Care for Your VC Apparel
VC makes the highest-quality ultimate apparel on the planet, and we have a few tips to help you keep it looking - and smelling - its best!
How to Care for Your FlexLight Jerseys & Shorts
FlexLight is VC's most prevalent fabric. It is lightweight, soft and boasts anti-microbial and moisture-wicking properties - all while offering UPF50 sun protection!
To ensure longevity of your FlexLight apparel, it's important to take care of it properly.
- Wash in cold water. Warm water is fine, but definitely keep water temperature under 85°F/29.5°C.
- Wash stained apparel (grass, mud, etc.) immediately to keep stains from setting.
- Do not leave worn apparel in bags/closed luggage or squished down at the bottom of a laundry hamper; bacteria can build, causing odor and making any stains difficult to remove.
- Hang apparel to dry (or tumble dry on the lowest heat setting available if absolutely necessary).
- Always wash lights and darks separately, and wash similar fabrics together. For example, rougher fabric like denim or zippers can rub and cause damage to delicate performance apparel.
- Do not dry-clean or iron under any circumstance.
Velcro is your Nemesis
Our most important tip... avoid washing, drying or even packing your FlexLight apparel near any items featuring velcro. The tiny plastic hooks that make velcro work will cause small snags in your fabric, which are made even more noticeable when your garment is fully sublimated (the white of the original fabric/inside garment will show).
Backpacks & Camera Straps
We engineered FlexLight to feature the best balance of performance, comfort and durability possible. At 125gsm, it's a very light fabric, which means it can be delicate and snag when stressed by the constant rubbing of shoulder straps from a backpack or the strap used to carry camera equipment.
If you are choosing to wear a VC jersey while traveling or taking photos from the sideline, we strongly suggest you opt for a white jersey so that any fibres loosened by the rubbing are less noticeable. Don't worry, you're still protected by the UPF50!
Top jersey: Rubbing from a bag; less visible because the fabric is pure white. Bottom jersey: discolouration from washing with dyed knit fabrics, such as bright socks.
Heavy Stains
The best way to fight stains is immediate action, but that's not always possible after a sweet layout in round one. Try these tricks as soon as you can at the end of the day:
- Pre-soak with regular detergent or non-bleach stain removers for at least 30 minutes in lukewarm water.
- Rinse well in cold water.
- If stain is still visible, try treating the stain by directly applying a (non-bleach) stain remover and letting it soak again for another 15-20 minutes.
- Wash in cold water immediately with regular detergent.
Do not let your apparel dry during any point in the stain removal process.
Repeat the above steps until the stain is no longer visible before drying, and avoid dryers since the heat will help set the stain.
Smelly Apparel
We all know that performance apparel can start to smell less than amazing over time. The culprit is bacteria, which grows on that sweat-soaked jersey left lying around between workouts and washes.
- Wash sweaty clothes immediately.
- Try soaking them in a diluted solution of water and white distilled vinegar (4 parts water, 1 part vinegar) for 30 minutes and wash immediately afterwards.
- Turn your shirts and shorts inside out before washing.
- Do not use fabric softer or more than the recommended detergent amount.
How to Care for your Microfibre Shorts
It's your lucky day; these are the easiest shorts to care for in the (ultimate) world! Just wash in cold water, regular detergent and hang dry. Make sure to only wash with other similar colours.
Looking for a pair of these wonderful shorts? Pick up a pair of Shorty Shorts or starting designing custom Micro Shorts today!
Have an extra tip on how you care for your VC jerseys and shorts? Send us a note; we'd love to hear from you!