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The pieces this guide keeps pointing at, from the XIEERDUO range.
Style Guide · Care
Nearly every top that dies young is killed by heat or by a hanger.
Hot water is what shrinks rayon and fades dye. Cold water at a gentle cycle cleans normal wear perfectly well, because modern detergent is built for it. The only reason to go warm is a stain that needs it, and even then it is the stain that gets treated, not the whole garment.
Tumble heat is responsible for most shrinkage, most pilling and most of the sad shapeless tops at the back of a drawer. Lay knits flat on a towel or hang them on a wide hanger and they dry in a few hours. If the dryer is unavoidable, use the lowest heat setting and pull the top out while it is still slightly damp, then lay it flat to finish.
Water is heavy. A soaking wet knit hung by its shoulders is a garment being stretched by its own weight for four hours. That is where the wavy neckline and the pointed shoulders come from, not from wearing it. Lay it flat while wet, hang it once dry.
A mild liquid detergent, and less of it than the cap suggests. Excess detergent does not rinse out of a dense knit and leaves a film that feels stiff and grey. Skip fabric softener on anything with spandex, because it coats the elastane and kills the recovery that makes the top hold its shape. Never bleach a colored knit.
Pills are short fibers rubbed loose, and they form where fabric rubs fabric: under the arms, at the seatbelt line, where a bag strap crosses. Wash inside out and in a mesh bag to slow it down. A fabric shaver removes what forms. Higher polyester content pills more, higher modal content pills less.
New dark rayon bleeds on the first two washes. Wash a new deep color alone the first time, or with things it cannot ruin. A color-catcher sheet is cheap insurance in a mixed load.
Fold knits. Hanging a heavy knit for months pulls the shoulders into points that never come out. Woven blouses are the opposite and want a hanger with some width to them. Wire hangers are the enemy of both.
| Do | Do not |
|---|---|
| Cold wash, gentle cycle | Hot water on rayon or modal |
| Lay flat to dry | Hang anything soaking wet |
| Mild detergent, small dose | Softener on spandex blends |
| Turn dark and printed tops inside out | Wash a new deep color in a mixed load |
| Fold knits on a shelf | Store knits on wire hangers |
The pieces this guide keeps pointing at, from the XIEERDUO range.
