Admit it, we all probably have that one button-down shirt that serves as our go-to outfit for any occasion. This should come as no surprise since the button down is a quintessential closet staple for everyone because it fits any event or occasion. Whether you’re just going to work or you have a party ahead, you can never go wrong with your favorite button-down shirt.
Because of this, it is important that you take proper care of your shirts so that they stay fresh and crisp. To help you, we have come up with a guide on how to wash button-down shirts to keep them looking perfect.
Washing Button-Down Shirts: An Easy 4-Step Guide
Prepare Your Clothes
Before washing your button-down shirts, remember to undo all buttons, including the button cuffs and the collar buttons. Unbuttoning your shirts before washing reduces stretching, protects your buttons by preventing the weakening of the stitches that keep it in place, and ensures a better and more thorough cleaning in these areas of your button-down shirt.
Pre-Treat Any Stains
If there are food, drink, or sweat stains on your button-down shirt, immediately let warm water run through the stained area of your shirt. Then try and blot the stain with a damp white cloth to remove as much of the stain as possible. After doing so, pre-treat your button-down shirt with a mixture of cold water and stain remover. Soak it in the mixture for at least 30 minutes before continuing.
Wash Your Shirt
After pre-treating the stains, you can now proceed with washing your button-down shirt. Use cold water and add in your regular detergent, then put your washing machine’s setting to the delicate cycle. Using cold water prevents shrinking and discoloration. If you want, you can also add in a whitening booster or an enzyme cleaner to prevent pit stains.
Air Drying
Once the washing machine finishes its cycle, take out your button-down shirts, squeeze them to drain out all the water you can, transfer them to a hanger and let them air dry. We highly recommend that you skip using your machine dryers if you can. Doing this will most likely extend the life of your shirt and slow down fading and wear. Most quick-dry button down shirts usually take two to four hours to air dry on a warm day.
How to Iron a Button Down Shirt
Now that your button-down shirt is clean and dry, there’s still one thing you need to do before it becomes ready for you to wear again: ironing. Ironing your shirt removes any wrinkles in your clothes and gives it a crisper look. Before ironing, make sure that there are no more stains on your button-down shirt because the heat can set the stain and make it impossible to remove.
The first step for how to iron a button-down shirt is to check the shirt’s label to know the appropriate temperature setting of your iron. Cotton shirts can usually withstand higher temperature settings while synthetic fibers are usually ironed with lower temperature settings. Before proceeding, you might want to dampen your shirt a bit by using a spray bottle for better results.
When ironing, start with the collar and lay it flat on one side, then start ironing. Then, flip to the other side and repeat. Once you’re done with the collar, you can proceed to ironing both sides of the cuffs but be careful not to iron over the buttons. When done, go on and start ironing the front of the shirt. Again, be careful not to iron over the buttons. Move the iron from the shoulder part all the way down to the bottom. Then, flip the shirt and do the same with the back side. Lastly, head over to the sleeves and make sure that they lay flat on the ironing board, and then proceed to ironing them from top to bottom. When you’re done ironing your button-down shirt, get a hanger and store them properly by hanging them in your closet.
Keeping your button-down shirt clean and fresh is easy. However, if there are stubborn stains that you cannot remove, you should seek the help of laundry professionals to make sure that your favorite button-down shirt is taken care of and restored to perfect condition without damage. Visit us at Kelly’s Dry Cleaners if you need professional laundry services in Durango, CO!
