How to Care for Your Star Wars Clothing

It's never a good feeling to witness your favorite Star Wars clothing fading, shrinking or finding that the once beautiful design on the front of your t-shirt is now cracking. Over the years, I have developed a particular way of washing our clothes which includes the numerous Star Wars pieces in our closet and I thought it might be helpful to share my tips with you.

First and foremost, it is important to know that sometimes even with following the steps listed in this post that overtime certain garments may no longer be wearable due to poor manufacturing. Also, that $5 shirt that wasn't on clearance might look cool, but how long will it hold up? Are we stopping to ask ourselves the right questions before we get too carried away? As often as you can remember I would suggest observing what you're buying and research the brand if you're uncertain if you want to follow through with the purchase.

Before washing your clothes find and observe the tag on the inside of your garment to find out what it is made of and take note of the washing instructions. Sometimes this information can be listed in the form of symbols (shown above thanks to I Hate Ironing). Don't ever shrug these symbols off as they can determine the future of your clothing! If you have something that needs to be hand washed or dry-cleaned, don't take the easy way out and risk ruining your clothes.

As often as my husband and I can remember to we turn our shirts, jeans, etc. inside out before placing them in the hamper to get washed. I believe this is another important step in keeping your clothes looking like new! It prevents the cycle of the wash from moving directly against the beautiful design and logos.

I find that most of the pieces I own are safe to wash on "cold" so that is what I do unless otherwise stated. This setting will also help keep your clothes from shrinking and fading. I also like to wash all my clothes on a "low" cycle. This refers to the movement inside your washing machine. The lower the agitation the less vigorous the cleaning will be. Typically, the higher setting is one I would use for something like a wash of towels.

I didn't always use a liquid detergent but once I found out that it was better for our clothes, especially since we live in a city with hard water, I immediately switched over to this one from Target. It is free of perfumes and dyes, and it is a great option for sensitive skin. What a difference it made! When we were first married (now almost eleven years ago) there were pieces that came out of the wash looking like they had a soft white residue, and they felt super stiff. Who wants to wear that? I'd highly recommend switching over to a liquid detergent!

Believe it or not there aren't many garments that I dry except for socks, certain undergarments and very few pajama pieces. In my experience drying adds a lot of wear to clothing and depending on the make of the piece it will continue to shrink it overtime. There is no need to be drying anything that is 100% cotton on a regular basis. You should only do this once or twice if you're looking to significantly shrink the item and if you do, dry it inside out! I hang up everything to dry (you can use your shower curtain rod or a garment rack) unless the washing instructions specifically state to lay the piece flat to dry. Once the pieces are dry (which is usually the next day) I can then determine which items need ironing and steaming. Sometimes it's neither, and they'll literally be ready to go! With certain items like jeans you can stick them in the dryer for a few minutes to help with any wrinkles, and that stiff feeling they get from air drying. Thicker shirts might need a little ironing while thinner ones you could get away with using a steamer. Always make sure you look at the instructions for ironing too! Sometimes it'll specifically state not to iron the logo on your shirt in which case you can spray it with water using a spray bottle and use a hairdryer to dry it. If you're short on time many pieces can be thrown in the dryer for a few minutes for a quick touch up but I wouldn't make a habit of this.

I have switched between various fabric softeners over the years but if you're curious I am currently using the Free & Clear Dryer Sheets from Target. They are hypoallergenic and free of perfumes and dyes.

If you have Star Wars themed undergarments, swimwear or any other delicates I would suggest throwing them into a mesh laundry bag like the one above for extra protection against washing and the risk of getting caught on things. I use this one from Target.

There are some cases where a garment is actually made rather well but if you have a bag or similar item that is continuously rubbing against what you're wearing, it can end up pilling. Those are those teeny tiny annoying balls of fluff! If there's only a few, you can carefully cut them off with a pair of scissors. When there are many, it's best to use a Fabric Shaver to remove them.

If you have Star Wars clothes that are out of season or something that is on the more delicate side that you don't want getting caught on anything else in your closet, garment bags are a great investment! There's a set of 6 on Amazon that comes with different sized bags. I've also found some at the Dollar Tree before. There's been a few occasions where a couple of them ripped, but they are still usable so if you're on a budget, this place or any other discount store would be a good place to check for them!

If you need more space in your closet from the clothes you aren't currently using, I'd suggest using Space Bags. They free up to three times more space and provide heavy-duty protection against wear and tear. I've actually been meaning to pick up some of these myself!

Stains are one of my worst fears especially if it is something that I absolutely love wearing. I think that this Shout Stain Remover from Target works really well. They even have Shout Wipes for when you're not at home and want to tend to the unfortunate stain immediately!

I hope the information in this post helped you. Please let me know if you have any questions and which of these tips you plan to try out yourself, if any, in a comment below.