How to wash dress shirts

To prepare the shirt, first unbutton all the buttons including the cuffs and collar. If the shirt has a collar stay, remove it and set it aside. Next, pre-treat any stains with detergent or a stain removal pen.

You can pretreat by putting a small amount of liquid dishwashing detergent or specialized pretreatment solution on the stain and allowing it to sit for about ten minutes. Rinse the dishwashing detergent completely before moving on to the next step. 

Select Whirlpool^® washing machines also feature a built-in Pretreat Station where you can soak, scrub and wash all in one spot.

You should refer to the garment’s care tag to help you select the correct wash cycle. If no care label is available, use the permanent press cycle for dress shirts. If the shirt is made from a heavier fabric use the permanent press or normal cycle.

The next step is to choose a water temperature. Use the warmest temperature setting allowed per the shirt’s care label. Depending on the fabric, white and lightly colored dress shirts may be able to be washed in warmer water. To help prevent fading in dark colored dress shirts, you’ll usually want to use cold water.

Use a high-quality detergent to wash your dress shirts, being careful to ensure that the detergent does not include chlorine. Follow the dosing guide on the detergent’s packaging to avoid using too much or too little. The Precision Pour Cap and ultra-concentrated formula of Swash^® Laundry Detergent¹ delivers the results you want in a compact, intelligent bottle design.

Wash the shirts in the washing machine using the appropriate cycle and settings. Allow the spin cycle to wring the excess water from the shirts.

When the cycle ends, the shirts may be wrinkled from the wash and spin cycles. Remove the shirts from the washing machine as soon as the cycle ends and gently shake them out to help avoid setting in the wrinkles.

First, check your garment’s care tag and follow the instructions for drying. It is usually best to air dry dress shirts to help them keep their shape. They can be hung on hangers or laid out on a flat surface. Avoid sharp hangers or tight clothespins, which can cause damage to shirts or cause the fabric to stretch and pucker. 

If you need or want to use the dryer, avoid high heat or overdrying the shirts. Many dress shirts will call for a delicate or low temp cycle but, as usual, refer to your garment’s care tag first. Use the dryer to remove most of the moisture from the shirts and then allow them to air dry.

When the shirts are mostly dry, you can iron them. Ironing shirts before putting them in the closet helps to ensure that deeper wrinkles aren’t set-in and that they are ready for their next wear. Ensure the fabric can be ironed by referring to the care tag.

To begin, read your garment’s care tag to see if there are specific instructions for hand washing.

Next, fill a small tub or sink with water of the correct temperature as indicated on the care tag. If the care tag does not specify a water temperature, cool or slightly warm water should be safe for most fabrics. Add about a teaspoon of high quality detergent to the water.

Submerge the dress shirts in the soapy water. Move them around gently back and forth in the water. Do not scrub or twist them to avoid damaging the fabric. Continue moving the shirts through the water, allowing them to soak for at least five minutes.

Remove the shirts from the tub or sink and drain the water. Refill the tub with clean water to rinse. Place the shirts back in the clean water and push them up and down until all of the soap is removed. You can also rinse them with clean water directly from the faucet if necessary or if you can still see soap on them.

Wringing out delicate fabrics may cause damage, but when hand washing you don’t have the benefit of the spin cycle. To remove excess water, carefully lift the clothes with both hands and squeeze out as much water as possible. Next, you can lay the clothing flat on an absorbent towel, and roll the towel and garment together until the water is absorbed.

Air dry your dress shirts by hanging them on a hanger or laying them flat. Avoid sharp hangers or tight clothespins that might damage or cause puckering in the fabric.

Once your dress shirts are mostly dry you can iron them. If you iron them before putting them in the closet, you can remove any wrinkles that might otherwise set in.