Football jerseys are your sidekick in every football match, meaning that after you work up a sweat to score a goal or whenever you slide through the pitch to execute a slide tackle, your football uniform is even more deserving of a good wash. 

At Ultra Football, we know how much your favourite football jersey means to you. Heat-pressed decals such as a player’s name or numbers, team and sponsor logos printed on the jersey can easily tear, peel off or even stick to each other. To avoid your jersey from getting damaged, wearing out quickly or its colour fading, we’ve created a guide to follow on how to correctly clean your football uniform either by hand or in the washing machine.

How to Machine Wash Your Football Jersey

If you want to let your washing machine do the work in removing stubborn stains from your football jersey, we’ve got you covered with these steps: 

1. Treat stains pre-wash

Remove any tough grass, blood or food stains from your football jersey before throwing it in the washing machine. Dampen the stained spot with cold water and apply a pre-wash stain removal agent of your choice directly to the stain.  

2. Separate colours for wash 

If you’re wondering whether you should separate football socks, jerseys and shorts in the wash, the answer is definitely yes! Colours from other clothes can bleed in the washing cycle, so it is essential to separate light and dark coloured items. Your entire football uniform has varying colour tones and is likely also made from different fabrics, which in return require different care. Another washing tip is not to mix your football uniforms with other garments as, for example, zippers and hooks from jeans can pull on the polyester fibres of your football uniform. Small fibres from cotton clothes can also stick onto heat-pressed logos and numbers, which will affect their look.

3. Flip your jersey inside out

Before placing your football jersey in the washing machine, turn it inside out to protect any patches, logos and stitching from abrasion. 

4. Select a cold water machine wash on the delicate cycle

Use cold water in your washing cycle to prevent your football jersey’s decals from fading, shrinking or getting damaged by heat.

5. Use a bleach-free & colour-safe detergent

Wash your football uniform with a bleach-free and colour-safe powder detergent for the best results. Several liquid detergents contain ingredients that are harmful to polyester jerseys.

6. Hang & air dry

Turn the jersey right side out after removing it from the washing machine. We recommend not using a tumble dryer as the high levels of heat may melt the decals and badges on your football jersey. Instead, air dry your jersey not in direct sun or heat to help prolong it’s life. If you want to be extra careful, another tip is to shield your football uniform from the sun’s direct heat by covering it with a thin fabric.

How to Hand Wash Your Football Jersey

If you have the time, hand washing your jersey and uniform allows you to ensure that your kit is cleaned thoroughly. Many of the steps for hand washing your jersey is the same as putting it in the washing machine, such as preparing your uniform for washing and how you air dry it: 

• Flip your football jersey inside out, so the badges and applications are protected.
• Fill up a tub with slightly warm water and a few pumps of colour-safe detergent and soak your football jersey for 10-15 minutes.
• For extra dirty jerseys and uniforms, use your hands to remove any stains or marks. Squeeze the jerseys and swirls the water around it to ensure the whole kit is cleaned.
• Rinse your jersey using clean water to remove any soap remnants.
• Wring it to get rid of excess water.
• Hang it out to air dry after flipping it back to the right side.

If we have the time, we prefer to hand wash our jerseys. That being said, if you’re tired after a long stint on the pitch we don’t blame you for using the washing machine from time to time.

These easy steps to clean your soccer jersey can also be used for football shorts and socks. Following this care guide will have your football uniform looking brand new after each wash. If you feel like adding to your collection so you can alternate uniforms, check out our football jersey range and grab your new favourite pair of football boots from our latest drops at Ultra Football.