How to Wash a Football Shirt: A Printed Jersey Care Checklist

Before washing a new football shirt or soccer jersey, read its care label and any separate instructions supplied for names, numbers or badges. The club, season and colour do not tell you which wash programme is suitable. This checklist helps you organise the first wash without guessing the fabric or print method.

Start with the instructions for your exact shirt

Find the sewn-in care label and take a clear photograph of it. Keep any printing-care instructions with your order details. Check the permitted washing method, temperature and drying method before putting the shirt in the laundry. adidas also directs buyers to the garment label for those decisions in its football kit care guidance.

If the label is missing, unreadable or conflicts with the printing instructions, pause and ask the seller for clarification. A low-temperature programme is not a substitute for establishing whether an item may be machine washed. Do not copy the routine for a different shirt simply because both carry the same club crest.

Prepare printed details before a permitted wash

Once the item's instructions allow washing, turn it inside out. Nike's jersey washing guide recommends this to help protect lettering, with a garment bag as an additional precaution. It also advises avoiding fabric softener and washing with suitable similar items rather than lint-producing towels or fleece.

Check the load before starting: your shirt should not be an afterthought in a mixed wash chosen for bedding or heavy clothing. Use the detergent amount and programme appropriate to the garment instructions. More detergent is not automatically a better clean. Keep any treatment off printed areas unless the instructions explicitly permit it.

Plan the drying step before you start

Make room for the drying method specified on the label. Do not assume that a shirt suitable for machine washing is also suitable for tumble drying. The Liverpool store's printed-garment guide specifically advises against tumble drying its printed garments. This is a useful reminder to check printing instructions as well as the base garment label.

For ironing, confirm both whether it is allowed and how the printed sections must be protected. PUMA's apparel guidance stresses that care varies by material and item. Do not treat a general inside-out recommendation as permission to press every badge or name set with heat.

Keep a small care record

If you own several club shirts, save a note for each one. This takes the uncertainty out of the next wash and helps anyone sharing the laundry understand which instructions belong to which garment.

• Identify it: club, season, home/away/third and the exact product link.
• Record the label: a readable photo, including every care symbol.
• Note additions: name, number or badges, plus any separate care instructions.
• Write the agreed routine: permitted wash and drying methods, after resolving any unclear information.

This is particularly useful when a new-season shirt joins a collection of older tops. Similar colours do not establish identical care requirements. Keep the record with the item rather than assigning a single routine to every red, white or blue shirt you own.

If a mark or loose print needs attention

Avoid experimenting with a hot iron, glue or a strong stain-removal mixture. Photograph the area, keep the care label visible in a separate image, and ask for advice specific to the item before attempting a repair. A general washing guide cannot identify an unknown adhesive or guarantee that a treatment will be compatible.

For a THJORE order, use our contact page and describe the exact product and issue. If you are still choosing your next shirt, browse the new-season collection or compare our Liverpool home and away shirts. Check product details first, then keep the care instructions that arrive with the garment.