How to Wash Jerseys

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: September 16, 2021

Sports jerseys are made with high quality materials and need to be washed in a specific way to prevent damage. Before you wash the jerseys, you'll need to treat any stains that are on them, especially if you use wear your jersey to play sports. Then separate your jerseys by color and turn them inside out. Wash your jerseys in a mix of warm and hot water, and then hang them to dry completely.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Treating Stains

1
Use a mixture of vinegar and water to remove grass stains. Mix together 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water. If you're washing more than 2 very stained jerseys, use at least 1 c (240 mL) of vinegar. Then take a soft bristled toothbrush and dip it in the mixture. Gently brush the grass stains with the toothbrush. Then soak the stained areas for 1 or 2 hours in the mixture before washing.^{[1]
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2
Remove blood stains with cold water. Turn the jersey inside out and run it under cold water to get rid of as much blood as possible. Then soak the jersey in cold water, gently rubbing the blood-stained areas with your fingers. Repeat every 4 to 5 minutes until the blood comes out completely.^{[2]
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3
Use soap or shampoo to remove stubborn blood stains. If the cold water alone doesn't get rid of the blood, try cleaning the stained area with dish soap or shampoo. Rub a bit of shampoo or soap into the blood stain. Then rinse and wash the jersey.^{[3]
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4
Treat perspiration stains with vinegar. If the stain is green or yellow in color, it's from perspiration. Mix 1 US tbsp (15 mL) vinegar in ¹⁄₂ c (120 mL) water. Soak the stained part of the jersey in the mixture for 30 minutes and then wash it.^{[4]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Preparing Your Jerseys

1
Separate your jerseys by color. White jerseys should be washed separately from other colored jerseys, since the other colors can bleed into the white. Black jerseys should also be washed together because they can bleed into other jerseys. Any other colored jerseys can be washed together.^{[5]
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2
Wash your jerseys in their own load. When you're washing jerseys, don't wash them with any other clothing, especially blue jeans. The dye in blue jeans can get into the water and cause blue streaks to appear on your jerseys.^{[6]
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3
Unbutton all the buttons. If you wash your jerseys with any buttons still buttoned up, the jerseys can wrinkle. Make sure all of the buttons, especially on the front of the jersey, are unbuttoned before you wash them.^{[7]
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4
Turn your jerseys inside out. This protects the patches, wording, and stitching on jerseys. If you don't turn them inside out, screen printed letters can stick together and the stitching can come apart.^{[8]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Washing Collectible Jerseys

1
Fill the washing machine with water. Set your temperature to hot and let the washer fill with about 5 in (13 cm) of water. Then switch the temperature of the water to warm and let the washer finish filling.^{[9]
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- If you have a front-loading washer, switch the temperature of the water from hot to warm after about 2 minutes.
2
Add detergent to the washing machine. Use a good quality, color-protecting laundry detergent with stain fighters. Add a full measure of detergent to the water if you're washing more than 1 jersey. Use a half measure if you're washing 1 jersey at a time. Then add the jerseys to the washer and let it begin washing.^{[10]
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- The cap of the detergent bottle should have a mark to show you how much to use.
- If you have a front-loading washer, add the detergent and jerseys to the washer before it begins filling. Then switch the temperature after about 1 minute.
3
Pause the washer after 1 minute to allow the jersey to soak. After the washing machine has been going for 1 minute, stop the washer and let the jerseys soak. This should get more stains and dirt out of the jerseys than running a normal wash cycle.^{[11]
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- You can let the jerseys soak in the wash for up to 1 day.
4
Finish the cycle and examine the jersey. Once the jerseys have soaked, turn the washing machine back on and let it finish its cycle. Once the cycle finishes, check to make sure the stains have been removed. If they haven't treat the stains again and rewash the jerseys.^{[12]
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5
Hang the jerseys to dry as soon as they're clean. If you leave the jerseys in the washing machine as they dry, they can wrinkle. The patches and writing on the jersey can also be ruined. Take the jerseys out and hang them on hangers to dry. It can take up to 2 days for them to dry completely.^{[13]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Washing Sports Uniforms

1
Wash the jersey immediately after a game or practice. The longer a worn jersey sits, the more perspiration and dirt can soak into the jersey and ruin it. Immediately after a game or practice, throw the jersey into the wash.^{[14]
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2
Use powdered detergent. Liquid detergents might contain elements that can ruin the jerseys. Instead, use a powdered detergent. If you're only washing 1 jersey, you don't need a full load's worth of detergent. Use half of the recommended measurement instead.^{[15]
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3
Add vinegar to deal with odors. If you find the jersey is pretty stinky, add 1 c (240 mL) of white vinegar to the bleach dispenser on your washing machine. The vinegar should neutralize the odor without making your jerseys stink like vinegar.^{[16]
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4
Set your washer to a gentle cycle with cold water. A gentle cycle will prevent the fibers in the jerseys from getting ruined, and cold water will protect any screen printing on the jersey. The gentle cycle is usually the cycle used for delicates.^{[17]
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5
Hang the jerseys to dry. Don't put your jerseys in the dryer. The heat can ruin the elasticity of spandex in the jerseys, and can melt screen printing. Instead, hang the jersey on a wood or plastic hanger and let it dry overnight.^{[18]
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Community Q&A
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Question

Can you wash jersey fabric?

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Yes, you can wash jersey fabric. The exact cycle required for washing will depend on what the jersey mix consists of but in general, stick to using either a warm or cold wash cycle. Preferably use a cool cycle if you don’t know what the fabric mix is, as some jersey blends shrink easily if they’re washed too warm. Or, you can wash jersey fabric by hand in lukewarm water. Since jersey wrinkles easily, don’t crowd out the washing machine when you wash jersey garments and if hand washing, don’t wring too hard. Before sewing, pre-washing is always advised, to ensure you’re sewing with the right sized fabric that will stay true to size once washed again.
Question

Do jerseys shrink in the wash?

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Some jerseys may shrink in the wash if washed on a hot cycle. Its liability to shrink depends on what the fabric blend is, and it is more likely to shrink with viscose and cotton or polyester and cotton blends when washed too warm. If the jersey is 100 percent polyester, it should not shrink when washed. Always read the garment label to be safe.
Question

How do you get stains out of a jersey?

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Treatment of a stain in a jersey will depend on what the stain is. For grass stains, you can use a vinegar and water stain; for blood stains, you can use cold water; and for sweat stains, you can use vinegar. Each of these stain removal methods is fully explained in Method 1 above.