How to Care for Airline Pajamas

Warning: #firstworldproblems (or maybe #firstclassproblems?)

Nothing feels better than lounging around at home in airline pajamas and browsing Flyertalk. But one common problem people find with airline pajamas is that they’re liable to shrink.

One way to avoid shrinkage is to not wash the pajamas at all, which is not particularly hygienic. Instead, I’m going to recommend that you 1) wash in cold water and 2) air dry instead of tumble drying.

Excessive heat makes clothes shrink. By using cold water to wash and avoiding the high heat of dryers, you can make sure that your pajamas stay the same size as when you got them. I’ve washed my British Airways and Emirates pajamas multiple times using these techniques, and neither has shrunk at all.

Washing in cold water and air drying also generally helps extend the life of your clothing, so it’s not just for airline pajamas. Avoiding your dryer also lowers your energy costs, so you might save a little money as well.