Product Care

Washing & Care

Every ChessMatters tee is printed to order. Treat the print kindly and the shirt will hold its color wash after wash.

T-shirt shaped care label reading: Washing instructions. Wash me inside out. Cold wash only. Please, no bleach or fabric softeners. I love mild detergent! Take me for a spin in the dryer (tumble dry low) or hang to dry. Please don't iron me. If you iron use parchment over the image. I was handmade with love, so please handle me with care. Thank you!
The care label that ships with every order
Do
  • Turn the shirt inside out before it goes in.
  • Wash cold, on a gentle or normal cycle.
  • Use a mild, dye-free detergent.
  • Wash with like colors.
  • Tumble dry low or hang to dry.
Don't
  • No bleach, including color-safe bleach.
  • No fabric softener or dryer sheets.
  • No hot water and no high-heat drying.
  • Don't iron directly on the print.
  • Don't dry clean.

Washing

Turn the shirt inside out before washing. That single step does most of the work — it keeps the print off the drum and away from zippers, buttons, and everything else in the load.

Use cold water and a mild detergent. Hot water relaxes the fibers and lets the print flex more than it should, which is what causes cracking over time. Skip bleach entirely, and skip fabric softener: softener leaves a waxy coating that dulls the print and stiffens it as it builds up.

Drying

Tumble dry on low, or hang the shirt to dry. High heat is the fastest way to shrink the cotton and stress the print. If you hang it, dry it inside out and out of direct sun so the color doesn't fade.

Ironing & Storage

Ideally, don't iron the shirt at all. If you need to, iron it inside out on a low setting and keep the iron off the design. If you have to press the printed side, lay a sheet of parchment paper over the image first and use a quick, light pass — never let the iron sit on the print.

Fold rather than hang for storage. Hangers stretch the shoulders and neckline over time.

Why It Matters

Every ChessMatters shirt is made to order and finished by hand. Heat, bleach, and fabric softener are what wear a print down fastest — so a cold wash, inside out, is genuinely all it takes to keep yours looking new.

Something wrong with your order? If an item arrives damaged or defective, don't wash it — let us know within 3 days of delivery so we can make it right. See our Returns & Refunds policy, or email sales@wit-t-shirt.com.