Football is a sport where you are bound to get dirt on your jersey and gear. The fierce tackles and the sheer joy of a touchdown make us forget that we are making our jerseys dirty. But such a jersey can’t be worn to a new game. While playing a new game, you must look clean and tidy at least at the start of the game. That is why every football player must be aware of how to wash a football jersey.
A football jersey is different from our ordinary clothing. Every football team uses a heavyweight and super stretchy polyester to make a jersey. It is very durable and its stretchiness allows for easy body movements. Even then the material is much easier to care for than ordinary fabrics such as cotton. All you need to remember while learning how to wash a football jersey is to have the right temperature of the water, appropriate detergent, and use of the stain removal process. Let us now get to the details of cleaning your football jersey.
Pre-requisites to washing a football jersey
For washing your football jersey you need a heavy-duty detergent. Your ordinary detergents won’t do any magic in removing the stains on your jersey. Also, the temperature of the water must be cold to warm. It shouldn’t be scalding hot. Set the cycle type on your washing machine to normal. Do not set it to rinse or anything else. While you may wash your jersey in a washing machine, do not let allow it to machine-dry. Also, it would be beneficial if you presoak the jersey in cold water.
Things needed and time required
Supplies
- Laundry detergent of the heavy-duty type.
- Some baking soda.
- An anti-odor disinfectant spray.
- An enzyme-based stain remover (optional).
- Some distilled white vinegar (optional).
Tools
- You will need a large sink, bucket, or plastic storage tub.
- A piece of clean cloth.
- A washing machine at your disposal.
- A mesh laundry bag.
Time Required
You will require around 30-40 minutes to properly wash the jersey and get all the dirt and stains off it. For soaking and drying the jersey, approximately 2-24 hours would be needed.
Procedure to wash a football jersey
The process of washing a football jersey is rather simple and involves a few steps as given below.
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Manually rinse the jersey to remove the surface dirt
Every football player must tend to their jersey after a game or a good practice session. The first step in cleaning the jersey is to rinse it manually by using cold water in a sink. The aim is to get rid of most of the surface dirt and mud. Another way to rinse it is by hanging the jersey over a clothesline and spraying water on it with a hose.
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Presoaking the jersey
This is the most important step in the entire process. What you need to do while presoaking the jersey is fill the sink or a bucket with warm water. Be sure to check that the water is not too hot. Then add 2-3tbsp of heavy-duty detergent and about a cup of baking soda to this water. Leave the jersey in this water for about an hour or a whole night if possible. The detergent will start removing the stains on the jersey and the balking sod in the mix will remove all the odors. You can do this step with colored jerseys as well but be sure to keep them in a separate bucket.
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Pretreating the stains
If the presoak didn’t eliminate the entirety of the stains, follow these tips for mud and grass stains.
Mud: Scrape off any abundance of dirt from the fabric, and apply some heavy-duty detergent with a delicate shuddered brush. If the mud is brought about by red earth, make a glue of oxygen-based bleach and a couple of drops of water. Apply the glue to the stain and let it sit for in any event 30 minutes before washing obviously.
Grass stains: Work a bit of heavy-duty detergent into the stained region with a delicate seethed brush. Permit the detergent to work for at any rate 15 minutes before washing.
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Put the jersey in the washer
While putting the jersey in the washer of the washing machine be sure to turn it inside out. This will ensure that the logos, emblems, and letters don’t get damaged while washing. Also, wash the jersey separately and not with other clothes. The cycle on the machine must be set to normal and the water used must be cold or warm.
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Put in detergent and odor control
Be sure to utilize a heavy-duty clothing detergent, for example, Tide or Persil to wash the jersey. They contain enough dynamic proteins to slice through the heavy soil so it will get off the fabric. To assist with odor removal, add 1 cup of baking soda to the washer drum. As opposed to fabric conditioner, utilize 1 cup of refined white vinegar in the wash water to eliminate any overabundance of detergent that can leave colors looking soiled.
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Air-dry the jersey instead of machine drying
Never allow the jersey to be subjected to machine drying. It will ruin the jersey by causing it to shrink. It will cause the stains to set in, fading of the colors, and ruin all the screen-printed letters and numbers. So instead of machine drying the jersey, hang it directly and allow it to dry in the sunlight.
Follow the above-mentioned steps to wash your football jersey properly. This is how you can be sure to have a clean and fresh jersey for every game. Now you know how to wash a football jersey.
