Embroidery Care Instructions
Embroidered clothes and accessories feature elaborate stitches and can require special care when it comes to washing, in order to keep it looking new, year after year. We always recommend to follow the fabric care instructions on each item, but here are some other tips that might come in handy!
The most gentle option is to hand wash and allow the item to air dry, but we know not everyone has time for that. If you do choose to machine wash, we recommend the following:
- turn the item inside out to protect the embroidery.
- try to not wash the item with other clothing that might cause damage, such as zippers or buttons.
- choose a mild detergent.
- if possible, allow the item to air dry. This will prevent any shrinking that might occur.
- if the embroidery features bright colors, a gentle wash in cold water can reduce the chance of colors bleeding.
If you need to iron, avoid steam and do not place the iron directly onto the embroidered area. Instead, use a pressing cloth over the embroidery or iron on the reverse side.
These quick tips can take mere minutes and keep your custom embroidered items in pristine condition!
Heat Transfer (HTV) Care Instructions
Don't dry clean
You should never dry clean garments decorated with HTV. The dry cleaning process has a lot of chemicals and high temperatures that will damage your heat transfer vinyl.
Wash and dry inside out
This step is recommended for not only the intial wash, but also every wash / dry cycle after that. When washing and drying clothes, they rub against each other and can cause irritation or abrasion of the HTV. If you wash the garments inside out, there is an extra layer of protection between your vinyl and the other clothing in the laundry.
Choose cold or warm water for washing
When washing clothing decorated with HTV, you should never use temperatures that exceed 178 F. If the temperature of the water is too high, it can weaken the adhesive of the vinyl, causing it to peel or crack with time. We recommend washing in cold or warm water.
Use mild detergent
Any detergent that has special additives to "whiten", "fight stains", or "brighten colors" is going to be too harsh for your HTV. Also, “green” detergent is typically too corrosive for heat transfer vinyl.
Dry on low or hang dry
Hang dry is the best way to dry HTV decorated garments, but it is okay to tumble dry or use low heat. Just like with the washing process, you want to use minimal heat to protect your heat transfer vinyl. If you choose to hang dry your clothing, it will also help minimize wrinkles seen in the HTV after washing.
Don’t iron directly on it
Just like with washing and drying, ironing can be very high temperatures, so you want to avoid ironing the garment when possible. Ironing can cause the vinyl or adhesive to melt or burn. If you must iron the shirt, make sure you are using low heat and you have a cloth or towel between the iron and transfer.
No bleach or fabric softeners
Just like with detergent, fabric softeners and bleach can be very damaging to your HTV. NEVER use bleach or fabric softeners on your decorated garments, to ensure your transfer lasts.