How to Wash Dress Shirts

Maintaining your professional look is important, and crisp, clean dress shirts are an essential part of that look. Whether you wash them yourself or take it them to the cleaners, here's how to keep your button-down shirts looking new as long as possible.

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Check the label for shirt care instructions

While most dress shirts can be washed, some button ups need more care, especially if they're made from more delicate materials. The best place to start is with the laundry care label.

Should you dry clean dress shirts?

If the care label inside your shirt indicates the garment is "Dry Clean Only," you should dry clean your dress shirts. Trying to wash a dry clean only shirt at home may only ruin it, so it's not worth the risk.

Can you wash dress shirts?

Most dress shirts can be washed. If the label indicates it is safe to machine or hand wash your shirt, like with most cotton shirts, you'll still want to take precautions and use the tips in this dress shirt care guide.

Still not sure if you should dry clean or launder your dress shirts? Bring them to your nearest Tide Cleaners, and our experts will take care of them!

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Machine wash dress shirts

At-home machine washing is an acceptable way to clean your dress shirts as long as you take the proper precautions. Follow these steps to wash to wash button up shirts at home.

Want tips on how to wash white dress shirts? Learn more about how to keep shirts white in our guide on washing white clothes.

1. Know how to get stains out of dress shirts

Treat the stain as early as possible to prevent it from setting in. Start by treating any stains with a stain remover pen like Tide to Go, or by working some detergent directly into the stain. Take your shirt to the cleaners if you're having trouble with a tough stain.

2. Prepare your shirt to be washed

Before you put the shirt in the washer, you should unbutton all the buttons and remove any collar stays. It's also a good idea to uncuff the sleeves and check any pockets on the front of the shirt just in case.

3. Use the right washing cycle for dress shirts

Wash the shirts on a delicate cycle, using hot water for whites and light colors and cold water for dark colors. Of course, if the care label indicates specific setting, follow those instructions. Be sure to use a high-quality detergent.

Drying dress shirts

We recommend you do not put dress shirts in the dryer since this can damage or wear out the shirt.

Remove the shirt promptly from the washing machine when the cycle is over before wrinkles can set in. Hang the shirt on a clothesline to air dry or lay the shirt out on a flat surface.

Don't forget to iron dress shirts

When the shirt is dry, take the time to press it before hanging it back in the closet. Check out these tips on how to iron a dress shirt.

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Skip hand washing dress shirts

Hand washing sounds like a good idea for shirts that you want to treat delicately, but it’s not the best solution in most cases. Most modern washing machines offer a delicate cycle, which is usually sufficiently gentle for a cotton shirt.

Hand washing takes a lot of time and may not be sufficient to remove tough stains, so machine washing or professional shirt laundering is usually a better bet.

Professionally wash and press your dress shirts

Professional cleaners typically launder dress shirts instead of dry cleaning them because most cotton dress shirts should not be dry cleaned. Dry cleaning also won’t remove water-soluble stains, like sweat stains, which are more common than oil-based stains on dress shirts.

Professionally cleaning your button ups has benefits even if your shirt doesn't need dry cleaned. After treating stains, Tide Cleaners uses Tide Complete Care™ Hygienic Clean detergent to remove visible and invisible dirt, and our Double Buck shirt press presses each shirt to perfection. The result? Crisp, clean button ups that look better and last longer.

Learn more about our shirt laundering service or find a Tide Cleaners near you if you're ready to see the difference for yourself.