What’s the Best Way to Wash Printed T-Shirts to Keep Designs Looking New?

A good printed T-shirt should last a long time — but how you wash and dry it can make a huge difference to how long the design stays looking fresh.

At Built Different Goods, we use DTF (Direct-to-Film) printing across our T-shirts, hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts and zip-up hoodies. We’ve seen firsthand what helps a print last and, just as importantly, what can damage one.

The simplest advice is this:

Wash printed T-shirts in cold water, avoid the tumble dryer, and never iron directly over the print.

Here’s why.

Wash Printed T-Shirts in Cold Water

Cold water is our number-one recommendation for washing printed clothing.

We’ve seen what can happen when a DTF-printed shirt is repeatedly exposed to hot water. In one case, the print began cracking after being washed in hot water.

Heat puts unnecessary stress on the printed design. Cold water is much gentler and is more than enough for a normal everyday wash.

For our own printed shirts, we use a standard cold wash and have had excellent results.

Do You Need to Turn the T-Shirt Inside Out?

You’ll often see advice telling you that every printed shirt absolutely has to be turned inside out before washing.

In our experience, it isn’t essential.

We generally wash our own shirts as they are, rather than turning them inside out every time, and the prints continue to hold up extremely well.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with turning your shirt inside out if you want to give the print a little extra protection, but good-quality DTF printing shouldn’t require an overly complicated washing routine.

Can You Use Normal Laundry Detergent?

Yes.

We don’t believe you need to buy a special detergent just because your T-shirt has a DTF print.

We use normal laundry detergent, and we haven’t found a particular liquid, powder or brand necessary to keep the prints looking good.

The temperature and drying method are far more important.

Don’t Put Printed T-Shirts in the Tumble Dryer

If there is one thing we recommend avoiding, it’s the tumble dryer.

DTF transfers are applied to garments using heat during production. Once the garment is finished, regularly exposing that print to high temperatures in a dryer can shorten its life.

Instead, we recommend allowing printed garments to air dry.

A normal outdoor clothesline is perfectly fine, or you can use an indoor drying rack.

It’s simple, costs nothing and helps protect the design.

Be Very Careful When Ironing Printed T-Shirts

This is another common way printed garments get damaged.

Never place a hot iron directly onto a DTF print.

Direct heat can burn or melt the print, potentially ruining a perfectly good shirt in seconds.

If the shirt needs ironing, turn it inside out and use a warm iron rather than high heat.

That lets you remove wrinkles without having the hot iron sitting directly on the printed design.

How Long Can a DTF T-Shirt Actually Last?

We can give you a real example from our own wardrobe.

One of our Built Different Goods DTF-printed T-shirts has been owned for more than a year and gets washed at least twice every week.

That means it has potentially been through well over 100 washes.

The print still looks great.

That’s why we don’t believe looking after printed clothing needs to be complicated. A quality print combined with sensible washing and drying can make a huge difference.

The Built Different Goods Washing Routine

For the best results with our printed garments, we recommend:

• Wash in cold water
• Normal laundry detergent is fine
• Turning the garment inside out for washing is optional
• Do not tumble dry
• Dry on a clothesline or indoor drying rack
• Never iron directly over the print
• If ironing is necessary, turn the garment inside out and use a warm setting

Why Heat Is the Biggest Enemy of Printed Clothing

If you look at most of the things that can damage a printed shirt, there’s one common factor:

Too much heat.

Hot washing can contribute to cracking.

Tumble dryers expose the print to repeated heat.

And a hot iron placed directly onto the design can burn or melt it.

Keeping the heat down is one of the easiest ways to help your print stay looking newer for longer.

Final Thoughts

Printed T-shirts are designed to be worn and enjoyed — you shouldn’t need a complicated laundry routine every time you wash one.

From our experience producing and wearing DTF printed clothing at Built Different Goods, three simple habits make the biggest difference:

Wash cold. Air dry. Keep the iron off the print.

We’ve followed essentially that routine with our own shirts, including one that has been washed at least twice a week for more than a year, and the print still looks great.

A little care goes a long way toward keeping your favourite printed T-shirts looking the way they did when you first bought them.

Looking for your next favourite printed tee?
Explore the range at Built Different Goods — www.builtdifferentgoods.com.au.