T-Shirt / Polo / Sportswear

See Cleaning Cases for more examples.

T-Shirts and Polo Shirts

The Key Is Restoring Shape, Not Just Washing

T-shirts and polo shirts are mostly cotton or cotton-blend knits. Cleaning them is not hard. What really affects how they look are three things: stretched collars, curling hems, and damage to prints and embroidered labels.

Collars

The collar takes more strain than any other part. It is stretched every time you put the shirt on or take it off, and the wash adds mechanical stress, so it can lose its elasticity and flare out. Buttons should be fastened before storing or washing, and polo placket buttons are always buttoned before washing.

For knit collars we use a low-agitation cycle and lay the garment flat to set its shape, rather than hanging it to dry. Wet knit fabric stretches under its own weight and would dry in that stretched shape.

Curling Hems and Cuffs

Single jersey knit naturally tends to curl at the edges, and high-heat drying sets the curl. We use low-heat drying with steam shaping, never high-heat drying.

Prints and Embroidered Labels

Rubber prints, heat-pressed prints and transfers don't tolerate high heat or strong agitation: heat can soften, crack or stick the print layer. Items with prints are always turned inside out, and we avoid pressing directly on the print.

An Extra Point for Polo Shirts

Weave: Polos often use a piqué knit, which has a deeper texture that traps dirt. The inside of the collar and cuffs gets extra pre-treatment.

Please Tell Us Before Sending

• Areas where the collar is already loose, the hem curls or the shape is distorted
• The location and condition of prints, heat-transfer labels and embroidery (please be sure to mention any cracking)
• New dark-colored items (a lot of dye is released on the first wash, so they are handled separately)
• Linen, silk or wool blends (handled differently)
• Areas with yellow sweat stains or stiff underarms

About Yellow Underarm Stains, Let Us Be Clear

Yellowing under the arms of light-colored T-shirts and polos comes from sweat, aluminum salts in antiperspirant, and oxidized skin oil building up in the fibers. This kind of yellowing gets harder to treat the longer it is left, and once the fibers have deteriorated it cannot be fully reversed.

We give it targeted treatment, but we do not promise to fully remove old yellow stains. For better results, send items in soon after the stains appear rather than waiting until the end of the season.

Performance Tops (Moisture-Wicking Shirts, Compression Wear, Sports Jackets)

The Problem Isn't Dirt, It's Odor

You may have noticed this: your sportswear smells clean after washing, but as soon as you start to sweat, the odor comes right back. That doesn't mean it wasn't washed properly. It's a property of polyester.

Polyester is hydrophobic and absorbs very little moisture. The water-soluble parts of sweat don't soak into the fibers, but skin oil and odor molecules cling to the fiber surface and lodge between the fibers. Regular washing uses water and has limited effect on these oily residues: it removes the water-soluble sweat but leaves the oily residue, and the bacteria living on it, behind.

That is why sportswear "still smells after washing."

How We Handle It

• Pre-treatment designed for oily residue, rather than relying on a regular wash
• Low temperature: polyester and elastane (spandex) don't tolerate heat, and high heat destroys stretch permanently
• Never any fabric softener. Softener leaves a water-repelling film on the fibers that clogs the moisture-wicking structure of performance fabrics and becomes a breeding ground for lingering odor. This is a common reason sportswear stops wicking sweat
• No high-heat drying. Once elastane is damaged by heat, compression wear becomes loose and misshapen and cannot recover
• Dark and light colors washed separately: performance fabrics carry a higher risk of dye transfer than cotton

What We Don't Do

• No fabric softener (never used on performance fabrics)
• No chlorine bleach (it makes elastane brittle)
• No high-heat drying
• No washing with cotton items in the same machine (cotton lint sticks to performance fabrics)

Please Tell Us Before Sending

• Known stubborn odors (they need extra pre-treatment, so please tell us early)
• Waterproof or water-repellent coated items (handled differently; see our performance jacket page)
• Reflective strips and taped seams (cannot be pressed; heat makes the tape peel off)
• Compression or tight-fitting wear (a high elastane content needs careful temperature control)
• Areas that have already lost their stretch or gone slack

What We Will Tell You Honestly

If odor has built up over a long time and residue has formed inside the fibers, one treatment may not remove it completely. It may need several treatments, or it may be irreversible. We assess this at pickup and tell you what to expect.

Pricing

NT$80 per item. We check the item and confirm the quote before cleaning, and only clean after you agree.

Add-ons:

• Express (within 3 days): +NT$200
• Multiple oil stains (3 or more), extra treatment: +NT$200
• Extra cleaning for heavy soiling: +NT$200
• Dye transfer removal: +NT$500

Payment: cash, bank transfer, LINE Pay or account credit.

Pickup & Delivery

Door-to-door pickup & delivery covers all of Taoyuan City and Linkou District (New Taipei City). The rest of Taiwan is served by shipping.

At pickup every item is checked and photographed, and every item gets a garment tag so you can track it.

Store: 1F, No. 30, Nanchang Rd., Luzhu Dist., Taoyuan City. Phone 03-311-1594.

Before You Send It

• Tell us about prints, labels or embroidery that are already cracked, and about collars or hems that are already stretched or curled.
• Mention new dark items, stubborn odors, coated or taped items and compression wear.
• Send items with yellow underarm stains soon rather than at the end of the season.

How to Book

Book via LINE: you can send photos first and ask for a quote. Or add this item to My List and check out on the website.