You've found the perfect fitting shirt, sweater or dress. Then you wash it and it feelssnug or the sleeves would now fit an orangutan. What happened?
Why do Clothes Shrink in the Laundry
Even if you carefully followed all the "rules" of how to do laundry, shrinking and stretching can still happen. A great deal of how clothes reactduring cleaning happens long before you even enter a store to purchase them. The type of fibers, weave, and manufacturing techniques will determine how well the clothes perform after wearing and washing.
Every type of clothing fiber reacts differently. Natural fibers (wool, cotton, bamboo) have more stretch than most man-made fibers (polyester, acrylic, nylon). Loose fabric weaves stretch more than tighter weaves; but loose weaves will also tighten up or shrink more when exposed to water, heat, and agitation than a sturdy weave.
You can still make a difference in how your clothes look andreduce shrinking and stretching by using the right laundry techniques. Even then, in almost all garments there will be some shrinkage or stretching due to wear and tear of the fabric. Shrinkage or stretching at any time is residual, so even a tinyshift in size after each time the garment is cleaned will add up.
Prevent Clothes From Shrinking
1. Read the labels to learn how to care for clothes. Follow the guidelines regarding home washing vs dry cleaning, water temperature, type of laundry cycle, and dryer cycle recommendations. For natural fibers, look for the word "preshrunk." Some clothing manufacturers, especially bargain brands, find savings by stretching the fibers in garments as far as they can go during production so they'll use less fabric. If the fibers are preshrunk before the fabric is woven or the fabric is preshrunk before the garment is cut and sewn, there will be less shrinkage during its lifetime.
2. While using cold water will not prevent all shrinking, using cold or warm water when washing is less damaging to fabric than hot water.
3. The gentle cycle of a washer or hand-washing is also less damaging than washer cycles that have longer agitation and higher rotation spin cycles to extract water.
4. Front-loading or top-loading high-efficiency washers without a center agitator are less damaging and will cause less shrinkage in clothes than standard top-loading washers. The tumbling action of high-efficiency washers is more gentle to fabrics than the forced action of a standard washer agitator.
5. Allowing clothes to air dry is the most gentle method and helps prevent shrinkage. For loosely woven fabrics or knits, drying the garment on a flat surface will also prevent stretching. If you can't air dry clothes, use lower heat settings on the dryer and remove the clothes while slightly damp and allow them to finish air drying. Excessive heatis hard on fabrics.
Save Shrunken Clothes
For shrunken woolen sweaters, rewashing and reshaping may reverse the outcome. Follow these instructions to hopefully save the sweater:
Soak the sweater in lukewarm water and about 1/3 cup of hair conditioner.
Allow the sweater to soak for about 10 minutes before draining.
Gently press out water water being careful not to wring the material.
Roll the sweater out on a towel continuing to press out excess water.
Reshape the sweater gently pulling the fabric until it returns to its normal size
Continue to lay the sweater flat and allow it to air dry.
For woven cotton or linen clothes, pressing with a hot iron will flatten the fibers that have tightened up and sometimes add a bit of room to the body or length to a sleeve.
Letting your clothes air dry is one of the best ways to prevent them from shrinking. However, if air drying isn't an option, use the lowest heat settings on the dryer. Try to remove your clothes while they're still slightly damp then air dry them to finish. Excessive heat is damaging to fabrics.
Letting your clothes air dry is one of the best ways to prevent them from shrinking. However, if air drying isn't an option, use the lowest heat settings on the dryer. Try to remove your clothes while they're still slightly damp then air dry them to finish. Excessive heat is damaging to fabrics.
In most scenarios, all you need is a container full of warm water with a capful of liquid detergent. Next, make sure to add in your clothes and stir them into the solution until they are completely soaked. Gently wring out the clothing to expel excess liquid and gently stretch the clothing back to its original size.
Clothes are much more likely to shrink when exposed to hot water or high dryer settings. Washing clothes in cold water goes a long way toward preserving the “off-the-rack” size. Avoiding heavy duty cycles, fast spins and high-heat drying can also prevent shrinkage.
Downy® Fabric Conditioner lubricates the fabric of your garments, making them more fluid, so garments can return to their original shape more easily after being stretched.
Mix a capful of fabric softener with warm water in a spray bottle. Spray the front and back of the clothing evenly on a flat surface. Then gently stretch the garment back to its original size and hang it up to air dry.
To fix shrunken clothes, you can try soaking them in lukewarm water mixed with gentle shampoo or conditioner. After soaking, gently stretch the fabric back to its original shape and size.
Even then, in almost all garments there will be some shrinkage or stretching due to wear and tear of the fabric. Shrinkage or stretching at any time is residual, so even a tiny shift in size after each time the garment is cleaned will add up.
Take a bucket of warm water, add half a cupful of hair conditioner and a squirt of washing up liquid and mix. Add clothes and stir until hair conditioner has covered all fibres. Squeeze clothing to expel excess liquid. Lay flat and manually stretch back to shape then leave to dry.
If you're holding on to clothing that doesn't fit you, ask yourself how likely it is that you'll be able to wear them again. If pieces are off by just a size or two and you tend to fluctuate in weight, it might be a good idea to keep them (but not in your main closet!).
Air drying clothes is by far the gentlest way to dry them, and for loosely woven fabrics or knits, drying on a flat surface will also prevent stretching. Prevent stretching with regular washing. Ever notice how your favorite 100% cotton blue jeans tend to stretch out between washes?
But you can stop yourself from shrinking too much by regularly exercising -- especially weight-bearing exercises like jogging or running, or other activities that work the legs and the hips.
Heat is the main culprit when it comes to shrinking and warping the lovely natural fibers in your 100% cotton clothing. Instead, use a clothing rack (they come in many sizes and configurations) or hang items outside away from direct sunlight. If you must use the dryer, pick a cycle without heat.
Drying methods are critical to prevent clothes from shrinking. Air drying, especially for delicate fabrics, is a gentle approach to dry clothes and avoid shrinkage. If you prefer using a dryer, make sure to set it on a low-heat setting drying instructions.
Introduction: My name is Kerri Lueilwitz, I am a courageous, gentle, quaint, thankful, outstanding, brave, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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