It’s not at all difficult to save a stretched wool product by reducing its shape and size. However, it should be borne in mind that you can change the appearance of such an item by no more than one or two sizes and only if the composition contains natural wool with a small admixture of synthetics. Fully synthetic items, such as acrylic, will be quite difficult to change, especially by washing, which is considered the most popular and convenient method today.
Let's consider the main effective ways to reduce a product.
When does the wool “shrink”?
A material such as wool, due to its naturalness and natural characteristics, can easily be modified under the influence of various sources. First of all, woolen items shrink when washed at high temperatures . Natural hairs curl, compact and “fall off”, which makes the product warmer, but significantly reduces its size.
Important! Items containing both real wool and artificial fibers can behave completely differently. Some things containing synthetics do not shrink at all, some only stretch. Therefore, for products with a mixed composition, methods typical for natural woolen items may not always be suitable.
General Tips
You can reduce the size of clothes effectively and save money in a regular washing machine. Whether it is a shirt or a pair of denim trousers, the procedure can be equally successful and a person can get the size he needs without spending money on a tailor. But not every washing option may be suitable.
Before starting the procedure, you need to carefully examine the tags sewn to the back of the product and determine the material from which the item is made. For example, cotton shrinks the best, polyester shrinks the least, while leather and fur do not shrink at all. You also need to determine whether the material has been pre-soaked or pre-shrinked, as this will make it much more difficult to shrink in size by washing.
You can also use the tag to find out the recommended washing temperature. For example, wool should be washed at 40°C. It should be taken into account that the recommended temperature is also related to the durability of the textile paint. Because of this, after the procedure, the color of the clothing will be less bright. To soften the effect of fading, it is better to choose a powder for colored fabrics that prevents discoloration as much as possible. A pinch of salt will also help prevent fabric discoloration.
Optimal washing temperature
Basic information on proper care of items is on the label. At what temperature to wash so that large items lose a size or one and a half. If you set the machine to 60 degrees, carry out the full procedure and dry it with hot air, you can achieve success. If you wash wool in hot water, it will certainly shrink.
To make the product dry, you can choose a temperature twenty degrees higher than what the manufacturer suggests. A contrasting procedure comes to the aid of housewives.
If you wash wool in hot water and then rinse it in ice water, you will get the expected result. Such manipulations should not be permanent, as they affect the fibers of the fabric.
Viscose
Viscose is an artificial fabric, but not synthetic. It can be called a natural synthetic fiber.
It is very difficult to reduce the size of products made from such material. As a rule, this fiber is combined with other fabrics, so to make an item 1 size smaller you should wash it in a certain way.
The choice of method depends on the exact composition of the fabric. Through experimentation, manufacturers have learned to make fabric that resembles the structure of wool, cotton and linen.
How to wash viscose so that it shrinks?
- When cotton is added, it is washed at a high temperature, then wrung out and dipped in hot water with softener added.
- Wool requires a sharp change in temperature. First soak in hot water, then in cold.
Also, women often face the question of how to wash viscose so that it does not shrink. After all, such material shrinks a lot if not washed correctly.
To do this, immediately after removing all the dirt, when the item is still wet, put it on your naked body and walk around in it until it dries completely. The product will take the shape of a person.
To prevent things from shrinking, you need to wash them at the right temperature. It is usually indicated on the tag. You can also steam iron the product after drying.
Washing rules to make woolen items shrink
In order to “plant” a knitted item, you need to pay attention to several parameters. If you follow all of them, you will be able to carry out the procedure without incident, as a result of which you will have a sweater of the ideal size.
Temperature
First, pay attention to the label on your item, as the temperature at which it should be washed is always written above it. Since we are pursuing slightly different goals and want the product to change slightly, we should “conjure” with the temperature regime. Typically, the optimal temperature for washing wool is 30–40 °C , but we need to increase it by 20 °C to make clothes smaller.
Mode
The best option is to wash the item by hand . However, if you are lazy or simply don’t have enough time, use a washing machine. To do this, set it to one of the following modes:
- "wool". Its settings are usually set to a small number of revolutions. This is a good feature because at high speeds a wool sweater can change from adult to child size;
- “hand wash”, “children’s mode”. These programs are also quite delicate, so they are suitable for washing.
Hand knitted item
The problem with hand-knitted items is often that there may not be a tag on it indicating the specific material and the required washing temperature . If you are sure that the hat you bought from a craftswoman is truly completely natural, then you can try reducing its size by steaming. Do this through a cloth so as not to damage the delicate texture. If you do not have accurate information about the composition of the yarn, then it is better to wait with steaming. Try reducing it using the washing method.
Machine knitted item
An important feature of wool products is that they will retain the shape in which they dry . Therefore, if dried incorrectly, even machine knitting can suffer and stretch. This can be corrected by drying the sweater again. For this:
- wash the sweater or just soak it well in water. It must be completely saturated. If you are afraid that it will shrink very much in the water, then use a contrasting method: do not immediately soak the item in too hot water;
- After this, remove the clothing, but do not wring or twist it - this will damage the fibers again. It is better to place it on a flat surface (for example, in a bathtub, basin or on a special board) in a free position and allow excess water to drain;
- wrap it in a thick cloth or terry towel that will absorb unnecessary moisture. This method will replace traditional squeezing;
- change the fabric or towel, spread it on a flat surface, and place your sweater on top. Give it the desired shape, for example, lay a collar or adjust it in length. This is the form the product will be in when it dries.
Important! Wool takes a long time to dry; at room temperature it can dry for 2–3 days. Make sure that it does not acquire an unpleasant musty smell, so if necessary, change the towel on which it lies.
Cotton
Practice shows that a cotton T-shirt stretches even faster than a wool sweater.
But even in this case, it is possible to adjust the shape of the thing. It is worth considering that when working with cotton, restoration is only possible if the clothing was sewn correctly. If the threads are located and directed incorrectly, then nothing can be done. Cotton products give maximum shrinkage in the following cases:
- Machine wash using very hot water and maximum spin.
- The product can simply be dipped in boiling water. True, even a short stay of a colored product in such hot water can provoke it to shed. But just five minutes of treatment will reduce the item by size, a quarter of an hour in boiling water and the clothes will become 1.5-2 sizes smaller.
- If you don’t want to risk the color of the item, then it is better to wash it in the traditional way, and then put it in an electric dryer.
We evaluate the result based on the completely dried product. If you can't do anything the first time, you shouldn't even try again. The positive effect most likely will no longer occur, but the item will ultimately be damaged. In this case, you will have to contact a studio or update your wardrobe.
If cotton clothing needs to be reduced in size, it should be machine washed in hot water. After adjusting the temperature on the washing machine, you need to set the temperature to more than 40 °C. If shrinkage by one or two sizes is required, the temperature should be set to the highest.
Cotton fabric stretches and contracts during the manufacturing process. When it heats up, the tension in the filament decreases, causing it to shorten. Heating can successfully shrink almost anything. You need to use the longest wash cycle. High temperature along with water and cycling will be very effective.
To significantly shrink the item, you can put it in boiling water and hold it there for 10-20 minutes. The duration of the procedure promotes greater shrinkage. After boiling, the product must be rinsed in cold water.
Compared to other fabrics, the problem of how to wash cotton so that it shrinks is not particularly difficult. T-shirts made from this material stretch even faster than a wool sweater. But there is always the opportunity to return the product to its original shape.
How to wash cotton so that it shrinks?
There are two ways to reduce shrinkage:
- First: a cotton jacket is placed in a washing machine, powder is added to the detergent container and a cycle is started with the temperature set to 60 degrees. Dry in a machine or on a clothesline, then iron and try on. This is the whole trick. Things will shrink after this procedure.
- Second: first you need to wash the cotton cardigan in the machine, then soak it in water (it should be boiling water) and wait until it cools down. After that, the item is transferred to a container with ice liquid, you can add ice cubes, squeeze it out and hang it on a clothesline to dry.
- Ironing will help shrink clothes. After washing and drying, the iron is turned on to maximum temperature and the supply of hot steam is activated. Just don’t keep the device in one place for a long time, as you could ruin your favorite blouse.
The result is assessed based on a completely dried and ironed product. If you didn’t succeed in reducing the item the first time, you shouldn’t try it a second time.
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Shrinking a sweater by dry cleaning
The simplest and fastest method to get rid of this problem is to go to a dry cleaner, where there is a special service for reducing stretched wool items. Using heat treatment or washing, specialists will return the product to its original appearance and desired size in a matter of minutes. However, this method can negatively affect the softness and brightness of the item , making the item scratchy and the shade dull. Therefore, when changing the shape of a colored or colorful wool item, it is advisable to ask dry cleaning specialists to add a product to soften the fabric, and also to use a gentle method to maintain color saturation.
How to wash so that only the sleeves shrink?
If you are not satisfied with only the sleeves in a knitted product (for example, you pulled them unsuccessfully when putting on a sweater), then you can try to reduce only their length or width. For this:
- spray the sleeves with water from a special spray bottle or simply wet them carefully without touching other areas;
- lay the item horizontally again, straighten the sleeves and give them the required shape in length or width;
- wait for it to dry.
Advice! You can also try simply steaming only the sleeves. The main thing is that hot steam does not get on the main part of the blouse.
How to wash a knitted item so that it shrinks
Knitted items, especially hand-knitted ones, can stretch quite quickly and strongly. It is very difficult to bring them into their original form, since almost every yarn contains a synthetic additive. And the more acrylic, the stronger the thing stretches, but it does not always return to its size.
In addition, the pattern in which it is knitted affects the shrinkage of the item. Loose knits stretch more than tight machine knits.
Most often, machine washing is contraindicated for knitted items, but if shrinkage is necessary, follow these instructions:
- Buy a laundry bag. As a last resort, you can take an old tulle curtain and sew a pillowcase out of it, in which you will put the item. Don't forget to tie it. This is done to prevent your clothes from being scattered throughout the drum of the machine.
- Wash at a temperature no higher than 60 degrees. It is better to take liquid detergent or baby laundry detergent.
- Turn on spin mode. But here a single recipe cannot be given. Logically, stronger rotation will knock the yarn a little, and it will decrease in size. But in reality, the results can be completely unpredictable. Much depends on the twist of the yarn and the composition. Therefore, spin your item at medium speed, take it out, and look. If there are changes towards a decrease, but not strong, you can increase the speed of the machine and repeat the procedure. But all this is done under constant control.
If the item is very dear to you, it is better to try washing it by hand:
- Soak the item briefly in hot water with conditioner.
- After rinsing, transfer the item to ice water.
- Leave for 5-10 minutes and remove.
Twisting a knitted product is prohibited. It must be carefully squeezed out, and you can first wrap it in a terry towel.
It is necessary to dry a knitted item on a horizontal surface, since it can stretch when suspended. Drying takes place away from radiators and other heating devices.
Keep in hot water
It's easy to shrink a wool sweater a size or two if you first soak it in scalding hot water. The water temperature should be approximately 70 degrees. You don't need to add powder, but any liquid detergent will work just fine.
Soak the sweater for 10-15 minutes, then wash it and gently wring it out. Do not press too hard on the sweater, otherwise the fibers will shrink unevenly. Now we put it in ice water and rinse thoroughly. The temperature change shocks the delicate fibers and they shrink in size. Just do not wring or twist the sweaters under any circumstances - this will stretch the fibers again and cause things to become deformed.
How to wash a thing so that it does not stretch and retains its shape?
Shrinking things sometimes does not give the desired results, and the clothes have to be thrown away. In order not to lose your favorite shirt, T-shirt or dress, you need to try to prevent their deformation. To do this, you must follow all recommendations for caring for products indicated on the labels: wash clothes in a way that does not destroy the structure of the fabric, use detergents that match the composition of the material, dry things properly.
Reasons why a sweater may stretch
Old items may become deformed due to prolonged use. Even with proper use, clothes will not look new within 10 years of constant wear. Other reasons that cause thread stretching include:
- non-compliance with temperature conditions during hand washing;
- incorrectly set program on the washing machine;
- knitting features (large perforated pattern);
- habit of pulling on sleeves;
- improper storage;
- inappropriate detergent;
- improper drying, etc.
How to iron woolen items
Usually, when drying properly, there is no need to iron. But if such a need arises, you must first of all find out the temperature of the iron indicated on the label. What to do in its absence is set out in the rules:
- Only completely dry items are ironed;
- the product is ironed from the inside out;
- To prevent shiny stripes from appearing, ironing should be done through moistened gauze or cotton cloth;
- The iron temperature setting indicator should be on the wool mark;
- To maintain its shape, you simply need to lower the iron onto the fabric without pulling it through.
We restore the heavily shrunken hem of the sweater by ironing it, after wetting this part.
Synthetics
Synthetic materials include nylon, polyester, acrylic. Typically, products made from such fabric are dry cleaned. The staff at this establishment will do their best to make clothing sizes slightly smaller.
But if you don’t have the time or money to take the product to a workshop or dry cleaner, try planting it yourself using simple methods.
How to wash things so that they shrink?
Correct methods for reducing synthetic products by 1–1.5 sizes:
- Soak the clothes in ice water for about 5 hours. Just be sure to wash and dry as usual before doing this. After soaking in ice water, the pants or jacket are blotted with a towel to remove excess moisture. Lay it out on a flat horizontal surface and try it on after drying.
- In the warm season, synthetic items are dried outside in direct sunlight. And in winter - on the battery.
Spandex, acrylic and polyester are not made smaller at home. But how can you make the product shrink a little?
Items made from such fabrics are sent to an atelier, where experienced craftswomen work on them and alter them to the required size. At home, they will not shrink, but will only deteriorate if the temperature is set incorrectly.
Resizing by suturing
An option that is suitable for products evenly stretched around the entire perimeter. This method will only take a few minutes and will allow you to significantly modify the item, giving it the desired shape and adjusting the size.
To implement this method, you will need, first of all, a needle with a thick thread in the color of the product, as well as pins with which you will need to highlight the silhouette:
- turn the item inside out and try it on yourself in front of the mirror;
- determine the desired shape and, using pins, carefully secure the desired shape on the sides , trying to release the material evenly. If necessary, you can baste the resulting silhouette with a thread with a contrasting, brightly eye-catching color;
- select a thread of sufficient density and a suitable shade that would blend in with the yarn, and use wide stitches to sweep away the future shape obtained after trying on the product;
- try on the item again, turning the item right side out . After making sure that the product fits as it should, sew the basted stitches on a sewing machine, selecting the standard stitching program and making the stitch length medium - about 0.7 cm;
- Carefully trim the excess material with scissors , not forgetting to leave about 1 centimeter for finishing the edges. This must be done so that the fabric does not begin to crumble and fall apart;
- finish the edges along the entire product using an overlock stitch or zigzag , then turn the item inside out and try it on again.
This method is recommended to be used to reduce the item by no more than two sizes, since too much suturing can warp the item, after which it will need to be completely altered and recut.
How to wash knitted clothes
Any woolen item can be planted very easily, since such material tends to “shrink” very well. When reducing, for example, an adult knitted hat, you should exercise maximum caution, because... it can turn into a nursery. You can start working only after normal washing and drying, since the material must be clean. After this you can start:
- Soak the hat in water, the temperature of which exceeds the temperature indicated in the recommendations on the label by 15°C. Wait 1 hour.
- Wash it lightly with soapy water, then rinse in cold water.
- Squeeze gently without twisting and place on a dry cloth for 30 minutes.
- Move to any surface where the hat will be ventilated and dry.
Additional method for washing knitted items - video:
An additional method that is suitable for quickly achieving the goal is this: wet the item with cold water, place it on a hot radiator, separating them with a dry cloth. It is not as effective as the main one, but it also has its place.
What is shrinkage, and under what conditions do fabric or knitwear products shrink?
Most fabrics can stretch or shrink under certain conditions. Changing the size of some materials is very easy, while working with others will require more effort. An important factor is the composition and texture of the product.
Shrinking clothes is a responsible job that is most often done manually. First of all, you need to determine what material the product is made of. If the fabric can be washed in a washing machine, then use the automatic mode or a combination of machine and hand washing. For delicate materials, only manual processing is used.
Knitted items always shrink after getting wet. This is due to the high density of twist of the threads from which the knitwear is made. When in contact with warm water, things shrink in size. Particularly severe shrinkage occurs when water is heated to a higher temperature than the manufacturer allows.
Acrylic materials become smaller when water temperatures are above 30 degrees. Synthetic products shrink if the water is about 10 degrees hotter than recommended. Wool shrinks at 50 degrees, and linen materials shrink only in very hot water.
You can also wash a knitted item yourself so that it shrinks a little. Such products require careful use.
Therefore, it is not surprising that many people ask this question - what to do to make the blouse fit.
To restore her attractiveness, follow these steps:
- Place the product in a bowl of hot water. The temperature should exceed the norm on the tag by 10 degrees.
- Place the blouse in the container for 20 minutes.
- Take it out of the basin without twisting it, place it on a towel and blot it.
Dry knitted items on a flat surface, not on a clothesline. You can use a hairdryer, it will also reduce the size of your clothes.
Steaming also affects the shrinkage of knitted products; it must be done by barely touching the material.
