Care guide
How to wash a hoodie so it stays as soft as day one
This is how your Original Hoodie stays the way it is now: thick, soft and in shape. Six rules, two minutes of reading, and you never have to think about it again.
In short
Wash it less often
Airing it out is usually enough. After five or six wears it can go in the wash.
Inside out at 30 degrees
Short cycle. Cold cleans well enough and is the gentlest on the fabric and the colour.
With like colours and soft fabrics
A new hoodie goes alone the first two times. No towels or jeans in the load.
No fabric softener
It coats the fibres and actually makes the hoodie less soft.
Never in the dryer
Lay or hang it to dry. The tumbling in a dryer is what makes a hoodie old.
Fold it, don't hang it
That keeps the shoulders in shape. Store it washed and it is ready to go.
How often should you wash a hoodie?
Less often than you think. You wear a hoodie over a shirt, so it does not get dirty that fast. Hang it over a chair or on the door after wearing it, and the next morning it smells fresh again.
After five or six wears, or when it smells or has a stain, it can go in the wash. Every wash asks a little of the fabric: a touch of colour, a few loose fibres, a bit of shape. The less you wash, the longer it stays the way it is now.
How to wash it, step by step
Empty the pockets and tie the cord.
Knot the ends of the drawstring together so it cannot slip into the hood.
Turn it inside out.
The soft outside stays protected and the inside takes the friction.
Pick its company.
Wash it with like colours and soft fabrics: other hoodies, sweaters, t-shirts. No towels, jeans or anything with zips and velcro. A new hoodie goes alone the first two times.
30 degrees, short cycle, normal spin.
Fill the drum well but do not stuff it. Skip the delicate cycle: it mainly uses more water.
Liquid colour detergent, not too much.
Stick to the dose on the bottle. Extra detergent stays behind in the fabric and feels like lint. No fabric softener.
Take it out as soon as it is done.
Left wet in the drum, it picks up that musty smell that is hard to get out.
Shake it out and lay it in shape.
Then dry it, but not in the dryer. More on that below.
Why inside out?
Our fabric has two sides. The outside is combed cotton, smooth and brushed to a peach-soft finish: that is what you see and what you want to protect. The inside is the thick brushed fleece that feels so good. In the washing machine, clothes rub against each other, especially at the seams and edges. Inside out, the inside takes that friction, and you never see it. That is how the outside still looks new after thirty washes.
Lint after washing, is that normal?
Yes, for the first few washes it is. The inside of your hoodie is brushed to make it this soft, and that leaves some loose, short fibres in the fabric. They come out in the first washes. After that it quickly gets less.
You mostly notice those fibres when you mix colours. Wash a white and a red hoodie together and you will find red lint on the white one. The white one shed just as much, you just cannot see it. So: a new hoodie goes alone or with the same colour the first two times, and after that always with like colours and soft fabrics. Towels are the biggest lint givers and never belong in the drum with your hoodie.
Why no fabric softener?
Fabric softener sounds like a good idea for a soft hoodie, but it works the other way round. It lays a thin film over the fibres. That makes the brushed inside flatter and less airy, the fabric breathes less and smells linger longer. The softness is already in the fabric itself. Washing without softener keeps it exactly like that.
Drying: never in the dryer
This is the rule that makes the biggest difference. It is not the heat but the tumbling in a dryer that shrinks cotton, and it is also the biggest maker of lint and pilling. A hoodie that feels shorter and rougher after a few months has almost always seen the dryer.
How to do it instead: shake it out, lay it in shape and let it dry on a rack, flat or over two bars. Wet, it is heavy, so do not hang it by the shoulders on a hanger, or it stretches. Keep it out of full sun, which fades the colour. Give the room some air and it is dry within a day and smells fresh.
Does a hoodie shrink?
Our fabric is pre-shrunk, so a normal wash at 30 degrees keeps its size. A slight tightening after the first wash is normal and gone after one wear. If it did get smaller, it has been in the dryer or washed too warm. Gently pull it into shape while wet and let it dry flat; it usually comes a long way back.
Stains
The sooner, the better. Dab the stain with cold water and a little detergent, do not rub: that pushes the stain into the fibres and roughens the fabric. Let it soak in for a moment, then wash it as usual. Only dry it once the stain is really gone, because once dry it is set.
Ironing and storing
No ironing needed. Creases fall out by themselves when it dries in shape, and an iron presses the soft fibres flat. If you must, go inside out on the lowest setting, or steam it from a distance.
Store it folded. A heavy hoodie on a hanger slowly stretches at the shoulders. On a pile in the wardrobe it keeps its shape, ready for the next cold evening.
Do
- 30 degrees, short cycle
- Inside out
- Like colours, soft fabrics
- Liquid colour detergent
- Dry on a rack, in shape
- Store folded
Don't
- Warmer than 30 degrees
- Fabric softener
- Towels, jeans or zips in the load
- Bleach
- The dryer
- Wet on a hanger
Frequently asked questions
Can it go in at 40 degrees?
Rather not. 30 degrees cleans well enough and is a lot gentler on the colour and the fibres. If it really smells after a workout, choose a longer cycle at 30 degrees once, with the normal dose of detergent.
Can it go in the dryer for just a bit?
No, not even briefly on low. The tumbling shrinks the fabric and makes lint, even without heat. A drying rack does the same job, just a little slower.
How do I get it soft again?
Wash it once without fabric softener at 30 degrees and let it dry on a rack with some air around it. Shake it out after drying and the inside springs back up. Fabric softener only makes it worse.
Where does the lint come from?
From the brushed inside. For the first few washes it lets go of some loose fibres, especially when you mix colours. Wash a new hoodie alone the first two times, then with like colours. A fabric shaver removes the rest.
It has shrunk, now what?
Wet it, gently pull it into shape and let it dry flat. It usually comes a long way back. After that, keep it out of the dryer.
How often does it need washing?
After five or six wears, or sooner if it smells or has a stain. Airing it out in between is enough.
Can I use bleach on a white hoodie?
No chlorine bleach: it turns the ribbing yellow. A stain on Panda White comes out with oxygen bleach or a stain remover, soak it briefly and then wash as usual.
“Washed it several times already and it is still just as soft.”
Cosy Cloud Fabric
This is how it feels
Combed cotton outside, thick brushed fleece inside. Made especially for Cosy, and with these rules it stays that way.