Short answer: wash dress shirts at 40 °C with the collar and cuffs pre-treated by hand, hang them straight from the drum on a hanger and iron them damp. Collar rings are body oil and need a degreaser, not more detergent. Yellow underarms are aluminium from antiperspirant bonded to protein and need an acid, not bleach, which makes them darker. A suit is never washed: it is brushed, aired, steamed and dry cleaned two or three times a year.
The three shirt problems
| Problem | What it actually is | What works | What makes it worse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grey ring on the collar | Sebum from the hairline, mixed with dust | Washing-up liquid or a solid stain bar worked in with a soft brush, 10 minutes before the wash | More detergent in the drum. It never reaches a folded collar |
| Yellow stiff underarms | Aluminium salts from antiperspirant bonded with sweat protein | White vinegar or citric acid soak, then an enzyme wash | Chlorine bleach. It reacts with the protein and turns it brown |
| Limp collar and cuffs | The interlining has relaxed, or starch has washed out | Iron damp, inside first then outside, and use spray starch on the collar only | Hot tumble drying, which is what breaks fused interlining |
The shirt method
- Unbutton everything, including the collar and the cuffs, and take out the collar stays. Stays left in bend permanently and punch through the fabric.
- Pre-treat the collar and cuffs by hand. A drop of washing-up liquid, a soft toothbrush, work it along the fold, leave it ten minutes. This step is the difference between a shirt lasting two years and five.
- Treat the underarms separately if they are yellowing. 100 ml of white vinegar in a litre of warm water, 30 minutes, then wash. Never on the same day as bleach.
- Wash at 40 °C, on a normal cycle with a full load of shirts and nothing heavy in with them. Cotton shirts need the temperature; 20 °C leaves sebum behind and the collar greys over a season.
- One pod, no fabric softener. Softener on poplin kills the crispness and makes the collar droop.
- Spin at 800 rpm, not 1400. High spin presses creases into cotton that an iron then has to fight.
- Hang on a hanger straight out of the drum, buttoned at the top, and pull the collar and the placket straight with your fingers. Twenty seconds here saves five minutes of ironing.
- Iron while still slightly damp, or spray them back to damp. Order: collar inside, collar outside, cuffs, sleeves, yoke, then the body. See getting wrinkles out without an iron for the alternatives.
- Hang them with space between. Shirts crushed in a wardrobe crease again overnight.
By shirt fabric
| Fabric | Wash | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton poplin | 40 °C, 800 rpm | The standard. Takes heat well, irons beautifully damp |
| Oxford cloth | 40 °C | Heavier, forgiving, needs a hotter iron |
| Twill | 40 °C | Resists creasing, so you can get away with less ironing |
| Non-iron cotton | 40 °C, low spin | The finish is resin-based. Hot drying degrades it, and it cannot be restored |
| Linen shirt | 30 to 40 °C | Iron very damp or not at all. See washing linen |
| Silk or silk-blend shirt | Cold hand wash | Three minutes, no wringing, dry flat, iron on the reverse |
| Dress shirt with a pique bib | 40 °C in a mesh bag | Never starch the bib. It cracks |
The suit, which you do not wash
A suit jacket holds its shape because an interlining, a lining and the outer cloth were assembled under tension. Water releases all three at different rates, and nothing puts them back. The same is true of lined trousers. So the entire discipline with tailoring is keeping it clean without cleaning it.
- Brush it after every wear. A clothes brush, downwards, shoulders to hem. Dust is abrasive and it is what wears wool thin at the shoulders.
- Air it for a few hours before it goes back in the wardrobe. On a broad wooden hanger, not a wire one, not inside a plastic bag.
- Rest it 24 hours between wears, and rotate two suits if you wear one daily. Wool recovers from creasing on its own, given time and air.
- Steam, do not iron. A hand steamer or ten minutes in a bathroom with a hot shower running releases creases without flattening the nap. An iron directly on worsted wool makes a permanent shine.
- Spot-treat the same day. Blot, never rub, with a barely damp white cloth from the outside of the mark inwards.
- Dry clean two or three times a year, and before storing it for a season. Cleaning is mildly abrasive, so more often shortens its life; less often means storing body oil, which is what moths come for.
- Empty the pockets before hanging it. A phone in a breast pocket deforms the chest panel within weeks.
- Have the trousers pressed rather than cleaned between dry cleans. Most cleaners will press alone for very little.
Ties, knitwear and the rest of it
- Ties are never washed and rarely dry cleaned. Untie them properly, hang or roll them, and blot spills immediately. A stained silk tie is usually finished, which is an argument for cheaper ties.
- Waistcoats follow the jacket, not the shirt. Dry clean with the suit so the colours age together.
- Fine merino jumpers worn under a jacket wash by hand, cold, flat-dried. The guide is in washing wool and cashmere.
- Wool trousers that are unlined and flat-fronted can be hand washed cold and dried flat, then pressed under a damp cloth. Lined or pleated ones go to the cleaner.
- Dinner jackets and anything with grosgrain or satin facings always go to the cleaner. Water marks silk facings instantly.
Common problems
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| White shirts gone grey overall | Washing too cold with sebum in the fabric | 40 °C and pre-treat the collar. Recovery guide in how to wash white clothes |
| Underarms yellow and getting darker | Someone used chlorine bleach on them | Vinegar or citric acid soak, repeated. Bleach reacts with the protein, it does not remove it |
| Collar fold frayed before the rest of the shirt | Normal wear plus starch at the fold | Starch the collar lightly or not at all. A tailor can reverse some collars |
| Shirt shrank at the neck | Hot wash or hot dryer on cotton | Permanent. Wash at 40 °C and air dry on a hanger |
| Buttons cracking | Plastic buttons in a hot dryer, or an iron run over them | Replace with mother of pearl, and iron around them |
| Shiny patches on suit trousers | Wool fibres flattened by an iron or by sitting | Steam and brush against the nap. Partial recovery; a tailor's press does better |
| Suit shoulders have dimples | A narrow or wire hanger | Broad shaped hanger. The dimples steam out if caught early |
| Suit smells of the last restaurant | Smoke and cooking oil in the wool | Air it 24 hours uncovered. Far more effective than a dry clean for odour |
Frequently asked questions
What temperature should you wash dress shirts at?
40 °C for cotton. Washing shirts cold is the main reason white collars go grey: body oil needs some warmth to lift, and no amount of extra detergent compensates. Keep the spin at around 800 rpm so you are not ironing out creases the machine put in.
How do you get collar rings out of shirts?
Work a drop of washing-up liquid into the collar fold with a soft toothbrush, leave it ten minutes, then wash at 40 °C. The ring is sebum, which is a grease problem, and a degreaser removes it where detergent in the drum never properly reaches a folded collar.
How do you remove yellow underarm stains?
Soak the area in 100 ml of white vinegar to a litre of warm water for 30 minutes, then wash with an enzyme detergent. The yellowing is aluminium from antiperspirant bonded to sweat protein, so it needs an acid. Chlorine bleach reacts with the protein and makes the stain browner.
Can you wash a suit at home?
No. The jacket's shape comes from an interlining, a lining and the outer cloth assembled under tension, and water releases all three unevenly. Brush it after wear, air it before storing, steam out creases and have it dry cleaned two or three times a year.
How often should you dry clean a suit?
Two or three times a year with regular wear, plus once before putting it away for a season. Dry cleaning is slightly abrasive so more often wears the cloth, but leaving body oil in wool over months is what attracts moths.
Should you use fabric softener on dress shirts?
No. Softener coats cotton, which softens the hand of poplin and makes collars and cuffs droop. If shirts feel harsh out of the wash, the cause is usually hard water rather than a lack of softener.
Should you iron shirts damp or dry?
Damp. Iron them while still slightly wet from the wash, or spray them back to damp. The steam does the work of flattening the fibre, and a dry shirt needs far more heat and pressure for a worse result.
How do you stop a suit smelling without cleaning it?
Hang it uncovered somewhere with moving air for 24 hours after a long wear. Odour compounds are volatile and leave on their own given airflow; a dry clean removes oil but is surprisingly poor at smell. Never store a suit in the plastic bag from the cleaner.
