In the past I’ve only purchased your basic, cheap cotton T shirts; undershirts, if you will (and even if you won’t).
After what seems like a couple of washings, they look like crap - not-so-white with lots of pilling.
I know nothing of fabrics. Should I look for some specific blend other than 100% cotton that would keep my whites white and fresh looking? Maybe a specific brand?
Does anyone have any knowledge or experience in this area?
thanks!
mmm
I’d blame the laundry process first. Do you have enough of them that you can wash all your PWTs together with nothing else, and add a bit of bleach to the washer?
What do you wash them with? If you’re washing them with your jeans you’re basically “sandpapering” them. If you wash with other cotton shirts, you might avoid the pilling longer.
What brand are you buying?
I’ve got a bunch of Old Navy ones that I only was with whites and they’re great. I love how they started printing the labels on the fabric itself a few years ago and got rid of tags.
I don’t know if they still make them, but the best Ts I ever owned were Hanes Beefy Tees. Thicker than average and really held their colour (I usually bought coloured ones).
I’ll give a shout-out to the ones from Duluth, then. Well-made, good thick fabric, no tags, colorfast. The long-tail cut is nice, too. Now, these are meant to be worn as visible shirts - OP, are you specifically talking about undershirts that are worn under something else?
You can use a gentler wash cycle and be more careful about what you put into the load with your undershirts, but cheap cotton goes to crap more quickly than expensive cotton. I’m a chick so I don’t really know how mens’ clothing shops are laid out, but women generally have a camisole (tank top/undershirt) section. They cost around $15 each in a nicer shop, but they last for years (and come in plenty more interesting colors than white). Is there not an undershirt section in guys’ clothing stores?
I had not thought of the laundry process contributing to the problem. Once I get a new batch I’ll try washing just the Ts together.
The shirts I need are not meant to be seen, other than the collar. And actually, it seems only the collar gets pilly.
(Pilly? Yeah, pilly)
As for brand, they are Hanes.
Are all white Ts 100% cotton? I thought perhaps some magical blend would decrease pilling; maybe I’m wrong.
ETA: How do you differentiate good cotton from cheap cotton? Price alone?
mmm
White T-shirts, socks and underwear are ‘painted’ white to look good at point of sale. Eventually the paint wears off and the natural cotton color shows.
Wiki How hints: http://www.ehow.com/how_5042411_whiten-underwear.html
IME, the crewneck on men’s undershirts often gets pilly from the short, sharp hairs on the front of the neck, the ones you guys mostly shave off every day.
Loss of whiteness as quickly as one or two washes is probably from improper sorting of washloads. Wash whites with whites, and use some bleach at least occasionally.
FYI: looks like the beefy ts are on sale today: http://www.hanes.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category__11652__11502_34057_34057