March 2025
Care Guide: The Polo Shirt
Often imitated but never duplicated, the Polo shirt has been an American style standard since 1972. Here is how to take care of yours and ensure it will only get better over time.
How to wash it:
- Use cold water. Washing with cold water prevents fabric from stiffening or shrinking.
- Choose a gentle or delicate cycle. This minimizes friction, which can stretch and weaken fibers.
- Use mild detergent without harsh chemicals. This protects the fabric.
- Turn it inside out. This reduces the wear on the outside of the fabric.
- Avoid overloading your washer. This allows more space for the shirt to move, reducing wrinkles and wear.
- Fasten all buttons before washing to maintain collar shape.
- How to remove deodorant stains:
- Removing white residue stains:
- Rub with a damp cloth or sponge to rub off the residue gently.
- Apply a small amount of liquid dish soap directly onto the stain and rub the fabric together. Rinse with cold water.
- Removing yellow deodorant stains:
- With baking soda paste:
- Mix 3 parts baking soda with 1 part water to create a paste.
- Apply it to the stain and let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Scrub gently with a soft toothbrush and rinse.
- Wash as usual.
- With white vinegar:
- Mix equal parts white vinegar and cold water.
- Soak the stained area for 30 minutes.
- Rinse thoroughly.
- Wash as usual.
- With lemon juice:
- Rub fresh lemon juice onto the stain and expose it to sunlight for 1-2 hours.
- Rinse thoroughly.
- Wash as usual.
- With baking soda paste:
- Removing white residue stains:
After you wash it:
- Reshape after drying while it's still wet. Lay the shirt flat and smooth out any creases or wrinkles. Reshape the collar and seams.
- Fold instead of hanging. Hanging can stretch the fabric, especially at the shoulders. If hanging, use padded hangers to distribute weight.
- Minimize tugging. Pull the shirt over your head carefully to avoid overstretching.
If you accidentally shrink it:
- Rinse the shirt with cold water but leave it slightly damp.
- Lay flat to dry on a towel and roll it up to remove excess water without wringing.
- Gently tug on the fabric to reshape it, pulling it evenly across the body, sleeves, and collar.
- Pin the shirt's edges with weight or lay flat to air-dry, ensuring it stays in the stretch position.
- Use a steam iron or steamer to relax fibers further. Hold it a few inches away and lightly stretch the shirt as you steam.
- Stretch the shirt gently while it is warm and damp from the steam.
- These techniques work for natural fibers like cotton. Synthetic fiber may not respond as well, but gentle steaming and stretching can still help.
Love It Longer
To ensure your Ralph Lauren product maintains quality for generations to come, always follow the care tips provided on each tag. For six of our most iconic products, we’ve sourced extra care tips from our design team.
Men
East Meets Western
In our first installment of Polo Originals and Friends—a celebration of communities around the world where personal style, cultural heritage, and timeless craftsmanship intersect—we brought together some special friends from Tokyo and invited them to reimagine this season’s collection of hardy tweeds with mountain style.
