# how can I make silk-screened shirts last longer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 9, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-silk-screened-shirts-last-longer/549766 "2010-08-09T23:33:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-silk-screened-shirts-last-longer/549766/1 "2010-08-09T23:33:06Z")
I recently bought some nice shirts that have some large silk-screened logos on them. I’d like them to last for a while without fading or cracking, but I know that they usually last a few years at best before cracking or fading. Anything I can do? Wash by hand, maybe? Drip dry instead of machine dry? ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-silk-screened-shirts-last-longer/549766/2 "2010-08-09T23:43:59Z")
Have you tried washing inside out? ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-silk-screened-shirts-last-longer/549766/3 "2010-08-09T23:45:39Z")
Have you tried washing them inside… oh. Never mind then. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-silk-screened-shirts-last-longer/549766/4 "2010-08-09T23:46:59Z")
Yeah. Hasn’t seem to have done much. Maybe I just got some poorly-screen shirts? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-silk-screened-shirts-last-longer/549766/5 "2010-08-09T23:47:33Z")
If you handwash and hang dry, they’ll last virtually forever. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-silk-screened-shirts-last-longer/549766/6 "2010-08-09T23:49:21Z")
Maybe try washing them in a mesh lingerie bag? It also may help to use one of those detergents formulated for delicate clothing. If you’re washing the shirt because you’ve worn it, maybe sweated in it, but there are no obvious stains, gently hand-washing in one of the above-mentioned detergents then drying over a rack could help. IME, the fading is inevitable (after a time) but the cracking is usually a result of the dryer heat. So even if you _do_ machine wash, hang-drying could help. ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-silk-screened-shirts-last-longer/549766/7 "2010-08-10T00:22:18Z")
keep them out of the dryer. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-silk-screened-shirts-last-longer/549766/8 "2010-08-10T01:44:02Z")
Another vote for air-dry. I’ve been wearing and air-drying silkscreened shirts of various quality for over 20 years now and have never once had one print give up before the fabric or my tastes gave up. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-make-silk-screened-shirts-last-longer/549766/9 "2010-08-10T01:59:15Z")
Seems that the dryer is the culprit…