What is the best way to wash a shirt that has autographs on it?

Question

I have a t-shirt that I recently had a group of people sign with permanant marker. I want to wash the shirt (since I've worn it a few times), but I don't want to loose the signatures that have been written on the shirt with marker.

What is the best way to wash such a shirt?

Would I be better off taking it to a professional drycleaner and letting them take care of it?

Answer 1

I used to wash mine in woolite and cold water. Eventually, all the autographs did fade - but it took awhile (many washings)

Answer 2

wash it carefully where the autograph is and leave the rest where the autograph is.

Answer 3

Dry cleaning actually is pretty hard on marker.  you'll want to use cold water with about a quarter to half of the detergant you normally use, and just regular detergant, not bleach or bleach alternatives.  to "set" the ink, you can throw it in the dryer before you wash it, but if you have any other stains, it can also set them in.  One other options to help "set" the writing is to iron the signatures before you wash it.  Using cold water will tend to make the signatures last longer.