HOW TO CARE FOR EMBROIDERED GARMENTS

Whether they are handmade, or machine sewed, embroidered designs are a great way to stand out! They are perfect for personalized gifts, professional uniforms, or adding a colorful touch to your gear. But how do you care for embroidered clothing?

WASHING EMBROIDERED CLOTHES

Before we explain how to wash your embroidered garments, there’s something we should mention. The care instructions on your clothes’ tags typically only consider the fabric itself and not any Logos that have been added on to it, such as embroidery.

This likely means the instructions below will differ from what’s listed on the tag!

The hand-wash method:

While hand washing embroidered clothes would be optimal, it is unrealistic to assume most people have the time and energy required. Luckily, embroidery can also be machine washed with little to no damage on the stitch!

However, if you are willing to do some extra manual work, make sure you wash the clothes with a mild detergent using cold water. Also, importantly, do not wring out the embroidered design — it could damage the stitching.

The machine-wash method:

Not everyone has time to hand wash their clothes, so most people will probably opt for machine washing and that’s fine!

• When washing your embroidered garments in a washing machine, you want to use the coldest setting possible. Using cold water reduces shrinkage and fading, keeping your embroidered design like new.
• Avoid using harsh chemicals during the wash cycle too. A mild detergent is likely as much as you’ll need, but if you must use bleach, make sure it is non-chlorine bleach. Using chlorine bleach in any amount could stain or fade colorful designs.
• You’ll also want to run the “delicate” or “gentle” cycle. Your clothes won’t be agitated as much, which minimizes damage to your embroidered designs.

Once your clothes are finished washing, pull them out of the machine as soon as possible and move on to drying them.