How to Wash Your Infigo T-Shirt
In our series "For Your Favorite One," we'll be introducing various topics related to Infigo items.
This time, we've considered the ideal way to wash T-shirts.
About Laundry Nets
◆ Purpose of Use
While Infigo T-shirts can be machine washed, we recommend using a laundry net.
The expected benefits of using a laundry net are as follows:
| Prevents stretching, damage, and fading | This prevents clothes from being damaged by rubbing against other garments and from stretching due to strong water currents, which also helps prevent fading and color transfer. |
| Prevents dirt and lint from adhering | Minimizes dirt caused by garments rubbing or tangling with each other. |
Infigo items feature very durable prints and use materials that are resistant to losing their shape. However, to keep them in good condition for as long as possible, using a laundry net is recommended.
◆ Types
Laundry nets are categorized by shape, size, and mesh fineness.
[Shape]
There are flat, rectangular nets, round nets shaped like a rugby ball, and cylindrical nets. You should choose the appropriate type depending on the item being washed and the quantity.
Rectangular nets are best for preventing loss of shape, as they allow less movement inside. Spherical or cylindrical nets, being three-dimensional, are often designed to hold more garments.
[Size]
As mentioned earlier, the primary goal is to prevent rubbing against other clothes, so it's best to put only one T-shirt per net. For a rectangular net, something around 30cm x 40cm should be suitable.
[Mesh]
The mesh size affects the outcome: coarse mesh allows better water flow and higher cleaning power, while fine mesh offers better protection against damage from washing and prevents lint from adhering.
◆ Considering Mesh Fineness
First, it's generally best to wash T-shirts inside out. This is because the inside directly touches your skin and tends to get dirtier than the outside. It also helps minimize damage to the fabric on the outside.
If you turn it inside out, the fineness of the laundry net's mesh won't matter much for the printed side. Therefore, to get it cleaner, a coarser mesh seems better.
However, if the outside is very dirty, you'd want to wash it without turning it inside out. In that case, a coarse net might not be ideal.
Also, the inside lining has many seams, increasing the chance of threads fraying, so it might release more lint when washed. Of course, lint from other clothes will also get in, and to avoid this, you'd need a fine mesh.
For now, the choice of mesh can be summarized as follows:
| Situation | Laundry Net Mesh | How to Put In | |
| Normal Wash | Prioritize preventing fraying | Fine mesh | Turn inside out and put in |
| Prioritize cleaning power | Coarse mesh | ||
| When the outside is very dirty | Fine mesh | Put in as is, without turning inside out | |
Exploring the Best Washing Method
Since it's impossible to know the difference without actually washing, we compared two types purchased from Daiso this time.
| A. Rectangular, fine mesh |
B. Cylindrical, coarse mesh
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A is the fine-mesh rectangular type that we recommend this time.
It's a flat, 29cm x 40cm size, labeled for "1-2 T-shirts."
It was sold as a set of two different sizes. The other size wasn't suitable for T-shirts.
Daiso also sells a standalone 35cm x 50cm rectangular net, but I avoided it because it was labeled for "about 3 T-shirts."
A 10cm difference makes quite a change, doesn't it?
B has a coarse mesh but is a cylindrical type made of cushion material. Despite its cylindrical shape, it's very small and labeled for "about 1 T-shirt."
Cushion material is said to absorb shock, which can reduce damage to the fabric to some extent, so it might balance cleaning power with damage prevention.
This time, we will wash two T-shirts simultaneously. To test lint adhesion, we decided to wash them with a bath towel.
For A, I'll fold it and put it in without turning it inside out.
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These items will be washed together with a bath towel on a "gentle cycle."
This washing machine is a top-loader, but it should be fine with a front-loader as well. Please check when purchasing a laundry net, just in case.
And here's the condition immediately after washing:
| A | B |
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About A
It remained in the same condition after washing. Since it was folded when put in, there were few wrinkles from the start.
I chose a black background to make lint easier to see, so it's hard to tell about stain removal, but I think it was washed thoroughly. There seems to be no damage to the print area.
Regarding lint, there was some adhesion. Even with a very fine mesh, it can still get through.
About B
Since it was rolled up and put in, it was crumpled. It had some wrinkles.
It's hard to see in the image, but there was a lot of lint. I'd say at least four times more than A. However, this also means that water flowed through well, so it likely had better cleaning power.
I thoroughly checked both, but there was no sign of fraying. Overall, I thought they were well washed.
Summary
The effects of the two types of laundry nets chosen this time were generally as expected.
Therefore, they can be summarized as follows:
| If you want to increase cleaning power |
| It is best to use a coarse-mesh laundry net made of cushion material. Always turn the T-shirt inside out to protect the printed side. Avoid washing with items like towels, as lint removal may be necessary. |
| If you prioritize preventing loss of shape |
| A rectangular laundry net is the only choice. Fold the item neatly to avoid wrinkles. If the surface is dirty, do not turn it inside out. Choose a fine-mesh net in case you wash it without turning it inside out. |
By the way, if the size allows, you can put two T-shirts in each net, regardless of the net type, if you turn them inside out.
If you're only going to buy one type of laundry net for printed T-shirts, choose a fine-mesh rectangular one that's about 40cm long, as you might sometimes wash it with the surface facing outwards.
Wishing you colorful days with the best washing methods.