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How To WASH A JERSEY 101


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I'm always amazed at how scared folks are to wash these things or do anything with them. You do realized they are constructed to play hockey in at the highest level with a lot of hitting/bumping ect ect. They get washed after every single game. Spot clean the thing, turn it inside out and throw it in the washer and air dry. If you'r flimsy tshirts don't fall apart in your washing machine then this will be just fine.

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I've found the Hawks crests to be very durable and forgiving in the wash. I couldn't even count how many times I've washed my first one from the early 90s and it's still in good shape. Like previously said, spot treat, wash cold, hang dry. Repeat if needed.

Yes, the gamers I have the crests still are new looking after many games of use and many washes.

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I'm always amazed at how scared folks are to wash these things or do anything with them. You do realized they are constructed to play hockey in at the highest level with a lot of hitting/bumping ect ect. They get washed after every single game. Spot clean the thing, turn it inside out and throw it in the washer and air dry. If you'r flimsy tshirts don't fall apart in your washing machine then this will be just fine.

Yes, but, I think the fear stems more from the fact that we want to keep these jerseys in prestine condition.

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Then do not ware them ,problem solved

I understand the whole being a little caustious of washing the felt numbers but as was said teams wash them all the time

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The concept of owning and wearing clothing without washing them is just ridiculous. Nobody would do that with their regular clothes.

Especially after going to a game, arenas are dirty, sticky, gross places. As evidenced by the stains on the OP's jersey from just one game.

Anything I wear to a game goes in the wash shortly after returning home.

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Yes, but, I think the fear stems more from the fact that we want to keep these jerseys in prestine condition.

Then don't wear them. Once you put them on they are no longer pristine...and honestly not knowing the history of where it's been or came from (even new) they are probably not very pristine and need to be washed after purchase. I have jerseys that I have washed numerous times and jerseys that have never been worn and other than the unworn jersey being a bit stiffer you cannot tell any difference.

And seriously, go look at some gamers out there, especially from minor league teams that only get one home & away set and after a full season with washing after every game they still look fantastic (if you take away the board burns and minor tears). You are not going to hurt the thing washing it unless you dump a pile of bleach in there with it.

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Then don't wear them. Once you put them on they are no longer pristine...and honestly not knowing the history of where it's been or came from (even new) they are probably not very pristine and need to be washed after purchase. I have jerseys that I have washed numerous times and jerseys that have never been worn and other than the unworn jersey being a bit stiffer you cannot tell any difference.

And seriously, go look at some gamers out there, especially from minor league teams that only get one home & away set and after a full season with washing after every game they still look fantastic (if you take away the board burns and minor tears). You are not going to hurt the thing washing it unless you dump a pile of bleach in there with it.

I don't collect gamers so maybe its just less of a concern to me. If you don't want to wash away evidence of game use, I understand that, but then you shouldn't be wearing it, especially not to a game.

And I totally agree, the first thing I do when I get a jersey in is wash it. Unless I send it immediately to the customizer, in which case, I wash it as soon as it gets back, because i don't know whose gross hands have been all over it during the customization process either.

Also, I wash my jerseys before selling them. So if you have bought my jerseys, they don't come with my stink on them. You're welcome.

I've explained it before, but as a refresher, here's how I do it.

My process is simple. Washing machine on gentle cycle, cold water, lowest spin setting available. I use fragrance free detergent (which I use for all clothes because my wife and daughter have allergies to the other stuff, so that's all I buy. This is not a necessary part of the process, but it does leave your jersey smelling like jersey instead of soap, which I prefer), and I use the front loader "quick wash" cycle (also for all clothes as well). I wash them inside out unless there is a spot on the outside, in which case I wash them right side out. In a front loading machine, its kind of irrelevant because its not going to damage the jersey to do it right side out. But I do it anyway. I pretreat any spots with a little bit of Dawn liquid dish soap on the tip of my finger (again, I use this method on all clothes. Sensing a theme?) Using the lowest spin setting helps to prevent the jersey from getting wrinkled by the force of the spin (you know how you'd find clothes balled up and smashed to the side of the washer?). They don't absorb much water since they are synthetic fiber, so high spin to force the water out isn't needed.

When it comes out, that's the time to press the crest or numbers if they are wrinkly. 99.9999% of the time they are not, and if they are, its from wearing/storage, not from the washing machine. Take the jersey right from the washing machine, put it on the ironing board, cover with a cotton towel, and use an iron with high heat and steam to press it flat. Doing it while the jersey is wet makes it easier, I believe because it creates additional steam. That may not be accurate, but it works whatever it is. This is also the recommended method for pressing dress shirts, although the iron doesn't dry them, so you'd have to let them dry until they are just slightly damp, then press.

Then, I hang the jersey on a sturdy hanger to dry. I also do this with all of my clothes, because the dryer is what limits your clothing's life. Make sure the hanger is in the correct spot, the shoulders are set correctly, and then walk away. I do my laundry at night, usually by like 9 pm, and the jersey is dry by the following morning, 8-10 hours later.

Take it, put it back in your closet, and wear it proudly next time you are ready.

As you can see, almost all of the techniques I use for washing jerseys are the same as I use for washing clothes. Because jerseys are clothes.

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  • 1 month later...

I've dry-cleaned EVERY type of jersey (ultrafil, airknit, 1.0, 2.0) and never had a problem, even though the tags specify not to dry-clean. Just drop it off for $6 and it will look new again.

Good to know. Is that the same for indo edge jerseys too?

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Good to know. Is that the same for indo edge jerseys too?

I've never had an Indo jersey that I had to clean by the time I thankfully got rid of it. Sorry.

But I don't see why it wouldn't be alright.

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  • 4 months later...

Washing jerseys correctly is the best way to keep them looking great for years. You purchase the jersey to support your team. You want to wear them and get your moneys' worth out of them. However, you may also choose to sell them later, especially to those who avidly collect authentic sports jerseys.

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  • 2 months later...

Thoughts on washing multiple jerseys of varying colors and materials at the same time? Thinking of running multiple white/blue/red all at once, some ultrafil, some airknit, some Edge. Obviously cold, gentle cycle, hang dry, etc. Maybe some oxyclean to spot treat some stains.

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8 hours ago, CJ Matthews said:

Thoughts on washing multiple jerseys of varying colors and materials at the same time? Thinking of running multiple white/blue/red all at once, some ultrafil, some airknit, some Edge. Obviously cold, gentle cycle, hang dry, etc. Maybe some oxyclean to spot treat some stains.

I wash my Red Devils jerseys separately, just because typical laundry rules say you should do this. But I've never had one run, and truth be told, I think the twill letters/numbers would be more likely to run. 

I've never had that happen either. 

I do wash no more than three at a time, and always on cold, low spin. That's more to avoid excessive wrinkling, though. 

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Back in the day when I lived in a house and we had our own machines I wouldn't have an issue but now that I live in a building and I have to pay per wash I'd prefer not to do them individually, but I worry.

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6 minutes ago, CJ Matthews said:

Back in the day when I lived in a house and we had our own machines I wouldn't have an issue but now that I live in a building and I have to pay per wash I'd prefer not to do them individually, but I worry.

Ahh, that would be a concern. I'll reiterate, I have never had any jersey or customization on any jersey run onto itself or anything else in the machine. 

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I've washed an orange, black, and a white jersey all at the same time with no ill effects. I used one of those "color grabber" things but I probably didn't even need to as it didn't pick anything up.

Inside-out, cold water, a small amount of detergent, delicate cycle and I believe you'll be fine. If acetone doesn't cause the color to run on these polyester jerseys I doubt a little water and detergent will. 

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4 minutes ago, Legend in my spare time said:

If acetone doesn't cause the color to run on these polyester jerseys I doubt a little water and detergent will. 

That may be the best logic yet. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Have a couple gamers that have been in a smoke-filled house for 10ish years which I just moved them out of. Do you guys know if any yellowing around the collar would be from the smoke or just normal wear/sweat?

 

If it is smoke, how do I get it out? And if the answer is "wash it normally", what should I do with the team sticker/hologram?

 

 Thanks. 

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On 10/14/2016 at 7:53 PM, CJ Matthews said:

It's always nice to get some reassurance. Planning on throwing in an old 90s white Rangers CCM, a blue ultrafil USA, and a red Edge 1.0 09 ASG jersey, for starters.

Did ya do it? Were the results as expected??

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  • 1 month later...

Does anyone know what the teams use to get puck marks and other stains out of jerseys?  I've been trying to figure it out for about a year with zero results.  I'm sure it's something easy like Shout.

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Do they do that? I thought the whole game worn market was kind of built on photomatching to those things because they DON'T come out?

Edited by mfitz804
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I don't know, but goalie jerseys always seem to be pearly white when they take the ice.  Honestly I don't ever recall seeing an away jersey during warm ups that had puck marks on them.

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