label will definitely have a sign - a hand lowered into a basin. In this case, a manual water procedure will be necessary. To this end:
- fill the basin with lukewarm water;
- add washing powder;
- soak the item for twenty to thirty minutes;
- Carefully clean the dirty areas with your hands. You can use a brush with soft bristles;
- problem areas are rubbed with laundry soap, left for about twenty minutes and washed again;
- rinsing the product is done in cold water;
- The item is wrung out carefully, without twisting.
To bleach a shirt, you can add a non-chlorine bleach along with the powder.
There is no sign on the label - is machine washing allowed?
In such situations, we pay attention to the material from which the tailoring is made. This will make it possible to determine the correct parameters on the washing device, or to wash the shirt by hand without errors:
- cotton - washable in any way, capable of shrinking no more than five percent of the original size;
- silk is an exclusively handmade option, without soaking. The water temperature should not exceed thirty degrees;
- wool - hand wash. If you have a machine with a special mode for woolen items, you are very lucky. Strong spinning is not recommended;
- artificial materials - these things are best washed by hand, the water should be cool. Items can shrink up to seven percent;
- synthetics - you can put such things into the machine by setting the water heating mode to forty degrees.
Suitable detergents are used for all types of fabrics. Cotton can be washed well with universal powders; for silk and wool products, special products are needed. Artificial or synthetic material is washed with soft compounds.
Yellow stripe on the collar - how to wash it?
This problem appears from sweat and oil of the skin. Dust and dirt settle in damp areas, penetrating deeply into the fabric and eating into its fibers. The ironing process additionally “steams” such stains, and it becomes more and more difficult to wash them.
There are several effective methods for removing unpleasant yellowness from a shirt collar:
- soap for household needs - the collar is moistened with warm water and thoroughly soaped. After this, the shirt is placed in a plastic bag for one hour. Then the collar is gently rubbed with your hands. If the dirt is serious, you can use a soft brush. All that remains is to rinse the product to remove all the soap;
- stain remover - this composition is mixed with lukewarm water; it should be used to treat the collar. After a five-minute pause, the product can be rinsed.
If you don't have a stain remover, try using shampoo or dishwasher, allowing the material to work for up to thirty minutes. Using one of the methods, the item is washed in a machine or by hand, depending on the type of material.
Removing traces of sweat in the armpit area
It is fair to say that this is a very complex matter.Quite often, almost new things are simply thrown away simply because they have unpleasant stains. There are several ways to deal with this problem:
- Add 250 ml of vinegar to a basin of hot water, soak the shirt for twenty minutes. Mix 200 g of soda and 10 g of salt. You can add 10 ml of hydrogen peroxide to this mixture. After taking out the shirt, squeeze it out slightly, apply the prepared mass to the problem areas. After holding it for about twenty minutes, rinse the shirt and wash it using the permitted method;
- Pour half a cup of vinegar into a liter of heated water. Soak the product in the solution for about forty minutes, rinse. If necessary, the procedure can be repeated. This method not only removes stains, but also eliminates unpleasant odors;
- Lemons are known to everyone for their bleaching and disinfecting qualities, environmental safety. Lemon juice is applied to the armpit area, and the shirt is washed after forty minutes. There is another way to use this fruit - cut the lemon into slices, put them in a basin, add a spoonful of hydrogen peroxide, pour in warm water. Soak the shirt for one hour, then rinse and wash.
Getting rid of problem stains
It happens that the washing process causes difficulties. Some stains are easy to remove, while others will take a long time to work with. Here, everything is determined by the nature of their origin and the time that has passed since the clothes got dirty. But know that even difficult stains can be removed on your own if you know certain tricks:
- Gouache on a white shirt.If the paint has already dried and the layer is thick, try carefully brushing it with a brush without rubbing the pigments into the material. Then the contaminated area is placed under a cold water stream, and some of the paint will be removed on its own. Apply household soap to the remaining stain (up to thirty minutes) or an oxygen-based stain remover (hold for no more than five minutes). After this procedure, the product is washed using the approved method in water whose temperature does not exceed thirty degrees.
- Blood. It is very difficult to wash it, especially for things made of white fabric. Washing is done exclusively in cold water so that the organic protein found in the blood cells does not coagulate. To remove such stains, it is recommended to use one of the following methods:
- rub soap for household work on a damp cloth and rinse with cold water;
- A crushed aspirin tablet is mixed with water and applied to the bloody spot, allowing time to dry. After this procedure, the shirt is washed in cold water;
- Sprinkle the moistened item with ordinary salt, wait until it is completely absorbed, and rinse.
Such methods are great for dealing with fresh stains, but dried blood is more difficult to remove. In this case, a stain remover helps, a few drops of which are applied to the contaminated area. After about five minutes, the product can be washed with powder.
The second option for old blood is glycerin. It is heated and applied to the stains, leaving it overnight. In the morning, it is best to wash the shirt by hand.
How to rid a man's shirt of lipstick stains?
Before washing such stains, they are pre-treated.Please note that the lipstick remover is applied exclusively to the underside of the shirt in order to completely eliminate the risk of penetration and strengthening of fat cells into the tissue.
The following methods help best in such situations:
- a cotton pad is moistened with ammonia and the contaminated area is wiped. Movements are performed from the center of the spot to the edges. It will take several cotton pads until the lipstick disappears completely. Ammonia will give off an unpleasant odor, but after the first wash it will completely disappear;
- Pour three percent hydrogen peroxide onto the stain; the lipstick mark will slowly begin to fade. The procedure is repeated until. Until the mark completely disappears. All that remains is to rinse the product and dry it.
Note that these methods help get rid of traces of oils and foundation.
Rules for washing linen items
This case has its own characteristics. To begin with, select a suitable washing powder. Regular material is washed in simple powders, but for colored linen fabrics you will have to use compounds for fine materials that guarantee. That after the water procedure the shade of the product will not fade.
If your shirt has stubborn dirt or yellow discoloration, it is recommended to add a small amount of chlorine-free bleach to the water. Softeners should be used to wash bed linen.
Among other things, linen products shrink after washing. To avoid this, pay attention to quality when purchasing things. Quite often, when making such shirts, fabric with long fibers is used. Their surface is smoother, the weaving is durable, the color is deep - the product can last a long period.Many items undergo special treatment before being sold, which protects the items from shrinkage.
It is forbidden to twist a shirt made of such material with force. It is lightly wrung out, straightened out to give the desired shape. It is also forbidden to overdry the item. The shirt may lose its naturalness, a certain fragility will appear, the fabric will begin to tear.
How to wash a denim shirt correctly?
An item made of such material must be soaked, it is washed separately from other items. The best option is soaking with manual processing.
If preference is given to a machine for washing things, then a delicate mode is selected, bleaching agents are excluded, the water temperature should not exceed thirty degrees.
Shirts with decoration and appliqués are not soaked. If there are rhinestones, beads, leather, metal, etc., it is recommended to place the shirt in a special bag, in which the entire washing process will take place.
Of the two options, preference is recommended to give to the manual method. In this case, the product will last longer and will retain a good appearance.
If the manufacturer has indicated certain prohibitions on washing on the label, such products are handled especially carefully. They are soaked in warm water, and only powder from a proven category is added.
Some useful recommendations
In order for your items to retain their appearance after water procedures, follow certain recommendations:
- Men's products with rigid collars are washed only with warm water. From very hot water, the non-woven material, with which the collar is given additional rigidity, melts, after which the element is deformed.
- To prevent a washed shirt from getting too wrinkled, it must be wrung out carefully, hung up, and each fold straightened out. The item is left to dry in a well-ventilated room. It is recommended to iron it slightly damp.
- Multi-colored polo shirts are turned inside out. The water in the washing machine is heated at the minimum setting; when washing by hand, a cool solution of water with the addition of soap is used. The "spin" and "drying" modes are not used.
Conclusion
By following these recommendations correctly, you can organize proper care for your shirts. In addition, you should not wear things out too much, if they get dirty, immediately take appropriate measures, and the products will be able to serve you for quite a long time.
