How to wash and care for polo shirts and cotton clothes
Temperature, washing inside out, drying flat, ironing and collar care — simple rules that help polo shirts and cotton clothes keep their shape and colour for longer.
· 4 min read
A good polo shirt can last for years if you look after it properly. Most clothing problems — shrinking, faded colour, a curled collar or a stretched hem — come not from wearing but from the wrong washing and drying. Here are simple rules that help a polo, and any cotton garment, keep its shape and colour.
Read the label first
Every garment has a care label inside, and it always comes before any general advice. The main symbols are:
- A tub with a number: the maximum washing temperature, for example 30 or 40 °C. A tub with a hand means hand wash only.
- A crossed-out triangle: no bleach.
- A crossed-out square with a circle: do not tumble dry.
- An iron with dots: one dot is a low temperature (up to 110 °C), two is medium (up to 150 °C), three is high (up to 200 °C).
Check the composition too. A 100% cotton polo, such as this slim-fit style, and a knitted polo with viscose or acrylic react differently to water and heat.
Before you wash
- Sort by colour: wash whites, lights and darks separately. Wash new dark or bright items on their own for the first few times.
- Turn it inside out: the outer side rubs less, the colour lasts longer, and the embroidered logo and prints stay protected.
- Check pockets and stains: stains are easier to remove while they are fresh. Soak them in cold water and don't rub hard.
- Don't overload the machine: clothes need to move freely in the drum, otherwise they crease more and wash less well.
Temperature and cycle
For everyday washing, 30 °C is enough for most coloured cotton polos. White cotton can go in at 40 °C if the label allows. For viscose, blended and knitted items, choose a delicate cycle and a low spin.
- Use a detergent for colours on coloured clothes.
- Don't use too much detergent: the excess doesn't rinse out well and makes fabric stiff.
- Don't use chlorine bleach on coloured clothes.
Drying
Drying is the stage where a polo most often loses its shape.
- Avoid the tumble dryer: high heat can shrink cotton and make the collar curl.
- Straight after washing, shake the garment out and straighten the collar, the buttoned placket and the seams by hand.
- Dry it flat on a drying rack or a towel, or on a hanger with wide shoulders. Dry knitted polos only flat: when wet, they stretch on a hanger.
- Don't dry in direct sunlight or on a radiator: dark and bright colours fade quickly in the sun.
Ironing and the collar
A polo is easier to iron while slightly damp. Choose a medium temperature (two dots) for cotton, and a low one (one dot) for viscose and synthetic blends.
- Iron inside out or through a thin cloth so the fabric doesn't go shiny.
- Don't run the iron over the embroidered logo or prints — iron them from the inside.
- Iron the collar on the underside first, then on the top, from the tips towards the centre, so the tips don't curl.
- Don't press knitted polos with the iron: a light pass of steam is enough.
Knitted and blended polos
Knitted polos, like this knitted style, need gentler care. Wash them on a delicate cycle or by hand in cool water, don't wring or twist them — gently press the water out in a towel instead. Viscose is weaker when wet, so be especially careful with such items right after washing.
Storage
- Keep cotton polos on hangers with wide shoulders or neatly folded.
- Always store knitted polos folded: on a hanger their shoulders stretch over time.
- At the end of the season, wash clothes before putting them away, and don't overfill the wardrobe so nothing gets crushed.
The same rules work for children's cotton clothes too, which need washing even more often.
In short
- I have read the care label
- I have sorted the clothes by colour
- I have turned them inside out
- I wash at 30 °C or at the temperature on the label
- I dry flat or on a hanger, not in a tumble dryer
- I iron inside out and never over the logo
You can browse U.S. Polo Assn. polo shirts and the rest of the range in our online shop or in the U.S. Polo Assn. stores in Yerevan Mall, Dalma Garden Mall, MegaMall Armenia and Rio Mall (open daily 10:00–22:00). If you have any questions, call us on +374 95 356290.
