i THINK that's because the vast majority of most soft snuggly tees (including this one!) are made of rayon, which is pretty delicate when wet and can be prone to anything from shrinkage to tears when thrown in the washing/drying machine with your other clothes. i've handwashed mine with cold water though, and it's held up fine! ALTHOUGH the bottom 2 inches of the back of the shirt have developed the fuzzballs and i have no idea why....i'm just gonna try and ignore that and hope it doesn't spread.........