Your band tees probably mean more to you than the rest of your wardrobe put together. A lot of them are getting harder to replace, and some are out of print for good. So it's worth knowing how to wash them without leaving the print cracked or peeling after a handful of washes.
Here's how to keep an officially licensed band t-shirt looking like the day you bought it. None of it takes longer than the way you wash everything else. It's just done slightly differently.
Why band tee prints fail in the wash
Most band shirts use a screen print or a plastisol-style print that sits on top of the fabric, rather than dye soaked into it. Heat softens that print and friction scuffs it. Put the two together on a hot, fast cycle and the design takes the damage long before the cotton does. Avoid the heat and the rubbing, and the print lasts for years.
The one habit that matters most: turn it inside out
If you only change one thing, change this. Turning the shirt inside out before it goes in the drum means the print rubs against the body of the shirt instead of zips, buttons and the side of the machine. It is the single biggest thing you can do, and it costs you about two seconds.
Wash cold, wash gentle
- Cold water, 30°C or lower. Cold protects the print and stops dark colours bleeding. Modern detergents work perfectly well cold.
- Gentle or delicates cycle. Less spinning means less friction against the print.
- Wash with similar colours. A black Metallica tee does not belong in with the white sheets.
- Skip the fabric softener. It builds up on prints and can leave them looking dull and patchy over time.
Keep it away from the tumble dryer
The dryer is where most band tees quietly die. High heat is exactly what cracks and lifts a print, and it shrinks the cotton at the same time. Hang the shirt to dry instead, inside out, out of direct sunlight so the colours don't fade. If you're in a real hurry, a low or no-heat air setting is the most you should risk.
If you have to iron it
Never put a hot iron straight onto the print. Turn the shirt inside out and press the back of the design, or lay a tea towel over the front and iron through that on a low setting. Steam from a distance is gentler still if your iron has the setting for it.
Storing them between wears
Folding is kinder than hanging for heavier prints. A shirt left on a wire hanger for months can stretch at the shoulders, and the print can crease where it folds over the bar. If you do hang them, use a wide wooden or padded hanger, and don't cram the wardrobe so tight that everything creases against everything else.
The quick version
- Turn it inside out, every time.
- Cold wash, gentle cycle, similar colours.
- No fabric softener.
- Air dry inside out, away from direct sun.
- Iron the back, or through a cloth, never the print.
- Fold heavier prints rather than hang them.
Look after them like this and a good band tee will outlast most things you own. And when you're ready to add to the collection, every official band t-shirt we stock is the real thing, properly licensed. The same care goes for our band hoodies and sweatshirts, and if a favourite shirt is past its best, a band patch is a good way to give it a second life on a jacket.
