They’re a staple of any man’s wardrobe: the classic white T-shirt. And when they’re good, they’re really good, right? Whether you invest in a high-end version from the likes of Sunspel or opt for the old reliable multi-packs from Hanes or Kirkland, you want to keep them in the best shape possible.
A dingy or pit-stained T-shirt is the mark of a man who’s given up. Or, at the very least, a man who doesn’t have his shit together. Thankfully, there’s a simple method developed by cleaning expert Jolie Kerr that focuses on soaking your shirts in a solution of water and oxygen bleach. OxiClean is the most famous and readily available—it’s both highly effective and relatively gentle. This makes it ideal for a wide range of T-shirt fabrics, from Supima cotton to heavyweight cotton jersey. Here’s your game plan to revive your dingy tees and keep them fresh and bright.
No scent
stain remover powder,
$11.78 by OxiClean
You want to soak your tee in cold water but you want to need hot water to help the oxygen bleach dissolve more thoroughly. So start by dissolving a generous scoop of oxygen bleach in a half cup of hot water and add that into the cold soaking water.
Add your tee and swirl it around to help the fabric soak up the solution. Some people find oxygen bleach a bit irritating to their skin, so using gloves isn’t a terrible idea. You want the shirts fully submerged so that the fibers are fully penetrated with the oxygen bleach.
Allow the tees to soak for at least an hour but up to overnight—the longer the better. If you’re doing this each week for maintenance, an hour soak will suffice, but if you’re trying to revive dingy shirts, then overnight is really ideal.
After soaking, launder the tees as usual. You can dry them, but we’d suggest letting them hang dry to further preserve the fabric.