Keeping Your Heavyweight Cotton Hoodie Soft: Expert Tips

Pull on one of our heavyweight cotton hoodies and you’ll be amazed at how plush, soft and warm they are. We’re confident of that.

But if you’ve ever owned a sweatshirt before (and who hasn’t?) you’re probably aware that over time, sweaters and other clothing can get threadbare, losing their supple, suave softness.

Our heavyweight cotton hoodies and other cotton garments are made from pre-shrunk fabric and ring-spun cloth, which helps them keep their shape and stay softer for longer while preventing pilling.

But no garment is invincible, and there are things you can do to keep your sweatshirt feeling as soft as the day you first put it on for longer. Just consider the following!

Wash Less

The first suggestion to keeping your sweatshirt softer is also doubtless the easiest. Just don’t wash it as much.

Truthfully, since sweatshirts are outerwear, they really don’t need it. You’ll be surprised at how clean it’ll stay without washing if you’re just conscientious.

Spot clean stains, but otherwise, you should be able to wear your sweatshirt several times before it needs to be washed.

The reason for this is that every time you wash your clothes, loose fibers will wash out of the weave. This is what makes clothing become coarse and threadbare, but the solution is simple: wash less!

Turn Inside Out When You Wash

The soft loops of your heavyweight cotton sweatshirt are what keep it feeling soft and plush. Turning your sweatshirt inside out before washing helps protect them.

By turning it inside out, you’re preventing the outer surfaces of other garments from rubbing against it, and you’ll also help keep the outside of your sweatshirt softer for longer.

This trick also helps prevent the outside of your garment from fading, and moreover, it exposes the inner surface for cleaning, which is the part of your sweatshirt that likely needs it most.

Wash Them with Similar Garments

What you don’t want your sweatshirt to experience on entering the washing machine is a combat zone.

That is, don’t wash your lovely, soft heavyweight cotton hoodie with a heavy pair of jeans or a coarse jacket. Heavy, abrasive garments tumbling around in a washing machine with a hoodie will beat it up and knock loose fibers, which will then be washed out.

Instead, wash your heavyweight hoodie with similar, lightweight, soft cotton garments (preferably of like colors) to help prevent them from getting beat up and losing their luscious softness.

Wash in Cold Water

Another big thing about keeping your sweatshirts softer for longer is that it’s a good idea never to wash them in hot or even warm water.

In truth, warm water is alright - but cold water is much gentler on the fibers. In fact, this isn’t even about garments losing their shape, but about staying softer.

Hot and even warm water stress and stretch the fibers. Hot water also desiccates them, making them more brittle.

Cold water won’t do this. By the way, washing with cold water also has numerous other benefits - for instance, it wastes less energy, which is both better for the environment and your wallet - it’s a lot more affordable!

Skip the Harsh Detergents

Harsh detergents are a no-go here. Even though detergents are good at cleansing your garments and washing away dirt and oils, they can damage fabrics and repeated washings are actually not good for your clothing.

Instead, get yourself a mild detergent and use only as much as the manufacturer recommends - not more. Less is more here, and in fact, you may be able to use less than the recommended amount, anyway. This will be better for your sweatshirt, will keep it softer, and will save you money, too.

Skip Fabric Softener

Here’s an inconvenient truth. You don’t need fabric softener. Stop using it.

In the short term, it might seem as though fabric softener makes your clothing softer (like your sweatshirts), but over time, fabric softener tends to accumulate on fabrics, and can actually degrade them once the residue builds up.

Word to the wise: treat your heavyweight cotton hoodie in accordance with the other tips in this article, and you’ll never have a need to use fabric softener in the first place - so don’t.

Pass on the Dryer

One more tip: dryers may be good at making your clothing warm and dry, but they’re also incredibly harsh on fabrics.

Also, you know when you clean out the lint filter on your dryer and you pull out all the soft, luscious lint? Those are all fibers that started in your clothing and have been forced out by the dryer.

That is, that’s all your sweatshirt’s “softness” in the lint trap. Skip the dryer and lay your clothing flat in a cool, dry place to dry. This will keep them much softer and will prevent them from losing their shape, too.

Treat Yourself to a New Heavyweight Cotton Hoodie

Looking for a new heavyweight cotton hoodie for yourself or as a gift for a loved one? Christmas is right around the corner, and our sweatshirts make great gifts.

Just remember to pass these tips along if you do give one of our 100% cotton sweatshirts!