# How long does Vinyl Last?



## Commandaricky

Hey people

From personal experience...how long does the average vinyl design last if done properly, washed inside out...not ironed on print, no tumble drying etc?

Kind Regards
Ricardo


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## dcbevins

Some manufacturers will claim the HTV will outlast the shirt. That the shirt will fall apart before the vinyl does.

Personal experience with normal htv, (like Siser,) is that if you turn it inside out and wash on cold, this claim is near the truth. The shirt will get holes in it before the vinyl. However, I often forget to turn inside out and wash on warm. In these cases the vinyl might start to peel. Bubbles and wrinkles can form. Fifteen to twenty washing's seems to be a range this can happen. Some times a normal iron can fix bubbles and wrinkles.

Pressure and heat when applying make a huge difference.

With some metallic htv, the sheen can come off the material in ten washing's I have found. Again, I am a bit forgetful on wash day to proper care. The vinyl is still there, just the metallic luster fades. I toss the stuff in the dryer.

I am not sure about glitter, flock or other such specialty films.


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## Commandaricky

Hey there,

Thanks so much for the reply!


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## tfalk

We've been using eco film from imprintables for better than 5 years. We've had exactly 1 item come back from a grade school with the vinyl peeling off and it looks like the kid used a knife to try to peel it off. I have t-shirts of my own using eco film that have been washed over 100 times, warm water, not turning them inside out and the shirts have holes, the vinyl is still fine...


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## Commandaricky

@tfalk...im based in South Africa...not sure we have that film here.
Im currently using OS FLEX or POLYFLEX PREMIUM...You have any experience with this?

Cheers
Ricardo


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## tfalk

Sorry, no experience with any of those... once we find something that works, we stay with it.


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## Commandaricky

Ya, that makes sense.
Is it Spectra Eco-Film that you use? If not, please let me know whats the brand...

Thanks a million


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## tfalk

Correct, Spectra Eco-Film. We buy it from imprintables warehouse, they are a vendor on this forum...


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## Hebiki

tfalk said:


> We've been using eco film from imprintables for better than 5 years. We've had exactly 1 item come back from a grade school with the vinyl peeling off and it looks like the kid used a knife to try to peel it off. I have t-shirts of my own using eco film that have been washed over 100 times, warm water, not turning them inside out and the shirts have holes, the vinyl is still fine...


reading this post makes me EXTREMELY HAPPY! I went in blind and picked Eco-Film as my first HTV for my shirts. i do wash it inside-out. Glad to know they'll last longer than the shirts.


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## kingwoo

Have no exact data about it, but we used to do a lot material and washing texts about vinyl.

The result is different time and press lead to different results. The higher temperature and more time, the better the result will be. The setting of heat pressing decides the durability based on good quality.


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## Blue92

Not sure of the vinyl used but I have a t-shirt from when my son-in-law played softball for a local bar.

The screen printed front is still fine but the vinyl number on the back began to peel. I peeled them off and still wear it.

No special treatment when washed (none of my Tees get special treatment), it gets tossed in the washer with warm / hot water and tossed in the dryer.

Did I mention I inherited it when he outgrew it 20 or more years ago and the vinyl came off about a month ago.....


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## calhtech

Commandaricky said:


> Hey people
> 
> From personal experience...how long does the average vinyl design last if done properly, washed inside out...not ironed on print, no tumble drying etc?
> 
> Kind Regards
> Ricardo


I'm pretty sure if applied correctly, when the threads of the shirt are gone, the vinyl will still be there.

CalhTech>


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## gnochi71

I have noticed that the easy weed and the stretchy vinyls will wrinkle if on cotton shirts. I prefer to use easy weed on polyester garments, or a thicker vinyl on cotton


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## calhtech

gnochi71 said:


> I have noticed that the easy weed and the stretchy vinyls will wrinkle if on cotton shirts. I prefer to use easy weed on polyester garments, or a thicker vinyl on cotton


I use Stahls Premium+ and Fashion Film, I never see wrinkling. I did seem to recall it occasionally with EW.


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## xofficialpage

hey whats the difference between the 3 eco films. im on their website right now , thanks!


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## xofficialpage

tfalk said:


> Correct, Spectra Eco-Film. We buy it from imprintables warehouse, they are a vendor on this forum...


hey whats the difference between the 3 eco films. im on their website right now , thanks!


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## tfalk

Product Comparison | Imprintables Warehouse

The second chart shows you which substrate each of their product is used for...


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## binki

From the situation you described it will last forever as well as the shirt. I don't have very many customers that do that. A few months to a few years is average for us. It just depends on how aggressive they are with washing.


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