To ensure you can enjoy your favourite t-shirt for a longer period of time it is important to look after it well. When it comes to washing, drying, ironing and storing your t-shirts you should keep certain things in mind.
Washing your t-shirt
Most t-shirts are made from 100% preshrunk cotton, this means your t-shirt is made of 100% cotton and that the cotton is preshrunk, this does not mean that the cotton is 100% preshrunk. When you wash your t-shirt for the first time it will shrink (slightly). In the most ideal situation to avoid shrinkage you should only hand wash your t-shirt in cold water.
The problem is that most detergents work better in warm water so it's best to keep your t-shirts clean so you don't need to clean but only refresh them, that way the effect detergents have in cold water will be sufficent to keep your t-shirts fresh and clean.
Use a fabric softener to avoid wrinkles and colour protecting detergents to keep the colours from fading. To protect the print wash your t-shirts inside out and avoid bleach. Should you decide not to hand wash your t-shirts but use the washing machine take your t-shirt out right after the last cycle. Leaving your t-shirt in the washing machine will cause wrinkles.
Drying your t-shirt
Dry your t-shirts as soon as possible after you wash them to avoid wrinkles. The best way to dry your t-shirts after you wash them is to hang dry them. Clothes pegs can cause little stretch marks on the shoulders so it's better to fold the t-shirt over one line down the middle or even better lay them over two or more lines.
If you do have to hang dry them outside and wind is a factor you can also put them on a hanger to dry. In that case dont bring the hanger in from the neckhole but from the other side instead. Use a big hanger thats broad at the shoulders so the weight is spread more evenly. Dont forget to use clothing pegs on the hanger so it doesnt slide over the line.
On hot sunny days avoid hanging your t-shirt directly in the sun. The heat from the sun might still warm up your moist/wet t-shirt and cause it to shrink.
Never be tempted to put your t-shirt in the dryer, this will cause your t-shirt to shrink. However, if you did wash the t-shirt in a washing machine it's ok to use the tumble dry setting. This setting doesn't use any heat and should result in a t-shirt that's just slightly moist.
Ironing your t-shirt
When you have hand washed your t-shirt, taken it out of the washing machine right after the cycle finished and / or dried it on a hanger or laid it over multiple lines to dry your t-shirt shouldn't be too wrinkled to begin with. Which is good because we want to iron our t-shirt on a low setting since patience and pressure are better than heat. The more wrinkled your t-shirt is the higher the temperature of the iron needs to be though.
To protect the print turn your t-shirt inside out or put a towel over your t-shirt whilst ironing. Make sure your t-shirt is completely dry before you iron it (water + heat = shrinkage).
Storing your t-shirt
Now that your t-shirt is clean and dry it's time to put it away till the next time you use it. If you have the space hang your t-shirt in your wardrobe so you dont have to fold the printing. Use a wide hanger and don't bring it in from the neckhole but rather from the bottom to avoid stretching. When you do fold your t-shirts don't pile them too high. When the print is going over a fold and the weight of the t-shirts on top presses down on it over time it might ruin your print as the folds will most likely always be in the same place.