You finally found the perfect oversized hoodie. It's soft. It's cozy. You wear it everywhere. And then laundry day shows up and you think — can I just throw this in with everything else?
Please don't.
Oversized hoodies — especially ones made from soft fabrics like sponge fleece — need a little extra care. Not a lot. Just a few simple steps that take maybe 30 extra seconds. The payoff? A hoodie that stays just as soft and vibrant as the day it arrived.
This guide covers the exact care routine we recommend for Giant Hoodies (which use 8oz sponge fleece), plus general tips that work for any oversized hoodie — sherpa, fleece, French terry, you name it. Not sure what a Giant Hoodie is? Start there.
Let's keep your favorite hoodie in rotation for years.
Why Oversized Hoodies Need Special Care
Regular hoodies can usually survive whatever you throw at them. But oversized hoodies are different — especially the ones made from soft, plush fabrics.
Here's the thing: the softness you love is the reason you need to be careful. Fabrics like sponge fleece get their feel from a brushed, lofted surface. Heat, friction, and harsh chemicals break down those fibers over time. That's what causes pilling, fading, stiffness, and cracked prints.
It's not that your hoodie is fragile. It's that treating it right is the difference between "still feels brand new after a year" and "what happened to this thing?"
The good news: proper care is easy. Here's the full step-by-step.
Step-by-Step: How to Wash Your Oversized Hoodie
1. Tie Little Knots in the Drawstring Ends
This is the step nobody thinks about until it's too late. Those hoodie drawstrings can slip right through the channel during a wash cycle, and once they're gone, they're a pain to thread back through.
Before you toss your hoodie in, tie a small knot at each end of the drawstring. Doesn't have to be fancy — just enough to stop them from pulling through. It takes five seconds and saves you a lot of frustration.
2. Wash Alone or With Soft Clothes Only
Your oversized hoodie should never share a load with jeans, jackets with zippers, towels, or anything with rough textures, hooks, or hardware. Those items act like sandpaper against soft fleece — they cause pilling, snagging, and surface damage.
The ideal wash load for your hoodie is: other soft items. Think cotton t-shirts, joggers, soft pajamas. Or better yet, wash it on its own. Oversized hoodies take up a fair amount of space anyway, so a solo wash isn't wasteful.
Pro tip: If you have multiple Giant Hoodies (a lot of our customers do — $39 each when you buy 3+ makes that easy), wash them together. Soft fleece with soft fleece. They'll be fine.
3. Cold Water, Gentle/Delicate Cycle
This is the wash setting that matters most.
Cold water only. Hot water breaks down the fibers in fleece and can cause printed designs to crack, peel, or fade. Cold water cleans just as effectively for lightly worn garments like hoodies — you're not scrubbing grease out of work clothes here.
Gentle or delicate cycle. The difference between a normal cycle and a gentle cycle is agitation speed. Normal cycles spin hard and fast, which creates more friction. Gentle cycles use slower agitation and are much kinder to soft fabrics. Most modern washers have a "delicate" or "gentle" option — use it.
Use a mild detergent. Nothing with added bleach or heavy fragrance. A basic, color-safe detergent is all you need.
4. NEVER Put It in the Dryer — Always Air Dry
This is the single biggest mistake people make, and it's the one that does the most damage.
Do not put your oversized hoodie in the dryer. Not on low heat. Not on tumble dry. Not "just for 10 minutes to soften it up." The dryer is the enemy of soft fleece.
Here's why: dryers use heat and tumbling to remove moisture. That combination is devastating to sponge fleece (and most soft fabrics). The heat stiffens the fibers, shrinks the fabric, and can crack or distort printed designs. The tumbling creates friction that pills the surface. One dryer cycle can undo everything you did right in the wash.
Instead, air dry. Lay your hoodie flat on a clean surface or drape it over a drying rack. If you hang it, use a wide hanger or fold it over the rack bar to avoid stretching the shoulders. Give it time — oversized hoodies are big and take a bit longer to dry. Plan ahead and wash it the night before you need it.
A well-air-dried hoodie comes out soft, the print stays intact, and the shape holds. Every time.
5. Skip the Bleach and Fabric Softener
No bleach. This one's obvious — bleach will destroy the color and damage the fibers. But it's worth saying because some detergents have bleach built in. Check the label.
No fabric softener. This one surprises people. Fabric softener sounds like it should help, right? It doesn't. Fabric softener works by coating fibers with a thin chemical layer. On soft fleece, that coating actually reduces the natural loft and plushness that makes the fabric feel good in the first place. Over time, it builds up and makes the fabric feel stiff and waxy — the opposite of what you want.
Your hoodie doesn't need fabric softener. The fleece is already soft. Just wash it gently and let it air dry. That's it.
The Quick-Reference Care Checklist
- Tie knots in drawstring ends
- Wash alone or with other soft items
- Cold water only
- Gentle/delicate cycle
- Mild detergent (no bleach, no fabric softener)
- Air dry — NEVER use the dryer
- Store folded, not hung (prevents shoulder stretching)
You can also find these instructions anytime on our care & wash page.
Common Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
"I accidentally put it in the dryer."
We hear this one a lot. Here's the honest answer: if your hoodie went through a full dryer cycle, some damage may have already happened. The fleece may feel slightly less soft, the fabric may have tightened, and any printed designs may show minor cracking or texture change.
The good news is that one dryer cycle usually isn't catastrophic — it's repeated dryer use that really degrades the fabric. Going forward, switch to air drying only and your hoodie will hold up well from here.
If the softness took a hit, try washing it again on a cold gentle cycle (no detergent this time) and air drying. It won't fully reverse dryer damage, but it can help relax the fibers a bit.
"I washed it with rough clothes and now it's pilling."
Pilling happens when soft fibers get roughed up by abrasive surfaces. If you see small fabric balls forming on the surface, a fabric shaver or sweater stone can remove them without damaging the hoodie. They're inexpensive and work well.
Going forward, always wash with soft items only or wash solo.
"I used fabric softener and now it feels different."
One round of fabric softener won't ruin your hoodie, but it may feel slightly different. Wash it again with just water (no detergent, no softener) on a cold gentle cycle to help rinse out the residue. It should bounce back after a cycle or two.
"The print is cracking."
Print cracking is almost always caused by heat — either hot water in the wash or the dryer. Once a print has cracked, you can't reverse it, but you can prevent further damage by following the cold-wash, air-dry routine from now on. Turning inside out every time also helps significantly.
Caring for Other Types of Oversized Hoodies
Not every oversized hoodie uses the same fabric. Here's a quick breakdown of care tips for the most common types:
Sherpa Fleece (Oodie, wearable blankets, etc.)
Sherpa is thick and fuzzy. It's more tolerant of heat than sponge fleece, but it still pills easily. Wash cold, gentle cycle, and air dry when possible. If you must use a dryer, use the lowest heat setting. Avoid washing with towels or anything with velcro — sherpa grabs onto lint and fibers like a magnet.
French Terry (Champion, some Nike/Adidas hoodies)
French terry has loops on the inside and a flat face on the outside. It's one of the most durable hoodie fabrics and can handle machine washing fairly well. Cold water and air drying will still extend its life, but it can tolerate a low-heat dryer cycle if you're in a pinch.
Standard Cotton/Poly Fleece (Gildan, Hanes, basic hoodies)
Most basic hoodies are cotton-poly blend fleece. They're relatively forgiving. Cold water and gentle cycle are ideal, but these can handle a normal wash. Avoid high heat in the dryer to prevent shrinking. Turn inside out if there's a screen print.
Sponge Fleece (Giant Hoodies)
This is what Giant Hoodies uses. It's an 8oz plush fleece with a soft, brushed face. It's the softest of the bunch, but it needs the most care. Follow the full step-by-step guide above — or check our care & wash page for the quick version. Cold water, gentle cycle, air dry, no bleach, no fabric softener. Treat it right and it'll treat you right.
Browse 7,000+ Giant Hoodie designs — each one printed on this same soft sponge fleece. Not sure where to start? The Original Giant Hoodie in a solid color is always a great first pick.
How Often Should You Wash Your Oversized Hoodie?
Less than you think.
Hoodies aren't like underwear or gym clothes — they don't need to be washed after every wear. Unless you spilled something on it or wore it during a workout, you can easily get 3-5 wears between washes. Some people go longer.
Over-washing is actually worse for your hoodie than under-washing. Every wash cycle (even a perfect one) creates some wear on the fabric. The less often you wash, the longer it lasts.
When to wash:
- It smells
- There's a visible stain
- It's been 4-5+ wears
- You spilled something on it
When you don't need to wash:
- You wore it for a few hours around the house
- You wore it out but didn't sweat
- It still smells fine
Between washes, you can freshen it up by hanging it in open air for a few hours. A quick spritz of fabric refresher (not softener) works too, though it's usually not necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I wash my oversized hoodie in a washing machine?
Yes — machine washing is fine as long as you use cold water, the gentle/delicate cycle, and follow the steps above. Hand washing works too if you prefer, but it's not required.
Can I iron my oversized hoodie?
We don't recommend it, especially for printed hoodies. The heat from an iron can damage prints and flatten the fleece texture. If you need to remove wrinkles, hang it in the bathroom while you shower — the steam will relax the fabric naturally.
How do I get a stain out without ruining the hoodie?
Spot-treat the stain with a small amount of cold water and mild detergent. Dab gently — don't rub. Let it sit for a few minutes, then wash the whole hoodie on the cold gentle cycle. Avoid hot water or aggressive scrubbing, which can spread the stain or damage the fabric.
Can I dry clean my oversized hoodie?
It's not necessary, and some dry cleaning chemicals can be harsh on fleece fabrics. A cold gentle machine wash and air dry is all you need.
Will my hoodie shrink if I wash it wrong?
Hot water and dryer heat can cause shrinkage, especially in fabrics with cotton content. Stick to cold water and air drying and you won't have any shrinkage issues.
Does the print fade over time?
With proper care — cold water, inside out, air dry — prints hold up extremely well over time. Fading and cracking are almost always caused by heat exposure (hot water or dryer) or friction (washing with rough fabrics). Follow the steps in this guide and your print will stay vibrant.
Take Care of It and It'll Take Care of You
Your oversized hoodie isn't just a piece of clothing — it's the thing you reach for first on a cold morning, the thing you live in on weekends, the thing that feels like home. With a little care, you'll stay in love with it for years. (And if you're wondering about sizing, our one size fits most guide breaks down exactly how it works.)
The routine is simple: cold water, gentle cycle, air dry. That's really it. Do those three things and you're covered.
If you don't have your perfect hoodie yet, come find it. We've got 7,000+ designs printed on the softest sponge fleece you've ever worn — and now you know exactly how to keep it that way. The Original Giant Hoodie is always a great starting point if you want a clean, solid color look.
Want to know which one to pick? Check out our guide to the best oversized hoodies in 2026. Or see our favorite oversized hoodie outfit ideas for styling inspiration.
