It is not uncommon to be faced with somewhat of a dilemma on how to wash and care for African or wax print fabrics. Sometimes, there is a love-hate relationship at play when it comes to washing African print clothing and textiles. On one hand, one might love the rich colour and vibrancy of the fabric and on the other, be scared to damage the fabric in a washing machine for the risk of having the colours run or damaging the cloth.
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Some people suggest doing a colourfastness test for each fabric to see if the colour runs but the truth is that if you have a lot of clothes, this could take a lot of time and effort that is just not necessary. So, fear not! Taking care of your African print clothing does not have to be rocket science really. Simply follow some of the careful suggestions below and you should be all good.
Wash only when really dirty
Do you have the habit of tossing your apparel in the dirty clothes basket after just one wear? You might want to rethink that. African print fabrics, depending on the quality and originality can be almost like denim in the sense that they could get weak and the colour could fade out if over-washed. To avoid this, you will want to observe the clothes you wear carefully and how they pick up dirt from your environment so that you know when it is ready to be washed. If they have a foul odour or a weird smell, that is also an indication that they need to be washed. Note: If the fabric is good quality, it can last for many years regardless of how many times you wash it.
Machine or Hand wash only
Contrary to popular belief, you can actually machine wash your African print clothing but I would suggest washing using cold water on a delicate wash cycle and a mild detergent. Turn the garment inside out when placing in the washer. Many sources have recommended washing it with similar colours but I think this is very hard to do considering that these fabrics usually come in a mix of prints and patterns of various colours. It would be quite a challenge and tedious to isolate certain colours in order to get a full load and wash them together. As a result, I tend to wash all of my prints together separating only the light from the dark colours. But, I have never had the colours run and this could probably be due to the fact that I purchase only clothing made with high quality African print fabrics. This should be a no-brainer but NEVER wash your African prints with white or pale coloured fabrics.
Dry and iron on a low heat temperature
Many years ago in Nigeria, I remember line drying my clothes but now, I live in Canada and have not had the luxury of doing that for years. As such, I do not prescribe to the notion that you should never place your African prints in the dryer. If you do happen to have a clothes line at your house, say in your yard then this would be a great way to dry your African print clothes – make sure they are not directly under the sun’s rays to prevent sun damage. Otherwise, just toss them in the dryer and place the temperature on the lowest heat setting. Some dryers have a “no heat” setting which works perfect! Once the clothes are dry, you can iron them on the cotton setting and if you have a steamer, that works great too. When deciding to iron your clothes, keep in mind that some African print clothes are lined with linens and silks so it is important to know and align your iron to the right fabric setting.
Do not dry clean your African prints
If you are scared of washing your African prints in the machine and placing them in the dryer, I suggest doing a test with one of two garments to see how it goes first. Once you become more confident, then you can run a full load and not be at risk of damaging your precious clothes. Remember, you cannot dry clean African prints. Hand washing or machine wash on delicate cycle is key. The truth is that if you cannot hand wash all of the clothes or do not know how to, you will still have to use the washer anyway. The most important thing is using the washer the proper way.
Tips on hand washing your clothes
It is funny how most people would be completely stranded if their washing machine ever broke down and would be at a loss for how to wash and care for African or wax print fabrics. So, I scoured the internet for some suggestions on how to hand wash your clothes properly. There are quite a few videos on this topic but I selected one that I thought provided a great overview and description on how to do this properly. This video comes the closest to how I usually wash my clothes. In the video, she is not washing any recognizable African prints per say but the principle is the same. Feel free to view and let me know what you think.
So, do you think you will ever give hand washing a try?
Jamila Kyari
I’m a writer who focuses on African fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. Subscribe to my newsletter and stay updated on the latest trends!
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