How to wash

How to wash polyester

Polyester is tough and dries fast, but it holds on to odours and melts with heat. Cool water, a modest spin, no hot iron – and it stays like new.

A typical label

Always follow your garment's own label – it beats any general advice.

Washing

30–40 °C synthetics cycle, inside out. For odours – a spoonful of vinegar in the softener drawer.
Skip softener on sportswear – it clogs the fibres and traps odour.

It dries fastest hung up. Iron on 1 dot, through a cloth; steaming from a distance is better.

Questions and answers

Got the whole label?

Pick all its symbols and get the washer, dryer and iron settings in one place.

01Does polyester shrink?

Hardly, unless very hot. The bigger risk is the iron.