Help! My shirts are deteriorating, fast!

[PETRONAS001]

I've noticed that most of my tshirts (the type that they sell in Dickies, Lee, Bench, mossimo, standard ones na may print) are beginning to have this..err.. I'm not sure what to call it. Basta iyong texture ng damit nagiging magaspang, and tiny pieces of cloth are cropping up giving it a "scrubbed" effect (maraming maliliit na bukol bukol na nanggaling sa fabric). Shirts are made of cotton, if that helps. Medyo bago pa yung mga tshirts pero meron na nito.

Does anyone know what causes this? And how can it be prevented?

[BaLdoMarO]

Theres a variety of reasons why this is happening.
Firstly- the quality of Cotton used.
When clothing manufacturers use cheap, second rate cotton the garment will have that tatty look and feel. Don't expect such garments to withstand the test of times. Generally, quality cotton is soft to the touch and has a 'sturdy' feeling and look to the weave (Egyptian, Italian and Japanese weaves are highly prized).

Secondly- the wash and care of the garment.
Make sure you wash your tshirts in LIGHT suds; use gentle laundry bars/powders (ditch the clorox use NAPISAN instead) and dont over scrub the garment as this will weaken its structure. Be gentle when you wash your T-Shirts and as much as possible keep them away from direct sunlight (shade dry them).

Lastly, give your clothes a breather. Don't wear a particular t-shirt 3-5x a wk. Wear it 1ce or 2x then let it rest for a week or two. Doing this religiously will prolong the life of a garment.

[PETRONAS001]

I see. Sayang naman. Some of them are barely a year old. Hindi lahat pure cotton. Iyong iba cotton w/ polyester.

We don't use clorox, only laundry bars like Perla.

I don't wear them that often either, approximately once every 3 weeks lang.

I expected more from branded clothes. :(

[bagel]

i think it's called pilling...? the thing is, BaLdoMarO is right, cheaper cotton has shorter fibers kasi, hence breakage.

[BaLdoMarO]

Is it a 95% Cotton / 5% Polyester blend?(I think the 95/5 is the best poly-cotton combo) Poly-cotton isn't that bad.
Such fibers are fused with cotton (the best are silk and tencel) so that the garment will not lose its shape easily.
Heres a few tips to help you in your nextshirt purchase:

1.) Inspect the item thoroughly. Look at the overall finish of the t-shirt and check out any speckles, pilling or imperfections.
2.) Look at the stitching and the cut . If there is a LOT of inconsistencies in the stitch and it looks like a 2 second stitch job, its guaranteed that it will not last long
3.) Feel the fabric and stretch it sideways to see its 'toughness'. Fibers that cling back easily is a sign of durability.

good luck

[bagel]

oh and look for "combed cotton" on the tag :)

[BaLdoMarO]

bagel: combed cotton has a beautiful, soft texture. The only problem is, if the cotton is of sub-standard quality pilling is inevitable. The more times you wash it, the more it sheds its fibers.
Puritan has some beautiful, quality cotton products (plain t-shirts and briefs) that will not cost you the earth. Buy several t-shirts and maybe you could screen print a customised design?

PETRONAS: follow the tips I imparted. You should be able to gauge which tshirts scream quality and which you should leave on its shelf. Check out CK Tshirts/Polo Shirts, Bossinni and Abercrombie and Fitch.

[Bea_]

Does your labandera hand wash your shirts?
Using washing machine kase nakakasira ng shirts.