What are Dress Shirts Made of?
Most button-up dress shirts are made from 100 percent cotton fabric, though some dress shirts also come in blends of cotton and wool. Polo shirts are typically made from a more diverse range of materials, including cotton, polyester, and piqué—a cotton knit fabric especially popular in golf polos!
Can You Machine Wash Dress Shirts?
Yes, most dress shirts and polos are machine washable. However, you should always check the garment care label before throwing button-up shirts and more in the wash. Some fabrics may be labeled “dry clean only.”
Do Dress Shirts Shrink?
Dress shirts can shrink depending on their level of exposure to heat and how they are cleaned. Some shirts come pre-shrunk. This includes custom shirts that provide specific washing instructions on how to shrink a dress shirt to the desired dimensions, including button-ups and other styles.
Easy Tips to Keep Dress Shirts Looking Sharp
Whether you’re trying to look nifty at the office or planning for a golf outing with friends, dressing to impress won’t be so impressive if your clothes are dirty! Heed some of these easy tips so you can keep your favorite button-up shirts or polos clean so you look and feel the part:
- Sort by color and wash separately: You may feel tempted to wash your blue button-up with your white shirts of the same variety. Avoid that urge. Washing whites and other very light fabrics with darks can result in color bleeding, and you certainly don’t want any spottiness on your dress shirts! Additionally, you should wash dress shirts separately from other laundry items.
- Prepare the shirt: Unbutton any buttons on your button-up dress shirts or polos, including cuff and collar buttons. Be especially cautious with washable tuxedo shirts since there are extra buttons for cuff links. There may also be collar stays if you haven’t removed them already.
- Pretreat stains: Since most dress shirts are made of cotton or polyester, they can be especially susceptible to set-in stains if you do not treat them properly. For those reasons, you should pretreat any stains on dress shirts before washing and drying.
- Use the right detergent and laundry additive(s): Many dress shirt companies that pre-shink shirts may explicitly state not to wash dress shirts with chlorine bleach. If you’re debating using chlorine or non-chlorine (oxygen) bleach, follow the instructions on the fabric care label.
- Be delicate: You should wash button-up shirts and other dress shirts on a delicate cycle. A normal cycle will work fine for dress shirts made from heavy-duty fabrics. But since many dress shirts are made from fine or lightweight fabric, it’s better safe than sorry! Washing on a delicate cycle can help limit wear on the fibers over time.
- Remove shirts from the wash ASAP: You know what’s almost as frustrating as stained dress shirts? Wrinkled dress shirts. If you let your dress shirts sit in a crumpled heap in the washer, you give wrinkles the chance to dry into them. Don’t let that happen; promptly remove dress shirts from the washer and dry them according to the recommendation on the garment care label. It’s probably a good idea to wash your dress shirts when you know you’ll be home for the foreseeable future.
Following some of those basic guidelines can help extend the life of your button-ups, polos, and more.
How to Treat Stains on Dress Shirts
Picture this: you’re running late for work and, in a rush to grab your morning cup of “Joe,” accidentally spill coffee on your fresh button-up. Moments like that can be stressful, OxiClean™ Max Force™ Laundry Stain Remover Spray helps reduce that stress! Max Force™ Spray loosens even the toughest stains so they are easier to remove in the wash.
1. Check
Verify your dress shirt is machine washable before treating stains.
2. Spray
Shake before use. Spray directly onto the spot or stain until saturated.
3. Wait
Let stand for 5 minutes or up to a week, depending on the severity of the stain. For fabrics prone to color change, do not let the spray stand longer than 5 minutes.
4. Wash
Wash with detergent in the warmest water the fabric will accept.
Test Max Force™ Spray on an inconspicuous area prior to use. Do not use on wool, wool blends, silk, silk blends, leather, or fabrics labeled dry clean only.
Maybe it’s been a while since you washed your button-up shirts and have noticed some ketchup stains on the cuff. You might need to know how to clean a white shirt collar after discovering wine stains following a romantic evening with your partner. Max Force™ Spray is the laundry pretreatment tool you need!
Max Force™ Spray can help remove even the toughest and oldest set-in stains. And because you can wash up to seven days later, you can treat stains on your dress shirts immediately without worrying about whether it’s laundry day.
Worried about staining your dress shirts during a business trip? OxiClean™ has solutions for that, too! The Max Force ™ Laundry Stain Remover Gel Stick can help power out smaller stains (do not treat laundry items while wearing). Plus, Max Force™ Spray comes in a 2 Fl oz. travel-sized spray bottle you can bring with you so you can treat stains on dress shirts immediately and wash them away upon your return.
How to Wash Polos & Colored Dress Shirts
You don’t always need to take your button-up shirts to the dry cleaners! When you need to give your polos and colored dress shirts a quick wash, use the stain-fighting boost provided by OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover.
1. Check Items
Make sure your polo or dress shirts are machine washable.
2. Add
Add mild laundry detergent and Versatile Stain Remover (scoop to Line 1) to the drum before inserting dress shirts.
Test OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover on an inconspicuous area prior to use. Do not use on wool, wool blends, silk, silk blends, leather, or fabrics labeled dry clean only. Do not mix powder with detergent in the dispenser. Safe on washable and colorfast fabrics only.
OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover is chlorine-free and safe on all colors. It works in HE and standard washing machines and can help boost any type of laundry detergent. You can also use OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover Free, which does not contain any dyes or perfumes.
You can also use pre-soak laundry by creating a solution of VSR or VSR Free to help loosen stains before throwing them in the washing machine. Always refer to the packaging for directions and follow the recommended laundry instructions on the item’s care label.
How to Wash White Dress Shirts
White dress shirts can be a classic look for more formal occasions. Maybe white is your color of choice when it comes to your favorite tennis polo. Adding OxiClean™ White Revive™ Laundry Whitener & Stain Remover is the chlorine bleach alternative that can help brighten white dress shirts in the wash to help restore that clean-cut look!
1. Check Items
Make sure your white button-ups or polos are machine washable.
2. Add
Add laundry detergent and White Revive™ Powder (scoop to Line 2) to the drum before inserting dress shirts. If using White Revive™ Liquid, fill cap to bar B. Add with detergent in the drum in standard machines or add with detergent in the dispenser in HE machines.
Test OxiClean™ White Revive™ Laundry Whitener & Stain Remover on an inconspicuous area prior to use. Do not use on wool, wool blends, silk, silk blends, leather, or fabrics labeled dry clean only. Do not mix powder with detergent in the dispenser. Always follow manufacturer’s garment care instructions.
If the manufacturer’s garment care label for your custom button-ups or tuxedo shirts suggest laundering these items without chlorine bleach, see how OxiClean™ White Revive™ can help! OxiClean™ White Revive™ is oxygenated bleach and has 40 percent more whitening power than chlorine bleach per load.
Do you have more prominent stains on your white dress shirts? Fear not, you can also soak items in a mixture of White Revive™ and water to treat those stains so your shirts come out looking whiter—be sure to follow the instructions on the package.
Whether you need to wash white dress shirts, brighten sheets and towels, or clean washable white mesh or canvas sneakers, see why White Revive™ is the non-chlorine bleach solution you need in your laundry room.
How to Remove Sweat Stains & Odors from Dress Shirts
Since many dress shirts are made of cotton, you may find yourself needing to remove sweat stains and odors from those items. Cotton can absorb body moisture because it is a wicking fabric. While that helps you cool, it also necessitates a strong laundry solution that can help remove those sweat stains and odors from the fabric. That’s why you need OxiClean™ Odor Blasters™!
1. Check Items
Make sure your dress shirt or shirts are machine washable.
2. Fill
Use a full scoop of Odor Blasters™ Versatile Odor & Stain Remover powder or one capful of Odor Blasters™ Odor & Stain Remover Liquid Laundry Booster per gallon of water. Or submerge 1 Pak of Odor Blasters™ Paks in 1 gallon of water. Mix well and wait until the solution is dissolved.
3. Soak
Submerge dress shirt(s) for 6 hours. Especially pungent odors may require a longer soak.
4. Wash
As normal with detergent.
Test OxiClean™ Odor Blasters™ Versatile Odor & Stain Remover on an inconspicuous area prior to use. Do not use on wool, wool blends, silk, silk blends, leather, or fabrics labeled dry clean only. Do not mix powder or paks with detergent in the dispenser.
You might find stains and odors from sweat on your dress shirt in the morning after an all-night dance party at a wedding reception. Or, you now need to wash your work shirts after a long work commute on a steamy summer day. OxiClean™ Odor Blasters™ can help remove sweaty and musty odors so you’re ready to rock your dress shirts for the next occasion!
Do You Wash Dress Shirts in Cold or Hot Water?
You should generally use a cold-water wash cycle for darker dress shirts and polos to avoid color bleeding. White dress shirts can typically be washed in warm or hot water, but follow the guidance on the fabric care label.
Can You Put Dress Shirts in the Dryer?
When considering how to dry dress shirts, it’s essential to understand that while some dress shirts can go in the dryer, others may require air drying. For dress shirts that go in the dryer, use a cycle with low heat. If you do have to air dry your dress shirts, button all the buttons and place the shirt on a hanger or rack, giving it room to breathe from other laundry items.
Again, always follow the steps recommended by the garment’s care label.
How Often to Wash Dress Shirts
Much like jeans, you can usually wear dress shirts a few times over before washing, unless you have prominent stains or odors. However, if you’re wearing the same dress shirts frequently in hot or humid weather, you might consider washing every couple of uses.
Keep it Classy with OxiClean™!
You should want to look and feel your best whenever you’re dressing up. OxiClean™ can help you do just that! Trust in OxiClean™ stain solutions to help remove pesky stains and odors from your button-ups and polos so you can truly dress to impress.