How to Clean and Care for Olefin Clothes

Instructions

1. 
   

   Check for Stains and Pretreat

   Olefin garments are durable and tough, but they do hold onto oily stains. These are easily removed if treated immediately. Use a stain remover or a dab of heavy-duty detergent. Work the stain remover into the area with your fingers, and allow it work for at least 15 minutes before washing the garment.

   It’s very important to check olefin garments for stains and treat for the specific stain before washing because the heat from a clothes dryer or iron will set the stain and make it almost impossible to remove.

   
2. 
   

   Treat Dingy White Olefin Clothes

   While chlorine bleach can be used, the safest way to brighten and whiten olefin clothes is to use an oxygen bleach like OxiClean, Nellie’s All Natural Oxygen Brightener or OXO Brite. Follow the package directions as to how much product to add per gallon of water. Completely submerge the garment, and allow it to soak for at least eight hours. Check the color. If it’s back to normal, wash as usual. If the item remains dull or stained, mix a fresh solution, and repeat. It may take several soakings to remove the dullness or stains like dye transfer, but they should improve.

   
3. 
   

   Select a Detergent

   While you can use any laundry detergent to wash olefin, you’ll get the best results from a heavy-duty detergent like Tide or Persil that contains enough stain-busting enzymes to break apart and lift stains and body soil from the fabric fibers.

   
4. 
   

   Select Water Temperature

   Olefin can be washed in cold or warm water. Like most synthetic fibers, high temperatures in the washer can cause olefin fibers to melt and stick together, shrink, or deform. Always use cool or warm water when washing and cold water in the rinse cycle. Excessively hot water can create permanent wrinkles during the spin cycle, which are impossible to remove.

   
5. 
   

   Choose Cycle Setting

   Olefin should be washed using the permanent press cycle. This setting includes a cooling-down period and a reduced-speed spin cycle that will help reduce wrinkling. Try not to overload the washer because that can cause excessive wrinkling.

   
6. 
   

   Dry

   Olefin fabrics are lightweight and dry quickly. An outdoor clothesline or indoor drying rack are the best options. Excessively high heat in the dryer can permanently damage olefin fabrics. If you must use an automatic dryer, select the low-temperature, air-only setting, and remove the garments while still slightly damp.

   
7. 
   

   Skip the Iron

   Don’t press olefin fabrics with an iron at any temperature setting. A clothes steamer can sometimes remove set-in wrinkles, but the high heat required can also cause melting and create holes or cause the garment to shrink—and that can’t be reversed. If you use a clothes steamer, keep the nozzle at least six inches from the surface of the garment, and keep it moving to avoid overheating in one spot.