It’s happened to all of us at some
point. We order a custom logoembroidered polo shirt. It arrives and
it promptly goes in the wash. Excited,
you go to put it on only to find out that is has shrunk and it now too small
for you to wear comfortably.
Very frustrating, I know. I’ve been there.
So how can you mitigate that problem when
purchasing logo embroidered polos or button down shirts? The good news, there is a solution.
Shrink resistant fibers to the rescue.
This shrinkage problem has been one that
has happened to all of us. It has not
only frustrated shirt wearers, it has also frustrated shirt manufacturers. Shirt manufactures have been working on this
problem for years. They have realized it
is a problem and that the one who solves the problem stands to sell more
shirts.
For many years, customers would purchase a
whole size larger knowing the shirt would shrink down to a size that would fit
them. In fact, to this day, we get
customers asking us at Thread Logic if they need to do that with the logo embroidered polo shirt they want to buy.
Shrinkage happens most often with shirts
that are made of 100% cotton. Cotton is
a natural fiber that changes. Its shape
and consistency is always changing-often times based on how it is washed and
dried. That includes shrinking.
One solution to address this problem that
the manufactures have developed is to treat the cotton fibers that reduces
their pliability-it makes the fiber more stable.
In fact, nearly all of the cotton polo shirts on the market today have some of treatment to reduce the amount of shrinking.
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| Treated Cotton Polo Shirts |
Manufactures have figured out a way to
treat the cotton fibers before it is processed into a material that reduces
shrinkage. Different shirt makers call
it different things like prewashed, garment washed, preshrunk, etc. The good news is, these processes work to
reduce, but not eliminate shrinking.
It does not mean they won’t shrink at
all. Notice it doesn’t say shrink
proof-it is shrink resistant. There
still may be some shrinkage but it is significantly less than without the
treatment. With these treatments and
processes, shirt makers have eliminated the need to purchase a shirt that is a
size too big in order to account for it shrinking down to your size.
The other solution to address the shrink
problem is to purchase a shirt that is made partially or totally with
polyester. Polyester is a fiber that is
synthetic fiber and very stable. It does
not change based on how it is washed or cared for. Therefore it won’t shrink after washing.
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| Polyester Polo Shirts |
I know there are some people who are not
fans of polyester fabrics and shirts.
But the polyester golf shirts being produced today are much better than
in the 1980’s. They are soft and comfortable and make a great fabric for shirts
that won’t shrink.
So there you have it. Next time you are looking for a logo embroidered polo or button down shirt and you don’t want it to shrink, look for cotton shirt that has been preshrunk or a shirt that is made with some amount of polyester and you will be good to go.
