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Products • Updated about 1 month ago

DTG Care Instructions - Washing Test Results

Training Apparel T-Shirts Product Catalog Customer Service

DTG Wash-Test Results: What Worked, What Did Not, and Why Care Instructions Matter

I recently completed a series of in-house wash tests on several apparel styles and colors to better understand how laundering methods affect DTG prints.

Unfortunately, I cannot share photos of the tested shirts. I intentionally used shirts that had previously failed our quality-control inspection, and they contain artwork belonging to Podzilla sellers. We will always protect our sellers’ designs and will not share them publicly without permission.

These were practical in-house wash tests rather than controlled laboratory testing. Results can vary based on the washing machine, detergent, water quality, garment color, and other factors. However, the differences between the laundering methods were significant enough that I wanted to share what we observed.

The biggest takeaways

For the best results, DTG apparel should be:

  • Washed inside out
  • Washed in cool or room-temperature water
  • Washed without fabric softener or scent beads
  • Tumble dried on low heat
  • Removed from the dryer promptly
  • Never ironed directly over the printed artwork

The shirts washed correctly came out looking great. The most noticeable problems occurred when fabric softener, scent beads, warm or hot water, and higher dryer temperatures were introduced.

Washes 1–3: Recommended laundering methods


Wash 1

  • All Free & Clear detergent
  • Shirts turned inside out
  • Room-temperature water
  • Tumble dried on low heat
  • CC1717 Blue Jean and Pepper
  • BC3001 Heather Mauve

Result: All shirts came out great.


Wash 2

  • Tide Free & Clear detergent
  • Shirts turned inside out
  • Room-temperature water
  • Tumble dried on low heat
  • CC1717 Pepper and Violet
  • BC3001 Heather Peach

Result: All shirts came out great.


Wash 3

  • Tide liquid detergent with OxiClean
  • Shirts turned inside out
  • Room-temperature water
  • Tumble dried on low heat
  • CC1717 Blue Jean and Pepper
  • BC3001 Heather Navy

Result: All shirts came out great.

These tests showed that both free-and-clear detergents and my regular Tide detergent with OxiClean performed well when the shirts were washed inside out in room-temperature water and dried on low heat.


Wash 4: Fabric softener added

  • Tide liquid detergent with OxiClean
  • Snuggle fabric softener
  • Shirts turned inside out
  • Room-temperature water
  • Tumble dried on low heat
  • CC1717 Bay and Pepper
  • BC3001 Heather Olive

Result: The Bay and Heather Olive shirts came out fine. However, the Pepper shirt developed a large, visible pretreat box.

The result was consistent with a chemical reaction between the fabric softener and the pretreat used during the DTG printing process.


Wash 5: Scent beads added

  • All Free & Clear detergent
  • Downy scent beads
  • Shirts turned inside out
  • Room-temperature water
  • Tumble dried on low heat
  • CC1717 Espresso and Pepper
  • BC3001 Heather Mauve

Result: The Espresso shirt developed a subtle pretreat box. The Pepper and Heather Mauve shirts developed large, very noticeable pretreat boxes.

Again, the results were consistent with a chemical reaction between the scent beads and the pretreat.

Based on these tests and previous testing, the following colors appear to be especially prone to visible reactions with fabric softeners and scent beads:

  • CC1717 Pepper
  • CC1717 Violet
  • BC3001 Heather Mauve

This does not mean other colors cannot be affected. The reaction may simply be more noticeable on certain garment colors.


Wash 6: Warm water

  • Tide liquid detergent with OxiClean
  • Shirts turned inside out
  • Warm water
  • Tumble dried on low heat
  • CC1717 Pepper, Island Reef, and Moss
  • BC3001 Navy and Dark Heather Gray

I had unwashed shirts available to compare directly with the washed Pepper and Island Reef shirts.

Result: The artwork on the shirts washed in warm water was noticeably less vibrant than the artwork on the unwashed comparison shirts.

Even though the dryer remained on low heat, increasing the water temperature affected the appearance of the print.


Wash 7: Warm water and medium dryer heat

  • Tide liquid detergent with OxiClean
  • Shirts turned inside out
  • Warm water
  • Tumble dried on medium heat
  • CC1717 Pepper, Neon Cantaloupe, and Flo Blue
  • BC3001 Athletic Heather
  • G18000 Ash

Result: The artwork was less vibrant overall. The Neon Cantaloupe and BC3001 Athletic Heather shirts also began to look slightly distressed.

This test showed a more noticeable decline when both the wash temperature and dryer temperature were increased.


Wash 8: Hot water, medium heat, and shirts not turned inside out

  • Tide liquid detergent with OxiClean
  • Shirts were not turned inside out
  • Hot water
  • Tumble dried on medium heat
  • CC1717 Espresso, Blossom, and Denim
  • BC3001 Steel Blue
  • G18000 Light Blue

Result: The artwork was noticeably less vibrant. The CC1717 Blossom, BC3001 Steel Blue, and G18000 Light Blue shirts began showing signs of cracking.

The printed areas also no longer felt as soft as the shirts that had been laundered correctly.


Wash 9: Hot water and high dryer heat

  • Tide liquid detergent with OxiClean
  • Some shirts were turned inside out and others were not
  • Hot water
  • Tumble dried on high heat
  • CC1717 Espresso, Yam, and Crunchberry
  • BC3001 True Royal
  • G18000 Sand

Result: The artwork was less vibrant on every shirt. All of the shirts appeared distressed, showed cracking, or both. The printed areas also felt rough and dried out.

At this temperature, turning some of the shirts inside out was not enough to protect the prints from the combination of hot water and high dryer heat.


What we recommend sellers include in their listings

Many buyers do not thoroughly read listing descriptions. For that reason, we strongly recommend including a dedicated care-instructions photocard within your listing photos.

Suggested care instructions:


For the longest life of your garment and printed design:
  • Turn the garment inside out before washing.
  • Machine wash in cool or room-temperature water.
  • Use a mild detergent.
  • Do not use bleach.
  • Do not use fabric softener.
  • Do not use scent beads or scent boosters.
  • Tumble dry on low heat or hang dry.
  • Do not dry on high heat.
  • Do not iron directly over the design.

These tests reinforced that proper laundering makes a substantial difference. The shirts washed inside out in room-temperature water and dried on low heat came out great, while fabric additives and increased temperatures caused visible changes after only one wash.

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