Vinyl Care instructions – A closer look:
Vinyl Care instructions listed below:
Dry Cleaning
While vinyl has got good resistant properties, the adhesive may not. Exposing the same to heat in washing environment when the fabric is constantly disturbed during washing may cause the print to peel off. The glue has got lesser binding properties under these conditions, and any reasonable force on the area around the print may remove it. Wash the fabric in cool water. Also, make sure you turn the garment inside out when washing so that there is minimal direct contact to the print. Be particularly careful when washing the area around the print.
Do Not Bleach Your Garment
This is an interesting one. Bleach contains certain chemical elements that react with the vinyl making it lose its physical strength. It also loosens the adhesive bond between the fabric and the print material. You can spot clean areas that have been stained but not immerse the whole shirt into a bleaching agent.
Do Not Use A Dryer
For the same reasons you do not wash the fabric in hot water, you should not use a dryer for fabric with vinyl print. The heat from the dryer will damage the print and cause it to shrink. It may also weaken the adhesive causing the print to peel off. The best way to dry a garment with vinyl print is to hang it to dry.
Soaking before washing
Do not soak your vinyl print garment for long before washing. Even then, only soak when necessary. Soaking loosens the adhesive quite fast, although you may not notice it the first or second time you soak clothes. The thing is, when it finally gives in, and your print will loosen and come off quite fast after that. Put your printed fabric into the water just as you are about to begin washing.
Ironing
Though vinyl has got reasonably good heat resistance properties, it will not survive direct heat from an iron box. You must always protect the print from the same when ironing by placing a protective layer between the print and the iron. This could be a bed sheet or any other suitable fabric that will not transfer any pigment to your garment during ironing. An alternative is turning the shirt inside out before ironing.
Avoid ‘Testing’ The Print
Please trust that the print is well fixed onto the fabric, do not try to peel it off at the edges to see how well the print is bound to the fabric. When the adhesive side of the print is exposed to moisture and other elements, it loses its original binding properties. The result is that the print will slowly start peeling off. The more adhesive exposure, the faster the rate of peeling. If you correctly follow instructions when making the print using quality materials, then you should not worry about the effectiveness of the technique. This has been tried and tested for years. So, it is the most durable kind of print but only after following all the print instructions. It also involves taking good care of your fabric after that. Otherwise, you can comfortably conclude that vinyl is a reliably durable printing technique.
In Conclusion
The Vinyl Care instructions are important to help keep the heat transfer vinyl durable. Most of the time, a good quality vinyl will last longer than the t-shirt itself. However, there are certain criteria to follow if you truly want your vinyl to last. As I’ve mentioned in this article, take proper care of your garment, follow the do’s and don’ts and your vinyl will last a long time. It pays to sit back and read the instructions once in a while. Every vinyl manufacturer will give instruction manuals. Head to our retail shop now to start purchasing our tshirts.
