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Washing jerseys: What you should keep in mind

If you're an athlete, you need to wash your jerseys regularly. Read the article below to find out what you should consider when washing flocked jerseys.

spized | editors | Magazine

October 30, 2023 |

Whats’ on this page

1. Washing a jersey: The most important aspects in brief

2. Washing instructions for jerseys: How to wash jerseys

3. The right detergent for washing jerseys

4. Dürfen Trikots in den Trockner?

5. Correctly remove grass stains and sweat odour

5.1 Remove grass stains from the jersey

5.2 Get rid of sweat stains and sweat odour

6. Washing jerseys with flocking: What do you have to consider?

7. The solution? Sublimation printing from spized

Washing a jersey: The most important aspects in brief

For athletes, jerseys are much more than just any piece of fabric. It is a representative, personal and often also an emotionally significant textile that is worn regularly and should therefore last a long time. Jerseys are exposed to external weather conditions as well as sweat and inevitably have to find their way into the washing machine again and again. If the flock comes off or the colours fade after just a handful of washes, this is a major annoyance for athletes. If you want to wash jerseys properly, you only need to pay attention to a few small things.

Wash your jerseys at 30°C maximum.
Do not use detergent or fabric softener.
Turn the jersey inside out as a precaution.
Do not tumble dry your jersey.

In general, it is recommended to always pay attention to the manufacturer's care instructions in order to be aware of any special features.

Washing instructions for jerseys: How to wash jerseys

When you have a new jersey in your hands, you should always wash it before wearing it for the first time. The jersey goes through many hands and machines during production or flocking, so a wash cycle before wearing is recommended for hygienic reasons. In principle, washing sportswear too often is not advisable because membranes (protective films) can be destroyed in the long run. Salt crystals from sweat and numerous other impurities are deposited in the textile through sporting activity, which is why you should not completely forego washing your jersey if you use it regularly. To prevent your jerseys from being damaged by washing, you can proceed as follows:

Take the jersey out of the laundry drum immediately after washing.
If necessary, use a laundry bag (this is especially helpful for sports jackets with Velcro and zips).

The right detergent for washing jerseys

It is obvious that the detergent is crucial for effective and gentle cleaning of sportswear. Standing in front of the numerous detergent products in the retail trade, you can't see the wood for the trees with such a variety of products. There are colour detergents, mild detergents, heavy-duty detergents, fabric softeners and much more. What is the right detergent for the jersey? In the following sections we will tell you the most important things.

Fabric softener and detergent: Fabric softener causes the microfibres of textiles to stick together, so that in the long run the breathability of the jerseys is no longer guaranteed. You may know it when one of your older jerseys gets wet on the inside during sports activities. This can be due to the use of fabric softener, among other things. Heavy-duty detergents usually contain enzymes that remove stains better, but at the same time bleach the colour. Therefore, you should avoid using fabric softeners and full detergents when washing your jerseys.

Delicates and colour detergents: Delicates generally do not contain bleaching agents or enzymes, so they are suitable for washing delicate textiles. However, it only cleans at low temperatures (maximum 30 °C) and is therefore not recommended for heavy soiling. Colour detergent also removes heavy soiling, protects the colour and can also be used at higher temperatures. Ideally, you should use mild detergent or colour detergent to wash your jerseys.

And what about special sports detergents? There is no significant difference between detergents for functional clothing and conventional colour detergents. These special detergents also have no particular effect on sportswear that needs to be impregnated regularly. Accordingly, no special detergent for sportswear or jerseys is necessary.

Can jerseys be tumble dried?

Yes and no. In principle, jerseys can be put in the dryer at a low temperature. However, there are many tumble dryers that are no longer technically up to date. At this point, the actual temperature differs from that of the selector. And high temperatures attack the colour during drying and sometimes even cause damage to the garment.

Our recommendation: Always let your jerseys air dry. This protects both the sportswear and the environment. Sports textiles are usually quick-drying and only minimally damp after the spin cycle in the washing machine. At average outdoor or room temperatures, your jersey is ready for use again in a few hours after washing. It is therefore not worth the risk of damaging the jersey in the dryer to save a minimal amount of time. If you want your jerseys to last a long time, the dryer should not be used in this case.

Correctly remove grass stains and sweat odour

Football players in particular are very familiar with the grass stain problem: after practice or a match, the jersey is full of grass and mud stains that are difficult to clean. We would like to give you some helpful tips for this problem.

Remove grass stains from the jersey

In general, fresh stains are always easier to remove than dried-on ones. This means that leaving the dirty jersey in the sports bag for one or two days after usage is not a good idea. Ideally, you should make sure that the jersey with grass stains is cleaned as soon as possible. It is best to treat the jersey with stain remover or rubbing alcohol before putting it in the washing machine. To do this, you must first soak the fabric in cold water. Warm water is only suitable for greasy and oily stains. After the jersey has soaked, you can rub it with the detergent if necessary and then add it to the next wash cycle. With rubbing alcohol, you can use a sponge to moisten it. Let both the alcohol and the stain remover soak for at least 5 minutes.

Tip: For stubborn mud stains on a white jersey, baking soda is ideal for removing stains. Simply let the baking soda soak in for a few minutes before washing and the jersey should be saved. However, baking soda is not suitable for coloured sportswear because the colours will fade!

Get rid of sweat stains and sweat odour

After frequent wearing, it is not uncommon for the smell of sweat to build up in functional textiles. At this point you can use a perfumed detergent, which should remove the unpleasant odour. Alternatively, the textile can be pre-treated with a little white vinegar. Mix warm vinegar with water in a ratio of 1:5 and leave it on the jersey for about 2 hours.

If sweat stains have already formed, citric acid can provide relief. This is available in all drugstores and is applied directly to the sweat stain. Aspirin is also a proven household remedy for stubborn sweat stains. Simply crush the tablet and rub it with water to make a paste. to make a paste. The paste is then rubbed onto the stains. The salicylic acid in the aspirin penetrates the fibres of the textiles and dissolves the proteins in the stains. After a one-hour soaking time and the subsequent wash cycle, you are rid of the unpleasant sweat stains.

Washing jerseys with flocking: What do you have to consider?

Many athletes rightly ask themselves whether there are any special considerations when washing flocked jerseys. Indeed, jerseys with flocking are particularly sensitive when washed. The flock comes off after a certain time and the colours often fade after only a few washes. Most sportspeople know the problems described all too well. Generally speaking, flocking on jerseys always comes off at some point. If you want to extend the durability of flocked jerseys, you should pay close attention to the previous tips and implement them. In addition, flocked jerseys should never be tumble dried. To protect the flock and the colours for as long as possible, you should only hand wash a jersey with flocking. And if the jersey is soiled with grass and mud stains? Then you have no choice but to use the care tips described (stain remover and/or alcohol cleaner) and clean the jersey in the washing machine after the soaking time.

However, you should keep in mind that: the flocking will eventually come loose and fade, no matter how carefully you wash it.

The solution? Sublimation printing from spized

Tired of faded colours and a flock that comes off the jersey? Then spized's sublimation printing process is just right for you! How do we ensure that the motifs and logos do not come off the spized jersey and that the rich colours are retained? It's simple: in the sublimation printing process, solid colour pigments are vapourised into the textile. This means that we can completely dispense with binding agents and solvents, so that no coating is left on the fabric. This not only protects the environment, but also increases the durability of the jerseys. No printing process can produce motifs with such a high colour intensity - so you are guaranteed high quality with sublimation printing. Water-based inks and a fully digitalised printing process give you the best possible quality for your self-designed jersey!

Want to know more about the sublimation printing process? Click here for our detailed article.

Take a look at our 3D online configurator and design the next jersey for your team. You can design it according to your personal taste and add as many motifs or print components as you like at no extra cost.