Any way to keep the designs on t-shirts from cracking?
 

Hello there.. You know how a new t-shirt has that smooth, plastic-y logo/pic?? Well you know how over a few washes it gets cracked? Well is there a way to protect the thing from cracking and have parts of it fall off??? There's some t-shirts I have that I LOVE and I don't know where I could get another one. Some I CAN'T get another one of cause it came from a different country/city.

Any ideas on preserving the quality and still be able to wear it and keep it clean?

- Undercover_Man

Press on the print with the iron (and a clean cotton cloth between) when new.
Wash the t-shirt inside-out.
Wear it above another t-shirt and wash it less often.
Hang it outside to air out instead of washing when you've only worn it a day or so.

Keep it out of the dryer and line dry it. Dryer heat is what kills them the fastest.

I've always dried them a little bit, but taken them out before completely dried and it seems to work pretty well for me. It probably depends on how large and detailed the graphic is too.

Dry Clean Only

Aaaah the sentimental value of your favorite T-Shirt. I wonder what happened that old REO Speedwagon Concert T that my mom almost clubbed me for paying $15.00 for it. :D

I've used a method where I soak the shirt in a bowl of water with a couple tablespoons of vinigar in it. It has worked great for me so far. After you wash it there is no smell too!

^^^
Never heard of that one before. Interesting.

sounds like an experienced mom :) wanna teach my wife these things? :) :D

Actually, most of those tips I've recieved from men doing their own laundry. ;)

Men doing their own laundry??.. Ha Ha rare find that is.... let me know when you find men doing their own laundry and enjoying it!

^^^
You know what's even RARER? A guy who doesn't mind ironing his own stuff. I'd iron if I had a TV in front of me. I don't mind doing the laundry either. The only thing I hate is folding. Everything else I'm cool with. That's why I throw my clothes (socks, boxers, t-shirts, jeans) in a basket in my closet. No folding. Just gonna get wrinkled anyways. Good shirts and slacks and expensive stuff get hung up and/or ironed. I even hang up my belts and ties.

EDIT: Now that I think of it, folding isn't as bad as it used to be ever since I watched that Japanese vid. It's found somewhere in this forum. It showed a way to quickly fold shirts and it even works for other things too. Folding that was is kinda fun. Now that I think of it it's the HANGING part I hate. I hate taking all the hangers and tossing them on the floor and start hanging stuff. That's what I hate I think.

I just know a lot of guys who likes clothes a wee bit too much. Too much to let anyone else handle their precious shirts and designer jeans. They've made laundry into a manly art of exactitude.
One guy friend told me he had walked by a posh department store and just felt the need to go in and buy a black tie (he owned four black ties already). So I called him a dork and then we admired the interesting texture of his fifth black tie for a few minutes. He does all his own laundry and I'm quite sure he enjoys it too. :D

I may give amazement, but I am a guy who happily does his own ironing, and that of my wifes'. Ok, we don't iron much - My work shirts, work trousers sometimes when they look shabby or I have a client meeting, anything for her when she wants to look nice. She hates ironing, I don't mind it at all. Same for washing up - I do all the washing up and don't mind it. Hoovering I actually enjoy!

As for the thread, We have (until recently anyway) never had a tunble dryer, and I've never had a problem with cracked t-shirt logos etc, which adds credence to what Bill O'Rights said.

I have a Sunbeam one. It's light blue and white and steams and squirts that water stuff and at the flip of a switch, it can go cordless!!! And it also heats in 60 seconds. Got it off eBay a few years ago. Only ~$70. Awesome buy. Got it new and it still works and looks like new.

I think keeping it out of the dryer is definitely the best idea.

I don't understand why people use dryers at all. Maybe if you live in an apartment so tiny that there's no space to hang the clothes to dry, but asides from that, they just use a lot of energy to damage your clothes.

I always dry (t-shirts inside out) until damp to the touch and lay them out till they dry the rest of the way... seems to work really well...

As for hating folding, I'm sure you've seen this...
http://www.milkandcookies.com/links/15594/

For my i just hand wash them and line dry, works fine. But they will all eventually crack from just wear and tear.

Swedish men :rolleyes:. They are all borderline gay :)