Thank you for becoming part of the Saltrock family! We hope you love your new clothes!
Now that you’ve got your hands on some awesome new gear, why not spend a few minutes learning how to care them and to get the most life out of your new clothes? This quick-stop guide should tell you all you need to know for looking after each product.
Our clothing is designed to last, but proper care and attention can make quality clothing last a lifetime.
PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO CARE LABELS
Care labels for clothing are typically found on the inside at the bottom of tees, shirts, and jumpers.
They are usually found on the left or at the back on the inside of the waistband in trousers, shorts and sweatpants.
Depicted as a bucket filled with water, the washing symbol determines whether an item is safe to wash in a washing machine, including which setting and temperature to use. If the garment is washing machine friendly, you will see dots or numbers inside the bucket symbol recommending the maximum appropriate temperature. One means 30 degrees, two dots mean 40 degrees, and three dot means 60 degrees.
It is important to read and familiarise yourself with the care instructions on each individual product and never assume that the instructions will be the same for one product as another, even if they are both the same product type. The care required for one tee could be different to a different tee with a similar design.
HANG YOUR CLOTHES ON APPROPRIATE HANGERS
Shoddy, wrongly sized hangers produce wrinkles, stretches, cause unappealing lumps and bumps, and fail to hold clothes securely, resulting in a crumpled heap on the wardrobe floor. The most important step in caring for your clothes and extending the life of your wardrobe is to get the correct clothes hanger.
The ideal hanger for tops has a curved shape to allow for the natural slant of the shoulders and a non-slip element to prevent gradual slipping which results in stretching of the neck hole.
It’s also important that hangers are appropriately sized. For example, using a large hanger for kids clothing causes the garment to hang unnaturally, causing creasing, folding, and stretching.
- Children’s hangers – for 0 – 3 years old use a 10” hanger, 3 to 8 years old use a 12” hanger and 9 to early teens use a 14” hanger.
- Petite women, young men and women and larger children use a 15.5” contour or 16.5” flat hanger
- Men and Women – use a 16.5” flat or 17” contour hanger
- Men’s suits and XL sizes – use an 18.5” contour hanger
WASH CLOTHING INSIDE-OUT
All clothing, and particularly clothing that features a graphic print should always be washed inside out. This protects the outside from the unavoidable wear caused by the abrasive spin of the washing machine, whilst ensuring the dirtiest parts of the clothing (armpits, crotch) have the most contact with washing detergent.
Washing inside out also helps to protect against lint and pilling on softer fabrics.
USE A CLOTHES SHAVER TO REMOVE ANY PILLING
Depending on amount of usage, even on the highest quality garments some pilling may still unavoidably occur. This can be simply due to casual wearing and washing, despite your best efforts to prevent it. Be wary that knitted fabrics tend to pill more than woven fabrics.
Clothes shavers are one of the most effective solutions to his problem and a single use can leave your year-old jumper looking brand-new.
Potential downsides of using a clothes shaver are that they can create snags or holes if used incorrectly.
Clothes shavers can be found anywhere from £5-£50. Be extra careful when selecting a clothes shaver and make sure you weigh up the potential pros and cons.
COLD WASH GRAPHIC PRINT T-SHIRTS
Regardless of the fact that our 100% cotton t-shirts are normally pre-shrunk, they do shrink slightly when washed and dried in hot conditions. To protect the artwork and minimise shrinkage, we recommend washing your t-shirt at a lower temperature (no more than 30°C). Of course, a cold wash is recommended. It will clean your clothes while also being kinder on the fabric.
TAKE EXTRA CARE WHEN TUMBLE DRYING
Tumble dryers are very convenient but can be disastrous for your clothing if not used carefully. Tumble drying should be totally avoided for certain clothes such as jumpers and knitwear because of the damage it can cause.
Caution should always be taken when tumble drying any item of clothing because it can cause shrinkage, discolouration and even burning if not used properly. Here’s a small list of some things you should never do when using a tumble dryer:
- Stop a cycle early
- Put all your clothes in it
- Put clothes in straight from the washing machine
- Run it unattended
- Overload or underload
- Forget to check the dust filter
- Dry mixed materials
- Forget to check ventilation
DON'T IRON DIRECTLY ONTO PRINT
Now that you’ve got your brand-new graphic tee, the last thing you want to do is ruin the print! So whenever ironing your tee, make sure to avoid any direct contact from an iron. If you must, then you can iron around the print, but be very wary that even the slightest contact from a heated iron can cause detrimental effects.
Final Note
All graphic t-shirts will eventually wear out and fade – it is only natural. The way you choose to care for your clothes has great impact on its life span., as well as on the printing method used in production.
All Saltrock tees are professionally screen-printed or ‘Direct To Garment’ (DTG) printed, but failing to take considerate care of your tee will lead to wear after wear of riotous use. Heck, with proper care, your t-shirt is sure to outlast the political regime du jour.