How I make shirts last longer: rotation, washing and restraint

At home

What I actually do

1. Wash at 30°C. I use a one-hour cycle with an extra-sensitive detergent from dm.
2. Spin at 800 rpm.
3. Dry and smooth on the Scanovus. I set the machine to 50°C for 25 minutes. This is also how I dry the shirts.
4. Accept a few wrinkles at the bottom. My shirts are unusually long, and the bottom 10 cm or so remains more wrinkled. That part is tucked into my trousers anyway.

The routine works well for me. A one-hour cycle on another washing machine may use different agitation, and the Scanovus temperature setting is not a measurement of the fabric’s temperature.

Why the old shirts need context

Sixteen years, but not sixteen years of weekly washing

I started buying Indochino near the beginning of my career. I treated the shirts carefully and built up a rotation, rather than wearing the same shirt constantly. Some are still with me almost 16 years later. Others became too tight after I gained muscle, particularly around the shoulders and biceps.

Rotation spreads use across more garments; it does not make an individual shirt need less cleaning after a day’s wear. My business-wear week is usually Monday to Thursday, and I like having combinations that work without asking one favourite shirt to do everything.

For the longer ownership story, see my current Indochino review. The shirts’ age is an observation, not proof of how many extra years any washing method adds.

Before the wash

Give the collar and cuffs a look

Check pockets, collar and cuffs before loading, and sort for fabric and colour. In a Reddit collar-stain discussion, one owner describes a familiar problem: an undershirt keeps much of the shirt clean, but the collar still develops a ring.

Several replies suggest pre-treatment. Proper Cloth’s dress-shirt instructions also recommend carefully applying detergent or a stain remover before washing. Use a suitable product according to its directions, rather than adopting the homemade mixtures or abrasive scrubbing suggested in some comments.

There is much less agreement in the discussion about washing frequency. Owners describe washing after every wear or several wears between washes. Those are personal routines, not a timetable to impose on a sweaty or stained shirt.

Temperature and spin

Read the whole care symbol

GINETEX explains that the number inside the wash tub is the maximum washing temperature. A bar underneath calls for reduced mechanical action; two bars indicate a very mild process. Temperature alone does not describe a suitable program.

Rpm means revolutions per minute during spinning. GINETEX advises avoiding or shortening spinning for certain mild processes to limit creasing. It does not prescribe one speed for all shirts. Washing and drying have separate instructions: a 30°C wash limit neither specifies nor approves a particular heated-drying setting.

The detergent

“Sensitive” does not tell you everything

I use an extra-sensitive detergent from dm. For choosing your own, start with the type of laundry: white and coloured shirts can need different products.

For example, Denkmit Vollwaschmittel Pulver Ultra Sensitive is marketed for white laundry and contains oxygen-based bleach. “Sensitive” does not mean bleach-free or suitable for every coloured fabric.

A European detergent thread includes both a recommendation for Denkmit Ultra Sensitive Color and another person’s complaint about powdery residue. Useful questions to investigate, but not a comparison test. Follow the product’s dose guidance for load size, dirt and local water hardness.

Drying and ironing

The Scanovus works well—with a long-shirt caveat

The Scanovus automatic ironing machine handles both drying and smoothing in my routine.

The wrinkled lower hem is a manageable compromise for my tucked-in shirts. Someone wearing the same length untucked would see the part I hide in my trousers.

Some of my Tailor Store fabrics also wrinkle quickly in wear and have been harder to iron than expected. The cloth still matters. This guide concerns my woven shirts, not a recommendation to put every T-shirt, knit or delicate garment through the same process.

Where mine wear out

Elbows and collar edges

When my shirts wear out, the elbows and collar edges are the areas I notice. That is where I would look when assessing an older shirt, rather than judging it only by how smooth the front looks after ironing.

I cannot separate the effect of fabric, fit, wear and washing from those observations.

Keep it simple

The checklist worth keeping

• Check collars, cuffs and pockets before washing.
• Match the wash program, detergent and dose to the garment and load.
• Check drying instructions separately from the wash temperature.
• Remove shirts promptly; if ironing conventionally, follow the ironing symbol.
• Store shirts fully dry and attend to loose buttons or seams.
• Inspect collar edges and elbows as well as the more visible front.
• Rotate shirts without postponing necessary washing.

The aim is a routine that leaves the shirts ready to wear and is simple enough to keep doing. For me, that includes accepting a few wrinkles where nobody sees them.

Sources & methodology

What comes from me, and what comes from research

The settings, Scanovus results, long-shirt limitation, rotation and wear observations describe my own experience. I have not run a controlled longevity test.

The linked care guidance from GINETEX and Proper Cloth, and the example detergent information from dm, were checked on October 5, 2026. The Scanovus link identifies the manufacturer, not a comparison of model generations. Reddit supplies attributed owner experiences and questions, not proof of effectiveness.

• About Lorenz and the review method
• Editorial disclosure

Last editorial review: October 5, 2026Commission earned: none