Hard Goods & Promotional Items Care Guide

At RushOrderTees, we use industry-leading decoration methods to ensure your logo looks sharp and stays put. Hard goods like stainless steel tumblers, power banks, and non-woven convention totes require different care routines than our custom clothing products.

Follow these simple care guidelines to keep your promotional gear looking brand new and protect the integrity of your custom imprints.

1. Custom Drinkware Care

Whether it’s a morning coffee mug or a rugged sports water bottle, custom drinkware gets a lot of daily mileage. To protect your vibrant print or laser engraving from fading or peeling, pay close attention to how they are washed.

Dishwasher Safe (Top Rack Only) vs. Hand-Wash Only

• Ceramic Mugs & Basic Glassware: Most of our classic ceramic mugs and basic glassware are dishwasher safe. Always place them on the top rack only to keep them away from the high-intensity heat elements at the bottom of the machine.
• Travel Mugs, Tumblers, & Acrylic Cups: Double-walled acrylic tumblers, travel mugs with plastic lids, and insulated sports bottles should default to Hand-Wash Only. The extreme heat and high pressure of a dishwasher cycle can degrade the outer clear coats, causing custom logos to eventually peel or fade.

The Golden Rule: Avoid Soaking Vacuum-Insulated Stainless Steel

Important Note: Never submerge or soak premium stainless steel or vacuum-insulated water bottles in a sink full of water.

While they are excellent for keeping drinks ice-cold or piping hot, soaking them can trap water between the insulated walls or cause water to seep under the edges of a printed logo, ruining both the insulation capability and the custom design.

Clean them with a quick rinse, mild soap, and a soft sponge, then dry immediately.

2. Tech & Office Accessories Care

Branded tech accessories like power banks, wireless charging pads, and custom notebooks keep your business front and center on the desktop. Because these items contain sensitive internal electronics or delicate paper/faux-leather composites, they require a strict no-liquid-immersion policy.

Safe Wiping Procedures

• Use Microfiber Cloths: To remove fingerprints, dust, or smudges from tech items and notebook covers, use a dry, electronic-safe microfiber cloth. Avoid paper towels or abrasive scrubbers, which can scratch plastic surfaces and wear down fine print details.
• Avoid Direct Chemical Sprays: Never spray household cleaners, glass cleaners, window sprays, or harsh chemical disinfectants directly onto your custom-printed tech items. The alcohol or chemical compounds in these sprays can chemically dissolve or strip away pad-printed and UV-digital inks.
• How to Sanitize Safely: If a tech item needs to be sanitized, slightly dampen a microfiber cloth with a minimal amount of water or a mild electronic-safe wipe. Gently wipe the surface, completely avoiding direct rubbing over the printed logo area.

3. Totes & Promotional Bags Care

Custom bags, ranging from lightweight non-woven polypropylene convention totes to heavy-duty cotton canvas grocery bags, are designed to haul a lot of gear. However, throwing them in a standard washing machine is a recipe for disaster.

The Problem with Machine Washing

Traditional washing machine agitation and the intense heat of a laundry dryer will warp synthetic materials, cause canvas to shrink severely, and cause custom heat-pressed or screen-printed logos to crack, flake, or completely melt.

Standard Spot-Cleaning Procedure

For minor stains, dust, or spills, spot cleaning is always the safest and most effective method to maintain the integrity of your design:

1. Mix a Gentle Solution: Blend lukewarm water with a tiny drop of mild laundry detergent or dish soap.
2. Target the Stain: Dip a soft, clean washcloth into the soapy water and gently dab or buff the stained area.
3. Avoid the Logo: Do not scrub directly on top of printed or embroidered logos to prevent fabric friction from fraying the stitches or cracking the ink.
4. Reshape & Air Dry: Always hang your custom bags or lay them flat on a clean surface to air dry. Reshape the bag while it is still damp to ensure it retains its original form. Keep it out of direct sunlight while drying to prevent color fading.