BODEN - Care instructions

CARE INSTRUCTIONS

All our shirts are 100% Egyptian cotton, except for villelas, which have a small percentage of wool. Natural fibres are essential for a quality shirt, but they require more care than a polyester blend (polyester is basically plastic, which is very hard to destroy). We have tried to simplify the care of the shirt and so that it doesn’t require a lot of time and can be carried out on a daily basis. That’s why you don’t have to dedicate more time, except ironing the shirt given the nature of the fibre.

Our recommendations are the following:

1. If machine washed, always wash the shirts with COLD WATER. Never use warm or hot water programmes. The cold-water programme is at about 30°C, warm water 40-45°C and hot water 60°C. If a shirt is washed using a warm or hot-water programme the shirt is not only going to shrink, but it will also wear more. If the shirt is hand-washed, use warm water at a maximum 30°C, i.e., lukewarm water. In general, shirts do not have to be hand-washed; you may machine wash, but always using cold water.

2. If hand-washed, NEVER SCRUB cuffs and collar, nor fabric. By scrubbing the shirt you are "filing" the fabric down, wearing it very quickly. If it’s difficult to remove dirt from the collar and cuffs, use some sort of pre-wash product which doesn’t have corrosive substances. These products are usually sprays or roll-ons which are applied before washing the shirt; left it for a few minutes to soak and then wash as normal. This should do the trick.

3. NEVER USE WHITENERS NOR BLEACH, not even for white shirts. White fabric gets dirtier than other fabrics, particularly due to air pollution, and in some homes white shirts get the same treatment as other white linen, towels or sheets. You should never wash a white shirt like this, never use bleach or whiteners.

4. NEVER USE TUMBLE DRYERS. Dryers considerably affect the life of a shirt and shrink the garment; a dryer has a similar effect to hot water. Shirts should be dried naturally. During the summer be careful not to leave it out too long drying.

5. IRON COLLARS AND CUFFS ON THE INSIDE. If collars and cuffs are ironed on the right side the fabric will become shiny and the edges will be scratched with the iron, wearing the fabric. It’s normal to see worn collars and think that it’s just natural wear, but it’s because the collar has been ironed on the wrong side, or too hard.

6. It is also important to NOT BEND THE CUFFS (either simple or double) on the side. This is because normally the sleeve and cuff are ironed at the same time and in the same manner. When ironing the sleeve you should not iron the cuff; it should be done separately, ironing the cuff inside out without a crease or fold.

7. To iron cotton properly you MUST DAMPEN THE FABRIC, the steam of the iron is not enough. The ideal would be to iron the shirt while it’s still damp. This advice does not extend the life of a shirt, but it will look much better. But be cautious not to soak the shirt because if the fabric is too wet it can get scorched.

8. Take care with bar or roll-on deodorant. Many deodorants impregnate the fabric before drying on the skin, and they can fade the fabric leaving ugly stains. If this occurs, change brands and preferably use a spray deodorant.

The life of a shirt depends on how often it is washed and used, and under these conditions it should last at least 50 washes. And we like to make sure that this is true to our shirts. So remember: COLD WATER, NO DRYER, NO BLEACH, NEVER SCRUB, IRON COLLARS OR CUFFS ON THE INSIDE, DO NOT IRON CREASES INTO CUFFS AND BE CAREFUL WITH DEODORANT YOU USE. There are more sophisticated cares to a shirt, but with these simple rules you can keep your shirts in good condition for a long time.