How to wash a football shirt without ruining it

A football shirt can last for many seasons. What shortens its life is rarely the match: it is the washing machine, the dryer and the iron. Follow this routine and the colors, the crest and the print will stay the way they arrived.

Before it goes in the machine

• Turn it inside out. This protects the crest, the sponsors, the name, the number and any patch from rubbing against other clothes.
• Separate the colors. White shirts with white clothes, dark shirts with dark clothes. Never wash a new red or blue shirt with whites the first time.
• Empty the pockets of everything else. Zips, hooks and jeans buttons are the main cause of pulled threads.

Washing machine settings

• Cold water, 30 °C at most. Heat is the biggest enemy of prints and of technical fabric.
• Delicate or synthetic cycle, with a low spin.
• Mild detergent, no fabric softener and no bleach. Softener clogs the fabric that lets the shirt breathe, and bleach attacks the colors and the print.

By hand is even better

If you have five minutes, wash it by hand in cold water with a little mild detergent. Do not scrub the crest or the name; press the fabric gently and rinse well. Never wring it: squeeze out the water by pressing it between two towels.

Drying: shade and a hanger

Hang the shirt on a plastic hanger, in the shade, in a place with air flow. Direct sun fades the colors over time, and the tumble dryer is the fastest way to crack a name, a number or a patch. Our football shirts are made of 100% polyester, so they dry quickly on their own.

Ironing: only if you really need to

Polyester barely creases if it dries on a hanger. If you must iron, use the lowest temperature, keep the shirt inside out and never pass the iron over the crest, the sponsors, the name, the number or the patches.

Stains

• Act fast. Rinse the stain with cold water as soon as you can, from the inside of the fabric outward.
• Grass and mud: let the mud dry, brush it off and then wash.
• Food and drinks: a drop of mild detergent on the spot for a few minutes before the normal wash.
• Never use hot water on a stain. It sets the stain into the fabric.

White shirts need a little extra care

White shows everything. Wash it with whites only, do not let it sit dirty for days and dry it in the shade, because strong sun can leave the fabric yellowish. If you wear it often, wash it after every use.

After a match or training

Do not leave a sweaty shirt closed in the bag until the next day. Take it out, let it air and wash it as soon as you can. That is what keeps the fabric fresh and free of smells.

Storing it

On a hanger or folded in a drawer, away from the sun and from humidity. For a shirt you keep as a collector's item, fold it with the print on the inside.

Taking care of a customized shirt? See how the name and the number are applied in our name and number guide. And if it is time for a new one, take a look at the European club shirts 26/27 or the retro collection.