How to Wash Graphic Clothing

You found the graphic. You like the fit. You've worn it half to death.

Now comes the dangerous bit.

The washing machine.

Alright, maybe we're being dramatic. But if you've ever pulled a favourite graphic tee out of the wash looking like it's aged ten years in 45 minutes, you'll know what we mean.

Looking after printed clothing isn't complicated. You don't need special washing potions, a degree in fabric science or to hand-wash everything in a bucket.

A few simple habits can help your graphic T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts stay looking good for longer.

Here's how.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: READ THE LABEL

Yeah, we know.

Nobody wants to hear that.

But before doing anything, check the care instructions on the actual garment.

Different fabrics, garment weights and printing methods can have different requirements. A heavyweight cotton tee isn't necessarily going to want exactly the same treatment as a fleece-backed sweatshirt.

So consider everything below good general practice for printed clothing — but the care label always gets the final word.

WHAT DO THOSE WASH SYMBOLS ACTUALLY MEAN?

Care labels can sometimes look like someone's invented their own little secret language.

Luckily, you don't need to memorise every laundry symbol known to mankind. For graphic clothing, there are a few usual suspects worth recognising.

The wash tub tells you whether the garment can be washed and usually gives you a maximum temperature, such as 30°C.

The triangle is all about bleach. If you see a cross through it, don't bleach it.

The square with a circle inside is the tumble-dryer symbol. Cross through it? Keep it out of the dryer.

The iron is exactly what it looks like. The dots inside indicate how much heat the garment can take. With printed clothing, you should also avoid putting the iron directly onto the graphic unless the care instructions specifically say otherwise.

The circle relates to professional dry cleaning. Again, a big cross through it means don't.

There are plenty more laundry symbols out there, but those are some of the main ones you're likely to come across.

You don't need to become fluent in washing-machine hieroglyphics.

Check the temperature, watch for the crosses and pay attention to anything involving heat.

Easy.

TURN IT INSIDE OUT

Probably the easiest thing you can do.

Before chucking a graphic tee, hoodie or sweatshirt into the machine, turn it inside out.

Why?

During a wash, your clothes are rubbing against each other, the drum and everything else you've thrown in there.

Turning printed clothing inside out helps reduce some of that direct friction against the graphic.

Takes about three seconds.

Worth doing.

It's something we recommend across plenty of our graphic T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts.

KEEP IT COOL

Your graphic tee doesn't need to experience the surface of the sun to get clean.

For many printed garments, a cool or 30°C wash is plenty for normal everyday washing.

Excessive heat isn't particularly friendly to clothing in general. Depending on the fabric and print, it can contribute to shrinkage, fading and unnecessary wear.

Unless something genuinely needs a hotter wash and the care label allows it, don't cook the poor bastard.

WASH SIMILAR COLOURS TOGETHER

This isn't exactly underground knowledge.

Whites with whites.

Darks with darks.

Similar colours together.

That fresh white graphic tee doesn't need to spend 90 minutes spinning around with a brand-new black hoodie and your questionable red socks.

Keeping similar colours together helps reduce the chance of colour transfer and keeps things looking fresher.

Simple.

DON'T GO MENTAL WITH DETERGENT

More detergent doesn't automatically mean cleaner clothes.

Using more than you need can leave residue behind and doesn't give your graphic clothing some sort of super-wash.

Follow the detergent manufacturer's recommended amount for the load and water conditions.

And unless the garment specifically allows it, avoid bleach.

Your artwork didn't survive hours of designing just to get chemically nuked in the washing machine.

AIR DRY WHEN YOU CAN

This is a big one.

If the garment's care instructions recommend air drying, let it dry naturally.

It's slower.

It's less exciting.

There's no satisfying DING when it's finished.

But it removes unnecessary tumble-dryer heat from the equation.

Some garments may allow tumble drying on a low setting, while others — including some of our heavyweight graphic T-shirts — are better kept away from the tumble dryer altogether.

Which brings us back to rule number one:

Read the bloody label.

DON'T IRON STRAIGHT OVER THE GRAPHIC

You've washed it properly.

You've dried it properly.

Don't ruin the operation at the final hurdle by planting a hot iron directly onto the print.

If the garment can be ironed, turn it inside out and follow its temperature instructions.

Avoid direct heat on the printed area.

The graphic doesn't need ironing.

It's not going to a job interview.

STOP WASHING STUFF THAT ISN'T DIRTY

We're not telling you to walk around stinking.

Please don't quote us on that.

But clothing doesn't necessarily need to go into the washing machine every single time it touches your body.

A hoodie worn over a tee for a couple of hours may not need immediately blasting through another full wash cycle.

If something is clean, doesn't smell and hasn't spent the evening collecting kebab sauce, ask yourself whether it actually needs washing yet.

Fewer unnecessary washes mean less repeated friction, heat and general wear on the garment.

Your clothes last longer.

You do less washing.

Everyone wins.

WHAT ABOUT DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRINT?

Not every graphic is applied in exactly the same way.

Screen printing, DTF and other garment-printing techniques all create slightly different results, but sensible care goes a long way with all of them.

At Jump the Dark, the artwork is a massive part of what we do, so looking after the print matters just as much as looking after the garment underneath it.

You don't need to obsess over it.

Just don't abuse it.

Cool wash. Inside out. Sensible detergent. Keep direct heat away from the graphic.

Easy.

THE QUICK VERSION

If you've skipped everything above looking for the cheat sheet, fair enough.

Check the garment's own care label first. Turn printed clothes inside out. Wash cool with similar colours. Don't use bleach unless the label says it's safe. Air dry where recommended. Keep the iron away from the actual print. And don't wash something just because you've looked at it.

That's pretty much it.

Whether it's one of our graphic T-shirts, a printed hoodie, a graphic sweatshirt or something completely different, look after it properly and give the graphic a fighting chance.

Clothes are made to be worn.

Just don't murder them in the washing machine.