Clothes made from natural fabrics quickly stretch with regular wear, losing their original appearance and clear shape. Before you go to the studio for corrections or throw away your favorite product, you should familiarize yourself with the recommendations on how to wash the item so that it shrinks. This technique has proven itself to be a quick and effective way to solve the problem.
If you do everything correctly, you can count on a positive result after the first approach. Simple manipulations can restore a favorite sweater that has become oversized, a sweater that is sagging in certain areas, a hat that has lost its elasticity, and even a delicate silk blouse.
It is worth considering that if a problem occurs with synthetic fabric, it can only be restored if there are natural fibers in the fabric. However, only mixed synthetics are capable of stretching and losing their shape.
What clothes will shrink after washing?
Before starting clothing resuscitation procedures, you need to decide on the type of fabric. This can be done according to the label where the composition is indicated, or experimentally. After pulling out the thread, set it on fire and watch how it burns - if it melts, it means your item contains a lot of synthetics. This means that it will either not be possible to reduce clothing, or the result will be small. The fact is that synthetic fabrics practically do not shrink.
Products made from natural fabrics shrink most easily, but they also stretch faster. Although, high-quality natural products, which contain a small addition of synthetics, are almost not deformed.
What to wash
Before you start washing your woolen clothes, you need to remove all the stains on them. The detergent used by our grandmothers helps remove stains most gently.
Dissolve equal parts of vinegar and salt in a large amount of water, adding 1 teaspoon of ammonia. Using a cloth, apply the mixture to the stain, then rinse the item and wash it. This method removes dirt well, the main thing is not to overdo it with the amount of ammonia in the solution.
Angora or mohair dresses should be washed in water with added shampoo. This will keep things fresh. To keep items soft, add table vinegar (1 tablespoon) or water softener to the water before washing. Softer water will preserve the color of the laundry.
When choosing special cleaning products in the store, before purchasing, determine whether they are suitable for delicate products.
To do this, pay attention to:
- Does the composition contain alkali, if so, then the product is not suitable.
- Products with a bleaching effect are also not allowed.
- Stain removers must be marked “suitable for delicate fabrics.”
The principle of washing so that the item shrinks
The degree of reduction depends on the temperature at which you wash your clothes. To achieve the desired effect, first be sure to study the label on which the manufacturer indicates the desired washing temperature. The washing mode itself is usually indicated here: Hand, Gentle (delicate), Quick, Machine wash prohibited, No spin, etc.
To get shrinkage, you will need to convert all these values into the “do everything the other way around” category. For example, if you need to wash an item at a water temperature of 30-40 degrees, to shrink the item you will need to increase it, but not to boiling water (90-120 degrees), but to 60 degrees. You should also speed up the spin cycle a little.
Hot water softens the fibers, and due to intense rotation in the drum, they become confused and decrease in size. The hotter the water, the stronger this process occurs.
Dry with a hairdryer
A proven and safe way is to dry the sweater with hot air. For example, near a heat gun or even a regular hairdryer. It is important to be patient here. A large product can be dried for a long time and persistently, devoting more than an hour to the task. So for now, hand washing in hot water remains the most proven method.
As you can see, there are several ways to plant wool sweater at home. But it’s worth knowing: most often, things with an admixture of synthetic fibers stretch. Well-made wool does not shrink or fall over, and with proper care it holds its shape for a long time. Choose good formulations, keep an eye on things, stay elegant.
How to wash a woolen item so that it shrinks
Woolen items can be stretched by following these instructions:
- Set the temperature 20 degrees higher than indicated on the label. As a rule, it is 30-40 degrees. Therefore, in order for the wool to shrink, you need to set the temperature to 50-60 degrees.
- Select the “Wool” mode, and if there is none, set the “Hand Wash” mode. The number of revolutions should not be more than 600.
- Fill your washing machine with baby laundry detergent.
- Place the clothes in the washing machine.
- After the machine has washed, take the item out and place it in a bowl of cold water with ice cubes added. Stir the item in this solution periodically for 10 minutes. Then rinse it at room temperature. This can be repeated 2-3 more times. This is done for the reason that the wool shrinks due to sudden temperature changes.
- After washing, gently wring out the item without twisting it. Wrap in a towel and squeeze out the remaining water again. Then place the item on a dry sheet or towel and straighten it carefully. Align your clothes according to size. You will see how the size of the thing has changed.
While the clothes are not dry, there is a chance to give them the desired size and shape. For example, you can cut out the shape of your sweater from old wallpaper and carefully pin it with needles to the shape of the pattern. Then, when dry, the desired size will be clearly recorded.
Do not dry woolen items on hangers or on a line. Under the weight of the water that remains on the surface of the item after washing, the product can stretch even more, and your result will be zero.
We also recommend that you study the article about the rules for washing woolen items.
Tricky Tips
Stains from juice or berries are much easier to remove if you briefly sprinkle them with salt first.
You can wipe lipstick off clothes with rubbing alcohol. To reduce the likelihood of colored items shedding and soften the water a little, you can add two teaspoons of vinegar essence. Adding a couple of drops of ammonia will help significantly soften the fabric. To effectively remove contaminants, it is not necessary to use household chemicals. Folk remedies can also cope with this - mustard powder, potato or bean broth. You can use lemon powder for whitening. If, despite following all the recommendations, your clothes still shrink, you shouldn’t be upset or re-wash your favorite sweater
You can sprinkle it with a little water and iron it, gently stretching the fabric.
Woolen clothes should be stored in small piles in the closet; bulkier and heavier wardrobe items should be placed downwards. If you place a few paper napkins soaked in lavender oil in your closet, your clothes will always smell nice. This measure also reliably protects against moths.
How to wash a cotton item so that it shrinks?
Cotton fabrics shrink the easiest. It is enough to wash the item at a temperature of at least 60 degrees, and it will become smaller. You can make washing water and hot water, but this is only permissible if your item is not colored or patterned. For a white item, it may only be a plus if you wash it in boiling water, but a colorful item may lose its brightness.
After washing in the machine and spinning (preferably at medium speed), you can try testing using the “contrast” method. After placing the item in a bowl of boiling water, after five minutes, lower it into cold water. At the same time, for cotton it is not necessary to add ice to the water (the water can be from the tap). As a rule, this causes the fabric to shrink by 1-2 sizes.
Be sure to check if your item has also shrunk in length. It often happens that a thing becomes shorter after shrinking. If you find such a discrepancy, stretch the wet item to the desired length. While the item is wet, it can still be pulled out with an iron - by pulling it out while ironing.
Are there special means for shrinking fabric?
There are no special media for shrinking fabric, so you should not believe advertisements on the Internet that claim that there is a means for shrinking things. Only 2 methods are suitable for this: washing and sewing. Both options are not entirely effective at home, unless you do this every day and are confident in your capabilities and strengths.
If an old item shrinks, it will be easier to buy a new one. It is better to try on purchased clothes immediately in a store, where there are always fitting rooms, or keep a receipt, which will give you the opportunity to return or exchange the purchase. When choosing clothes, you should be extremely careful and avoid making such mistakes. If you need help choosing a size, you can always ask for help from a store consultant who will explain everything and help with the choice. You should also immediately check in the store that the purchase is intact and the quality of the material from which it is made.
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.
Causes of deformation
Wool and synthetic yarns can shrink with any type of washing. Then, when worn, the knitted items stretch a little again. There is no need to worry about this, because this situation is quite natural for such material.
Clothes can become hopelessly deformed only from prolonged use. Washing always returns it to its original shape, but under different conditions the shrinkage will also be different. For example, if the size of a sweater greatly increases, hand washing can reduce it by one size, and machine washing can reduce it by two.
Therefore, depending on the required volumes, you need to select the appropriate type of processing. We will tell you what to do to make a woolen item shrink.
Advice. If there are stains on a knitted pullover, then first of all you need to remove them from the fabric and then wash the product.
What should I do to make my jeans fit?
Jeans are prone to stretching, so after just a few wears they begin to slip off the hips and form unattractive folds. If the jeans are natural and not stretch, they can be stretched by washing them in the machine at a temperature of 60-70 degrees and spinning at 600-900 rpm. After washing, the item can be dried on a clothesline.
If you frequently wash jeans at high temperatures, their shade will most likely change and become duller.
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.
Washing synthetics to make clothes shrink
As noted earlier, synthetics do not shrink at all or slightly. In any case, if you do not have the opportunity to go to dry cleaning, you can try the following methods:
- Wash the item in the washing machine, increasing the temperature setting by 10 degrees from the one indicated on the tag. The number of spin revolutions is from 800 to 1000. When washing, do not use rinse aid, since it prevents nylon and polyester from shrinking.
- Prepare ice water and place the item in it for 3-5 hours. After this, take a terry towel and collect the water with blotting movements. Clothes are dried under direct ultraviolet light. If this method works, the item will shrink 1-1.5 sizes.
If the clothes are made of spandex or lycra, then manipulations to shrink them will be in vain.
If you approach the procedure of “shrinking” clothes correctly, then this will not be difficult. Cotton, wool and natural denim fabrics usually lend themselves easily to the procedure, which cannot be said about synthetics. In any case, in order not to spoil the item, it is necessary to maintain the correct temperature conditions for washing and spinning. To do this, follow all the instructions given in the article.
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.
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.
