How to Wash a Sports Jersey

Most sports enthusiasts take great pleasure in collecting and maintaining sports jerseys. With a collection of clean jerseys, you can frame them at home, store them away, or wear one on the field. However, your sports jersey might get dirty, muddy, sweaty, or bloody after a day on the field. The best way to clean a jersey is by washing them.

But do you know how to clean a jersey? Read on to learn how to wash a jersey without causing damage to the fabric.

How to Clean a Jersey

Learning how to wash a jersey isn’t difficult. Follow these tips to prevent any damage and get a sparkling clean jersey.

Remove the Tough Stains First

A washing machine can remove sweat and dirt to turn out a clean jersey. However, machine washing can’t treat stubborn stains caused by soda or beer spills, ketchup drips, grass, and blood. To wash a jersey with tough stains, use a mixture of vinegar and water. Alternatively, you can use dish soap or shampoo and cold water.

When learning how to wash a jersey, you can treat stubborn stains with the following steps:

• Put at least one part of vinegar in a container and add two parts of water.
• Dip a soft-bristled toothbrush into your mixture and use it to brush the stain.
• Soak the stained parts in your mixture for about one or two hours.

Soap or shampoo can be used if you don’t have vinegar at home. Rub some dish soap or shampoo into the stain, and rinse before you hand wash the jersey.

Wash Jersey Inside Out

Before putting your jerseys in the machine, remember to turn them inside out. If you’re washing several jerseys simultaneously, they can rub against each other and damage the names, logos, numbers, and patches. However, turning them inside out ensures no damage due to rubbing.

If you wash the jersey inside out, you can also protect it from rubbing against other items. Another tip for how to wash a jersey safely is to unbutton it before putting it into the machine.

Clean Jersey Alone or With Identical Jerseys

Don’t add other clothes with your jersey because they can bleed and ruin it. Here’s what to do to ensure your jerseys don’t get ruined by colors from other clothes:

• Avoid washing jerseys with other clothes such as jeans and towels. Blue jeans and colored towels can cause colored streaks to appear on your sports jersey.
• Avoid washing jerseys of different colors at the same time. For example, you can wash white jerseys together. Black jerseys tend to bleed and can ruin the color of other jerseys. So, clean them separately. If you have colored jerseys, you can wash them together, but ensure to use cold water to avoid bleeding.

Use Cold or Warm Water

When learning how to wash a jersey prone to fading, use cold to prevent them from bleeding and looking faded. The warm setting can be safe on occasion. Warm water can boost the detergent’s power to eliminate the sweaty smell and stains from your clean jersey.

Never use hot water to clean a jersey because it can stain or damage the material.

Use Short Wash Cycles to Clean Jersey

Sports jerseys are made with delicate materials. Short wash cycles should help remove all the dirt, stains, and sweaty smell when cleaning them. Using long wash cycles might damage your jersey because the environment inside a washer is hostile to delicate fabrics.

When learning how to wash a jersey, work with 12- to 20-minute wash cycles and check whether they’re clean or not. If your jerseys have stubborn stains, pause the machine after one minute to allow your sports jerseys to soak, which should help break those stains before rerunning the machine.

If the stubborn stain remains after the first cycle, use the above steps to treat the stain. If the stains are gone, run multiple rinse cycles, at least three, to get rid of any remaining dirt and give you a clean jersey.

Add a Gentle Detergent

You may be curious if your regular detergent will work when learning how to clean a jersey. Some detergents can damage your jerseys by removing color or dissolving the fibers. Using high-quality and color-protecting detergents with no bleach is advisable when learning how to wash a jersey. You can look for detergents that handle dirt, stains, and body odor on your sports jerseys.

The best detergents should give you a clean jersey. You may also look for other qualities in your detergent, such as eco-friendly and hypoallergenic. Powdered detergents are the best choice for cleaning jerseys because they have fewer chemicals and dissolve quickly.

If your jersey is smelly, detergents may not help remove the odor. Mix a cup of vinegar with your detergent to neutralize most odors. However, avoid using lots of vinegar to ensure your sports jersey doesn’t end up smelling of vinegar.

Avoid Putting in a Dryer

Another vital tip when learning how to wash a jersey is to avoid putting the jersey in a dryer to dry. Dryers can make your jersey shrink. If some stains are left after cleaning, a dryer can make such stubborn stains stick permanently. The heat can be rough on the writings on your jersey, causing them to crack or melt.

When your sports jerseys are clean, remove them from the washer and hang them to dry. Leaving them in the washer can cause wrinkles or damage the patches and writing. Turn your jerseys right side out and shake them before hanging them.

Sports jerseys dry quickly, and you should have your jersey ready for storage or wearing in about 2-4 hours.

Avoid ironing your clean jersey because heat can damage your jersey’s writing and patches.

It’s Time for a Clean Jersey: Wash Yours Today

A sports jersey is precious apparel that needs special laundering to prevent damage. A clean jersey will also feel better than a constantly dirty one. When learning how to wash a jersey, treat any stubborn stain before putting it in a washer.

Part of knowing how to clean a jersey is using the right water temperature and soap. Use cold or warm water and gentle detergents to get a clean jersey without damaging it. Avoid washing your jersey with other clothes or putting it in a dryer.

Be sure to shop our collection of sports apparel to discover new jerseys ideal for everyday wear and display.