In terms of fabrics and materials used in designing and making fashion items like shirts and dresses, polyester is arguably one of the most popular. If you don’t know what polyester is, it is a fabric or textile that is made from synthetic fibers or yarns that are more durable and more resistant to creases or wrinkles. In addition, polyester is also very lightweight, so you can layer polyester clothes easily without being bothered by their weight.
Besides being lightweight, durable, and wrinkle-resistant, polyester is also very easy to clean, although there are still people that don’t know how to clean polyester clothes properly. In this article, we will give you some useful tips on how to wash and dry polyester clothes, and after reading this, you will surely see how easy it really is to clean clothes made of synthetic fabric. Here are tips on how to wash polyester.
Always Read the Laundry Instruction Tab
Most of the time, shirts and other types of clothing would have a stitched tab that will tell you a lot of the things that you need to know about washing the clothes. For polyester clothes, the tabs would indicate how much polyester was used for the fashion item, as well as instructions on what kind of washing you have to do to clean it properly.
Some of the instructions you will find on polyester clothing include “warm iron” and “cold hand wash.” So, when buying polyester clothes, or even fashion items that are not made from polyester, you should always read the laundry instruction tab to know what to and what not to do when washing or cleaning them. For a how-to on wash care, check Fedy Apparel’s complete guides, which have helpful tips for washing dress shirts and black clothes.
Treat Stains Before Washing
Stains can be quite difficult to get rid of for different types of fabrics. Fortunately, cleaning stains on polyester clothes is easier compared to other fabrics, although you need to know what to use in order to effectively remove the stains while also protecting the appearance and the texture of the polyester.
What you need to have to treat the stains of polyester clothes is a stain remover, particularly the ones that are safe to use for synthetic fabrics. There are many kinds and brands of fabric stain remover that you can buy today, although we recommend that you read the label, instructions, and ingredients on the container of the product to ensure that the product is safe to use for polyester. Apply the stain remover and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing it with cold water.
Apply Detergent for Synthetic Fabric
Besides the stain remover, you should also carefully select which detergent to use for polyester clothes. Fortunately, looking for detergent suitable for synthetic fabric is relatively easy today, as there are so many to choose from.
If you are going to use detergent for hand wash, make sure that you use cold water, as hot water can sometimes damage the look and feel of the polyester fabric. The same rule will also apply to washing polyester clothes on a washing machine, so remember to always use cold water for polyester.
Use Oxygen Bleach
If you want to brighten white polyester clothes that you have worn for months and years, you should try using oxygen bleach after washing the clothes with detergent. Oxygen bleach is very different from the standard chlorine bleach since it is non-toxic and wouldn’t damage synthetic fabrics. However, keep in mind that oxygen bleach also works differently from chlorine bleach, as it is just a stain remover and brightener and doesn’t disinfect clothes or remove color.
While there are many people that apply bleach after hand washing or using a washing machine, there are also some that apply bleach before washing. If you are going to bleach the clothes before washing, you should mix warm water with oxygen bleach in a tub and soak the polyester clothes for about two hours.
Dry the Polyester Clothes Properly
After washing the polyester clothes, you should dry them properly no matter what method you use. If you have hand washed the clothes, it would be better if you could hang them on a sturdy drying rack and let them dry for the whole day under the sun. While other types of fabric would have colors that slowly fade when exposed to sunlight when drying, polyester doesn’t actually fade fast, so drying them under the sun is very safe. But keep in mind that red, orange and yellow are usually the colors that fade fast, even if they are applied on polyester.
If you are going to dry polyester clothes in a machine dryer, make sure that you are drying the clothes under the lowest setting to avoid damage to the fabrics. Once the clothes are dry, you don’t have to iron them since they can be wrinkle-resistant, although if there are wrinkles on them, you should try using a clothing steamer instead of an iron, which can be difficult to use on polyester.
So, these are some of the best tips and guidelines we can provide when it comes to washing clothes or fashion items that are made from polyester. While polyester is a fabric that is very durable, it is still essential for you to take care of them so that they can last longer and their looks will remain the same after dozens of uses.