How to Wash a Sweatshirt: The Complete Care Guide

Machine Settings, Drying Tips & How to Keep Sweatshirts Soft | Wash After Wash

Knowing how to wash a sweatshirt properly is the difference between a piece that still looks and feels new after fifty washes and one that's faded, pilled, and shrunken after five. Most of the damage done to sweatshirts happens in the laundry room, not from everyday wear — the wrong water temperature, an overloaded dryer, or the wrong detergent can undo a good sweatshirt fast.

This guide covers exactly how to wash sweatshirts step by step, how often to do it, and how to keep every piece in your rotation soft, full-colored, and pill-free for years.

How to Wash a Sweatshirt: Step-By-Step

The best way to wash sweatshirts is also the simplest. Washing sweatshirts correctly comes down to following these steps for how to wash sweatshirts in washing machine settings that protect fabric, print, and color:

Check the care label first — fabric blends (cotton, fleece, tri-blend) can call for slightly different settings.
Turn the sweatshirt inside out before loading it.
Wash in cold or lukewarm water on a gentle or normal cycle.
Use a mild detergent and skip fabric softener — it coats fibers and breaks down elasticity over time.
Wash similar colors together, and separate anything with zippers, embroidery, or prints from plain pieces.
Avoid overloading the machine so sweatshirts can move freely and rinse clean.

Following this process consistently is the real answer to how to properly wash sweatshirts — it's less about any single trick and more about repeating the right basics every time.

Should You Wash Sweatshirts Inside Out?

Yes — should you wash sweatshirts inside out is one of the most common care questions, and the answer is always yes. Turning a sweatshirt inside out protects the outer surface from friction against zippers, buttons, and other garments in the load, which is what causes pilling and fading in the first place. It also shields any printed or embroidered graphics from cracking or rubbing off in the wash.

How to Wash Sweatshirts Without Pilling

Pilling happens when fibers rub against each other and twist into small balls, and it's the single biggest complaint people have with fleece and cotton-blend sweatshirts. Here's how to wash sweatshirts without pilling:

Always wash inside out and on a gentle cycle.
Use cold water — heat weakens fibers and makes them more prone to pilling.
Wash sweatshirts separately from rougher fabrics like denim or towels.
Skip the dryer's high-heat setting, which is where most pilling actually sets in.
Consider a mesh laundry bag for extra protection on softer fleece styles.

How Often Should You Wash Sweatshirts?

A common question is how often should you wash sweatshirts, and the honest answer is: less often than you think. Unlike t-shirts worn against skin all day, sweatshirts are usually layered over another shirt, so they pick up less sweat and oil. Most sweatshirts only need washing every 2–3 wears unless they're visibly dirty, sweated in directly, or worn for a workout.

Washing how often to wash sweatshirts too frequently is actually one of the fastest ways to wear out fabric, fade color, and loosen the fit — so when in doubt, air it out and spot-clean instead of running a full wash.

How to Wash a Sweatshirt and Keep It Soft

For how to wash a sweatshirt and keep it soft and how to keep sweatshirts soft over time, the fix isn't fabric softener — it's avoiding the things that make fabric stiff and rough in the first place:

Wash in cold water, which is gentler on the fibers that keep fleece and cotton feeling soft.
Use a small amount of detergent — excess detergent that doesn't fully rinse out leaves fabric feeling stiff.
Add a half-cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle occasionally to naturally soften fabric without residue.
Dry on low heat or air dry, and remove promptly once dry rather than leaving it balled up in the dryer.

This is also the most reliable approach for how to wash sweatshirts to keep them soft and how to wash sweatshirts and keep them soft wash after wash, especially with heavier fleece and French terry styles.

Can Sweatshirts Go in the Dryer?

Yes, but with caution. Can sweatshirts go in the dryer is a question worth taking seriously, since high heat is the number one cause of shrinkage and pilling. If you do use the dryer, choose a low-heat or delicate setting, remove the sweatshirt while it's still slightly damp, and let it finish air drying flat. For the longest-lasting results, air drying on a flat surface — rather than hanging, which can stretch the shoulders — is always the safer choice.

How to Wash Gildan Sweatshirts

Gildan is one of the most popular blank sweatshirt brands for custom decoration, and how to wash gildan sweatshirts follows the same core process as any other cotton or cotton-blend sweatshirt: cold water, inside out, gentle cycle, and low-heat or air drying. Because Gildan blanks are frequently screen printed or embroidered for custom orders, inside-out washing matters even more here — it protects the printed design from cracking and extends the life of the decoration itself. Browse Gildan sweatshirts to shop blanks built for exactly this kind of everyday wear and repeat washing.

How to Get Sweatshirts Really Clean

To fully clean sweatshirts — not just refresh them — pretreat any visible stains before washing rather than after, since heat from drying can set a stain permanently. A short soak in cold water with a stain-specific pretreatment, followed by the standard gentle cold wash cycle, handles most everyday marks without needing harsh chemicals or hot water that can shrink or fade the fabric.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you wash a sweatshirt without ruining it?

Turn it inside out, wash in cold water on a gentle cycle with mild detergent, skip fabric softener, and dry on low heat or air dry.

Should you wash sweatshirts inside out?

Yes — washing inside out protects the outer fabric surface and any printed or embroidered graphics from friction, pilling, and cracking.

How often should you wash sweatshirts?

Most sweatshirts only need washing every 2–3 wears, since they're usually layered over another shirt and pick up less sweat and oil than a t-shirt worn directly against skin.

Can sweatshirts go in the dryer?

Yes, on a low-heat or delicate setting. For the longest-lasting results, remove while slightly damp and let them finish air drying flat.

How do you keep sweatshirts from pilling in the wash?

Wash inside out in cold water on a gentle cycle, separate from rougher fabrics like denim, and avoid high heat in the dryer.

What's the best way to keep a sweatshirt soft?

Use cold water, a small amount of mild detergent, and dry on low heat or air dry — fabric softener buildup is actually what makes sweatshirts feel stiff over time.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to wash sweatshirt pieces the right way takes a few extra seconds per load — inside out, cold water, gentle cycle, low heat — but it's what keeps colors from fading, fabric from pilling, and fit from shrinking wash after wash. Build the habit once, and every sweatshirt in your closet lasts years longer for it.

Ready to add to your collection? Browse the full wholesale sweatshirts catalog at Simplstc Apparel to shop every style, color, and brand covered in this guide.