How to wash white shirts without shrinking

Few sartorial items are as universally cherished as the plain white T-shirt. After all, it's the most versatile item in your closet: Pair it with heels for a night out, wear it under the slip dress du jour for an office-appropriate ensemble, or throw it on with your favorite blue jeans for the official off-duty look that's favored by everyone from farmers to supermodels. You don't have make yourself crazy trying to ensure they look fresh wash after wash, but there are a few simple steps you should incorporate into your laundry routine if you want your white clothing to remain white. We asked two experts for their best advice on keeping your white clothing clean and bright.

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Are your T-shirts looking gray and dingy? You might be overstuffing the machine. "The more clothes you have in the load, the more dirt and grime that's released in the washing process," explains Brian Johnson, director of education at The Drycleaning & Laundry Institute. "Once that soil gets into the water, it will eventually redeposit back onto the clothes." In short, don't cram too much into your washer. Also key: Wash whites only with other whites.

The type of soap you use isn't as important as the amount you use, says Johnson. "When dirt is released into the water, one of the detergent's key jobs is to keep it from redepositing on the fabric," he says. "If you don't use enough detergent, you can't create that effect, which holds the dirt until the drain cycle."

Abrasion from agitation breaks the surface of the T-shirt and causes little fibers to stick out. Turn your T-shirts inside out before tossing in the wash, says Mike Abbott, director of R&D at Hanes. "This keeps the outside of the garment looking fresher."  Next, add a detergent with a whitening agent and select warm water. "Hot water degrades the color of the shirt faster than warm water," he says.

Bleach is tricky. "A good quality bleach works for 100 percent cotton items," says Abbott, but you'll want to avoid it on pieces made with synthetic fibers like nylon or spandex. (Meaning most of your fancier T-shirts.) "Bleach breaks down spandex," he says. Too much bleach can cause even your 100 percent cotton whites to yellow. To be safe, go with non-chlorine bleach, like OxiClean.

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If you love super-white clothing, this old-school product, a blue solution that deposits a small amount of blue dye to the water during the wash cycle, might just be your new favorite. If beach can cause whites to yellow, why on earth would you add blue to your wash? "The human eye actually sees blue as white," explains Abbott, "so bluing agents are optical blinders for whiteners." They add a tint of blue to cover up the yellowing from dirt, oil, or chlorine bleach and make garments appear whiter.

The pesky yellow armpit stains that send your versatile wardrobe staple to the undershirt pile? Blame the aluminum in your antiperspirant. That's right, the agent that stops you from sweating reacts to perspiration, creating the yellow armpit stain. It's a vicious cycle; sadly, once those stains set in, they're impossible to remove, says Johnson. His advice: Prevent these stains from setting in by washing your white T-shirts ASAP. "Most people try to get a couple of wears out of things," he says. "But in a couple of days after wearing, you should run it through a wash cycle."

To deal with heavier stains, including those yellow armpit stains, soak your garment in a non-chlorine-based bleach, like Oxiclean, for 30 minutes before washing. Make sure to use the hottest water temperature that's recommended on the care label. "Heat increases all chemical reactions, so the hotter the water, the better your detergent is going to behave," he says. For light stains, treat with your detergent (most have oxygen-based bleach as part of the formulation) and toss in the wash.

Unlike a majority of the garments we've written about here, your white T-shirt can definitely go in the dryer-just take it easy. "You don't want to make it bone-dry," warns Abbott. "Drying too much degrades the cotton and can also cause yellowing." For best results, set your dryer on a shorter cycle, remove while damp and hang to dry it. You can also use a low-heat iron setting to smooth out any wrinkles.

Even the most adept laundry pros fall victim to the occasional cleaning blunder—bleach stains and pink sheets included. (What is it with red socks?) But perhaps the number one laundry mistake involves shrinking our most cherished cotton clothing. No matter how much of a skilled laundress you claim to be, shrunken clothes are simply unavoidable, and this laundry gaffe has left us with too many misshapen t-shirts to count. Fortunately, all is not lost when you've inflicted unintentional heat damage.

According to fabric expert Suzanne Holmes of Cotton Incorporated, because cotton is a natural, breathable fiber, it may shrink when heated. If you find yourself with a teeny, tiny top in your hands, fully saturate the damaged shirt in water. Holmes then suggests gently stretching your wet shirt out on a flat surface or drying rack to the desired size. "Keep the shirt in place with household weights like heavy jars or cans," Holmes says. Take extra care with this step, since too many tugs may further distort the shape of the garment you're trying to salvage. Once you get the piece to its desired size, leave the garment out to air dry.

If your clothes still seem to get smaller with every wash, Holmes suggests taking cotton pieces out of the dryer while they're still damp and air drying them the rest of the way. Aside from keeping your clothing in tip-top shape, you're also conserving energy.

As for the most important laundry lesson we could all stand to learn? Always, always review an item of clothing's label before tossing it in the wash. "When buying clothes, opt for quality cotton pieces that fit," she says. "And you should check the label and follow care instructions closely to keep your cotton items newer, longer."

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Think about the last time you pulled a much loved article of clothing from the washer or dryer, only to find that it had shrunk to a size that would prevent you from ever wearing it again, unless you managed to drop a hundred pounds and shrink yourself by at least eighteen inches. Frustrating, right? We’ve all been there, but we don’t have to go back. Keep reading for everything you need to know about the causes of shrinkage and how to prevent it.

Heat is not your friend if you’re trying to avoid shrinking your clothes, especially those which are made of natural fibers like cotton, wool and mohair. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can avoid it by simply reducing the heat in your dryer or by using a clothesline. The truth is that your washing machine is equally capable of shrinking your clothes, and not just with the wrong water temperature. Agitation is what causes animal fabrics like wool, mohair and cashmere to shrink, which is why it’s best to have them dry cleaned.

Cotton, while not an animal fabric, is a natural one and can therefore present certain challenges when trying to prevent shrinkage. Cotton shrinks because of the tension that is applied to its yarn and fabrics during the construction of the clothing. The tension is released by heat from the washer, dryer, steam and even sunlight, which causes the fabric to be reduced to its natural size. This is why most cotton clothing will shrink during its first washing. The best way to avoid shrinkage is to wash them by hand or to use cold water and the delicate cycle of your washing machine. Ideally, your clothes that are made of natural fibers should never see the inside of your dryer. Invest in a couple of folding tables, so you can lay your clothes flat and let them dry on their own. Cotton clothing can be dried on hangers. If you must use the dryer for your cottons, use the lowest heat setting possible.

“Oops, I did it again.” If you find yourself saying this in the future, consider using the non-wearable clothing for other things around your house. When I was growing up, my mother used old white t-shirts to dust the house. They’re gentle on wood surfaces and will leave them clean and shiny. If you’re looking for a more creative solution for your clothing mishaps, consider turning them into dog clothes. The mother of one of my high school friends once turned a shrunken tube top into an outfit for her portly Pekingese, but my wish for you is that your pets don’t end up with your hand-me-downs.

Happy washing!

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