Sadly, all shirts have a shelf life. In some unspecified time in the future, no matter their high quality and the way lovingly you take care of them, repeated sporting and washing will result in irreparable penalties. And it is not all the time a dramatic tear alongside the seam or an enormous stain on the chest that retires the shirt. Typically one thing small sneaks up on you – often one thing on or across the collar. There are a lot of necessary steps to comply with relating to caring for shirt collars, however one of the best place to start out is unbutton the collars and carry them up earlier than throwing them within the wash.
This system has three invaluable results:
- This ensures that the ends of the collars and buttonholes don’t stretch within the wash, serving to them to proceed to lie flat, buttoned tightly, and keep sharp, clear edges all the best way round. Should you’ve ever had a shirt the place you needed to attempt to “wrinkle” the collar as a result of it was using up, it is since you washed and dried it with the collar buttoned up.
- The collar buttons usually are not subjected to undue stress in the course of the wash cycle, additional lowering the possibility of the button seams coming undone at an inopportune second.
- With the collar unbuttoned and raised, each side of the collar (particularly the often-neglected backside fold of the collar) can be completely cleaned (and dried).
The advantages of this apply might not be instantly obvious the subsequent time you look within the mirror, however your collar will retain its definition and fold for for much longer, which is a useful function for a wardrobe staple like a button-down shirt.
Bonus tip! In an overcrowded closet or cramped garment bag, collars can flatten, warp, and wash when saved. So, after washing and drying your shirts, hold them with the collars up in order that they continue to be intact throughout storage.
