In an ideal world, handwashing each time would be a wonderful way to prolong the life of a  graphic tee. But unfortunately, we don’t all have the time and energy. So the next best thing is to take precautions when getting ready to wash it in a washing machine. How? By remembering to turn it inside-out! Doing this will protect the tee from coming into close contact with other clothes, zippers and other hard abrasive materials which could damage the graphic print. Leave a sticky note on top of your washing machine to turn your tee inside out if you have to! You’ll thank us later. 

Sticking to the theme of washing machines, the hard work to preserve your graphic tees doesn’t stop with just turning it inside out. You also have to ensure that the conditions of the wash cycle are the best for your graphic tee to stay intact. We suggest making sure that you use a cold wash cycle, hot water speeds up the process of cracks appearing or even lifts the graphics completely from the tee! Also, take care about avoiding bleach - this can alter the print and lead to discolouration of any coloured fabrics too. 

So once you’re done with the washing machine, what are the next steps? Definitely not to reach for the dryer, we’ll tell you that much. That’s because the heat from the dryer can have a similar effect of speeding up the cracking process. Even the low tumble settings on a dryer will still cause cracking. Just step away from the dryer entirely and no graphic tees will be hurt. Instead, take some time to hang them up to dry on a clothesline or on a drying rack. 

Yes, it’ll take a little longer to dry but listen don’t shoot the messenger, you asked us how to prevent graphic tees from cracking, we’re simply delivering. On the plus side, there’s no need to worry about your tee shrinking. And you’ll save money on your electricity bills. Sounds like a win-win to us.