Making your workwear last
A branded garment is an investment — in how your team looks, and in the logo on it. Keeping it sharp comes down to a few simple habits that cost nothing. Here's how, and the reasoning behind each one.
The one rule to remember
Wash it inside-out, at 30°C. Turning a garment inside-out puts the fabric — not your logo — against the drum, so the embroidery or print takes far less rubbing. And 30°C gets workwear clean while being gentle on the garment and the decoration. That single habit does most of the heavy lifting.
Get the heat right
Temperature is where kit is quietly won or lost — and it depends on what the garment is and how it's decorated. When in doubt, go cooler.
Inside-out, for the vast majority of branded workwear, printed or embroidered.
Print is held on by adhesive, and hot washes break that bond down. Keep printed garments to 40°C at the most.
Rugged Core garments take a hot wash when the job demands it (still inside-out). Not for printed garments — keep anything printed to 40°C.
The habits that wreck good kit
Most prematurely-tired workwear isn't worn out — it's been treated in one of these ways. None is dramatic on day one; the damage is cumulative, which is why the habits matter more than any single wash.
- Tumble-drying. The big one, especially for prints — heat and tumbling cause cracking and peeling. Air-dry wherever you can.
- Washing cotton too hot. Cotton shrinks. If it happens, flick it back into shape while still wet and dry it flat — you'll recover most of the fit.
- Strong fabric softeners. They attack both print inks and the adhesive underneath. Skip it on branded garments, or use it sparingly.
How long should it actually last?
Cared for properly, here's what's realistic — and how to plan your re-orders around it.
One myth worth retiring first: paying more for a garment doesn't make the print or embroidery last any longer. Decoration life comes down to how it's treated — mistreat a premium garment and the finish degrades just the same as any other.
DTF print
Comfortably 30–40 washes as a rule of thumb, and often well beyond — treated gently, many go past fifty.
Embroidery
Outlasts the garment. You'll usually see the fabric wear through before the stitching gives up. (Very heavy embroidery on a light fabric is the exception — it puckers sooner.)
Core layers
Polos, tees and vests worn and washed daily are consumables — change them roughly once a quarter, depending on how rugged the daily use is. That's normal wear, not a fault.
Outerwear
Jackets and softshells should give two to three years of good service, often more when looked after.
Why print asks for a little more care
It helps to know why the print rules exist. Your design is bonded to the garment under heat — at roughly 130–150°C during production. Repeatedly washing it hot, or tumble-drying it, gradually undoes that bond, which is what leads to cracking and lifting. Treat a print gently and it stays put for its full life; cook it every week and you'll shorten it.
Embroidery, being thread stitched right through the fabric, simply doesn't have that vulnerability — which is part of why it's the more durable finish. (Our guide on embroidery vs print goes into the trade-offs.)
The short care guide
- Wash inside-out at 30°C
- Never tumble-dry (especially prints) — air-dry
- Print: never above 40°C · Core: up to 60°C when needed
- Go easy on fabric softener
- Cotton shrinks hot — if it happens, reshape while wet
Built to last the life you need
Follow those few habits and your kit — and your logo — will look the part for far longer. And if you're kitting out a team, the smartest care starts before the first wash: choosing garments and finishes built for the way they'll actually be treated.
Keep deciding with confidence
Choosing the Right Garment
Pick kit built for how it'll be treated.
Embroidery or Print?
Which finish lasts best for your job.
The Penguin Academy
Advice-first guides to help you decide before you order.
Getting Your Logo Ready
Start with a logo built to hold up.
How Long Does It Take?
Lead times, and how to get your kit faster.
Contact Our Team
Tell us the job and we'll help it last.