The Comfort Colors® Streetwear Care Guide
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The most common worry after buying a heavyweight graphic tee isn't the design — it's what happens the first time it goes through the wash. Shrinking, fading, a print that starts cracking after a few cycles. Comfort Colors® 1717 is garment-dyed and pre-shrunk before it ever reaches us, which gives it a real head start, but a few small habits make the difference between a shirt that lasts years and one that falls apart in a season.
Here's exactly how to wash your Blossombless.co™ pieces to keep the print sharp and the oversized fit holding its shape.
How to Wash a Comfort Colors® Tee Without Shrinking or Cracking the Print
1. Turn It Inside Out First
Always flip your tees, crewnecks, and hoodies inside out before washing. It keeps the printed graphic away from direct friction with the drum and zippers, which is the single biggest cause of print cracking over time.
2. Cold Water Only
Hot water is what actually shrinks cotton — not the fabric itself. Wash on a cold cycle (below 30°C / 85°F) to protect the fit you bought it for.
3. Skip Harsh Detergents
Bleach and heavy-duty detergents strip color faster than normal wear ever would. A mild, dye-safe liquid detergent keeps the garment-dyed colorways looking the way they did on day one, wash after wash.
4. Air Dry Instead of Machine Drying
High heat from a dryer is harder on heavyweight cotton than most people realize — it's what causes collars to warp and fleece to break down. Line-dry out of direct sunlight, or lay flat, and let the fabric settle on its own.
Why Comfort Colors® 1717 Holds Up Better Than Standard Blanks
Most fast-fashion graphic tees are printed on thin, pre-shrunk-in-name-only cotton that starts thinning after a handful of washes. Comfort Colors® 1717 is a genuine 6.1 oz heavyweight cotton — dyed and finished after construction, not before — which is a big part of why it resists shrinkage and holds its shape better than the standard Amazon or Etsy blank.
That's also why it's become the go-to fabric for people who wear their off-duty pieces hard — nurses inside The Medics Capsule and educators in The Academic Collection , both wearing it through frequent, high-heat wash cycles.
A Small Habit With a Real Payoff
Taking care of a piece properly is the simplest way to get more out of it — fewer replacements, less waste, more wear out of something you actually chose on purpose.
For more on the materials themselves, read the Brand Blueprint or check the full breakdown on the Fabrics Page.