I wanted to mention this little tip because I know many of us are doing camps this summer, fun runs, volunteering, coaching and lots of other activities that might require yucky t-shirts.
I have found that the shirts given out for these types of activities can often be thick and itchy and really uncomfortable in summer.
So here is a little tip to take one of these types of shirts and make it much softer and nicer to wear.
I actually volunteered at VBS twice this summer and I have two such shirts I needed to wear. The shirts were almost starchy so I tried a few methods to make them more comfortable.
I am going to post the method that was the fastest and came out with the best results. This did not make my t-shirt feel super soft and vintagey but it was a very noticeable difference from how it started.
This just requires a few simple steps:
- Get your shirt wet with warm water and set aside.
- Bring a very large pot of water to boil. (Large enough to put the entire shirt in and have it completely submerged.)
- Add 1 cup salt to the boiling water.
- Right when it comes to boil reduce the heat to low and add your shirt.
- Add the shirt to the pot of water and allow it to marinade for about 1 hour.
I used tongs to sort of swoosh the shirt around every so often. After about an hour remove from heat and dump out the water.
Rinse with cold water (so you can handle the shirt) and wring out the extra water. Wash as usual in the laundry and viola!
Hopefully your shirt is a little softer and nicer to wear!
And here are a few other tips you might like:
Carol says
I’m not entirely sure, but I believe that many years ago my mom told me that salt helps to set dye in fabric so this actually should help the color stay vibrant as well as softening the fabric. (If mom knew what she was talking about! 😉 )
Charlene says
Carol- Moms always know what they are talking about ;D.
Michelle Pelletier says
I’m glad to see that the logo didn’t melt off or anything like that. I will be trying this soon! Thanks!!!
Kelly says
Does anyone know if the shirts will shrink? Should you use a larger size in anticipation?
Thanks