Cotton jersey lasts a long time if you wash it cool, dry it gently and keep softener away from it. Nothing in our range needs specialist treatment, but the fabrics behave differently: single jersey, loopback fleece, rib and cotton-elastane interlock each want slightly different handling. Below is what we actually do with our own samples.
Washing
Wash at 30C on a normal cotton cycle, inside out, with similar colours. Turning a garment inside out protects the outer face from abrasion against the drum, which is the main cause of surface fuzz on brushed fleece. Use a liquid detergent at the dose on the bottle — overdosing leaves residue that stiffens jersey and dulls black.
- Blacks and charcoals: use a detergent without optical brighteners. Brighteners deposit a bluish-white fluorescence on dark cotton and read as a chalky bloom after a dozen washes.
- Whites: an oxygen-based whitener occasionally is fine. Never use chlorine bleach on any of our pieces; it weakens cotton and turns elastane yellow and brittle.
- Support layers: rinse in cool water after training so salt does not sit in the elastane, then wash in a mesh bag at 30C. Salt and sweat are what kill a band, not the washing machine.
Skip fabric softener entirely. It works by coating fibres with a waxy film, which flattens the loops on loopback, reduces how much moisture cotton can absorb, and makes elastane slip in the knit so bands stretch out sooner. If your water is hard and jersey feels stiff, add 100ml of white vinegar to the rinse instead.
Drying
Line dry in the shade or dry flat on a rack. Direct sun fades black and yellows optic white. Reshape while damp: pull the body square, straighten the hem, and flatten cuffs and waistbands with your fingers so they dry to the right width.
Tees and sweatshirts tumble dry on low if you need them quickly. Our fabric is compacted before cutting, so residual shrinkage is under 3% — expect about 1.5cm off the length of a tee across the first three washes, which the pattern already allows for. Never tumble dry anything containing elastane: the drum heat relaxes the filament permanently and a sports bra band will not come back.
Do not hang heavy sweatshirts or zip tops on a narrow hanger while wet. The weight of water drags the shoulders and the shape does not recover.
Ironing and pressing
Warm iron, maximum 150C, on the reverse side. Press single jersey while slightly damp for a flat hem. Do not press the loopback or brushed face of a sweatshirt — the loops crush and go shiny. Steam from 5cm away instead. Never iron a knitted-in elastic band or a zip tape.
Pilling and bobbles
Combed cotton pills far less than carded, but any knit will bobble where it rubs — under the arms, at a seatbelt line, against a rucksack strap. Shave them off with a fabric comb or a battery pill remover held flat; do not pull them, which drags the loop and leaves a hole. Washing inside out and avoiding overloaded drums slows it down considerably.
Stains
Work cold and fast. Blot, do not rub. Sweat and deodorant marks respond to an enzyme detergent worked in with a fingertip and left for twenty minutes before washing. Oil needs washing-up liquid on the dry fabric first, then a normal 30C wash. Never put heat on a protein stain — hot water sets it into the cotton.
Storage
Fold jersey and stack it. Hanging stretches the shoulder line of a heavy sweatshirt over months, and stretches the straps on a vest quickly. Store support layers flat and unfolded through the cups so the knit is not creased along one line. Keep everything dry; cotton left damp in a gym bag mildews within a day and the smell does not fully wash out.
When to replace
A cotton tee will outlast its elastane. If a sports bra band no longer springs back when you stretch it, or a stretch rib vest has gone slack at the neckline, the elastane has reached the end of its life even though the cotton looks fine. Questions about a specific piece: email support@wfxcu.shop or see https://wfxcu.shop/care.
WFXC LTD
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Registered office: 21 Cavendish Road, Chesham, HP5 1RW, England
Email: support@wfxcu.shop
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