Does cotton shrink when washed and how to prevent shrinkage?

Things made from cotton fabrics have been popular at all times. They allow you to stay warm in cold weather and save you from the heat in summer. But these materials have a number of disadvantages: they wrinkle a lot, and every experienced housewife, when purchasing such clothes, will definitely have a question about whether cotton products shrink after washing.

Does cotton shrink when washed and why does this happen?

Cotton (cotton) is a natural material with increased strength, but in order for products made from this fabric to retain their original appearance, they must be handled correctly.

Why do things made from natural fabrics shrink not only as a result of being in the washing machine, but also after washing by hand? There are a number of reasons.

First of all, cotton shrinkage is determined by the characteristics of the fibers. The fact is that the raw material for the production of such fabrics is a fluffy mass reminiscent of cotton wool. As a result of twisting, loose threads are obtained, and under the influence of water, the fibers “stick together,” which leads to a decrease in their size. For this reason, dense cotton materials shrink the most, and the higher this indicator, the more the item will shrink after washing.

In addition, such fabrics can shrink if washed at high temperatures. For this reason, heating the water should not exceed 60 degrees so that the item does not decrease in size.

Having received the answer to the question of whether cotton shrinks when washed, it would be useful to find out how much the size of the item can change. Most often, the material is reduced by 5-6% in length and 2-3% in width.

Advice

To avoid getting an unpleasant surprise after washing and drying a cotton item, you need to choose clothes one size larger.

Durable, inexpensive and comfortable

Cotton is obtained from mature cotton fruits. The fabric is an interweaving of thin fluffy and soft fibers, slightly twisted around its own axis. The length of the raw material fibers largely determines the type of finished fabric. So, calico, chintz, flannel, cambric, poplin, twill, flannel, etc. have a cotton base.

Depending on the density of the material, they sew from it:

• summer clothes;
• underwear;
• jackets, trousers, skirts, dresses for cold weather;
• bedding, curtains, tablecloths and other household textiles.

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Properties of cotton fabric

It has both significant advantages and some disadvantages. However, knowing the basic rules of care and following them during operation, problems can be avoided.

Advantages of the material:

1. Strength, lightness, softness.
2. Hypoallergenic.
3. Hygroscopicity.
4. High degree of thermal insulation. A lot of air is retained between the numerous fibers, thanks to which the product retains body heat well.
5. Affordability.
6. Not damaged by insects.

Flaws:

1. It gets dirty easily and doesn't wash well.
2. Shrinks after washing.
3. White things turn yellow over time.

Individual characteristics:

• dries slowly;
• easily wrinkles;
• has average abrasion resistance;
• lends itself well to painting.

The nuances of the first wash

To ensure that cotton items retain their original appearance for a long time and do not shrink too much, it is important to carry out the first wash correctly. To do this, you must follow the following rules.

1. Wash the item immediately after purchase, and not after a few days of use.
2. Wash by hand.
3. Use cold water without any detergent.

You will need to soak the clothes in a basin for 10-15 minutes, then rinse and send them to dry in fresh air, away from sunlight.

Subsequent washings can also be carried out in the machine, provided that the item is made of dense material. Thin fabrics will have to be tidied up only by hand.

Drying clothes outdoors

After washing your clothes, go outside and check the level of contamination in the places where you plan to hang things (beams or ropes). If there is no rust or dirt, you can safely hang out your laundry. When planning to dry clothes in the sun, it is recommended to turn them inside out to avoid color loss.

We remind you that not all clothes can be dried in areas exposed to direct sunlight. Drying for too long in windy weather will deteriorate the quality of the fabric - the clothes will be too fragile and will quickly tear.

In winter, when rinsing clothes, add a small amount of salt to the water. This technique will prevent the laundry from freezing while drying in the cold. And before hanging your washed clothes, wipe down the rungs or ropes with a rag containing a saline solution.

A simpler option for drying in the winter is in garages, basements and other fairly large rooms where there is air circulation. Note that in this way, clothes will dry twice as quickly as outside.

How to wash cotton items by hand?

After the item has been in use for some time, you need to wash it by hand as follows.

1. Fill a basin with warm water, the temperature of which does not exceed 40 degrees.
2. Add a tablespoon of grated laundry soap and wait until the composition dissolves. You can also use a special product designed for natural fabrics.
3. Soak clothes in soapy water for 10-15 minutes, and then wash as usual.

Important!

To avoid damaging the fabric fibers, when washing, you need to use water at the same temperature as when soaking.

How to stretch a T-shirt using hair rinse?

1. Soaking . Wet clothing completely in cool water. Fill the reservoir with as much water as possible so that it covers the item with a reserve.
2. Adding rinse aid . Pour a quarter cup of hair rinse into the reservoir, the cheapest one possible. Mix the solution thoroughly so that the substance is well dissolved and does not form clots. Instead of conditioner, you can use baby shampoo.
3. Leveling . Place the clothing in the bottom of a bowl or sink and press down firmly so that the conditioner (shampoo) completely saturates each fiber. Avoid clumping for 1-2 minutes. Leave the T-shirt in this position for 15 minutes.
4. Rinse . Rinse thoroughly in clean water to remove any remaining hair product. The procedure should take about 5 minutes.
5. Spin . Gently wring out the clothes and dry them on a flat horizontal surface. Don't forget to add a terry towel.
6. Ironing the print . If there is a pattern on the T-shirt, go over it with an iron. The print needs to dry before the rest of the garment dries. This will preserve the original appearance of the image.
7. Stretching . To expand, stretch the T-shirt left and right under slight pressure. You need to pull not from the outside, but from the inside. To do this, extend your arms up to your elbows. To lengthen clothing, pull it lengthwise between the neck and bottom in opposite directions.
8. Drying. Allow the product to dry naturally. To avoid shrinkage, we recommend pressing down the edges with a weight. To increase clothing in the chest and stomach area, place a voluminous item inside.

How and at what temperature should you wash cotton in a washing machine?

When automatically washing cotton, to prevent it from shrinking, you must follow the following rules.

• Study the recommendations indicated on the product tag.
• Inspect the material for stains and, if any, remove them before washing. To remove stains from white fabrics, you can use mild oxygen bleaches without chlorine.
• Sort items by color, wash white items separately.
• Sort clothes according to degree of soiling, and wash items that simply need to be refreshed on a gentle cycle.
• Place clothes or bedding in the drum after turning them inside out and fastening all zippers and buttons.
• Place small items in a special bag or an old pillowcase before loading the laundry into the machine.
• For dense fabrics, set a mode in which the water temperature does not exceed 60 degrees.
• Delicate materials should be washed at 40 degrees.
• For colored items, use detergents containing enzymes to prevent shedding.
• When using dry powders, install an additional rinse.
• Use a gentle spin and turn off the automatic drying function.

Advice

In order for cotton items to be ironed better, they should be hung out to dry immediately after the wash cycle ends, and not left in the drum for a long time. In addition, the material will need to be carefully straightened - this will help eliminate large creases and folds.

Preparation

Preparation for washing occurs according to the following scheme:

1. Before the procedure, the product must be turned inside out.
2. If the item is heavily soiled, it should be soaked first, otherwise it may not wash off. The washing temperature is too low to remove serious stains.
3. Another option for removing stains is to soak the item, just like in the old days. To do this, you need to pour a lot of water into a bowl, add detergent or detergent (you can use ammonia with peroxide) and leave it all for half an hour. After which you need to rinse the item, and the stains should be washed off. When washed by hand, deformation and shrinkage of the item will not occur.

How to dry and iron cotton so that it does not shrink?

It is important not only to wash cotton items correctly, but also to dry them in accordance with the following recommendations.

• Hang products outdoors, away from sunlight.
• Try not to use clothespins, which can leave noticeable marks, but use hangers. If we are talking about bedding, you can simply throw it over a rope, folding it in half.
• When drying in a room, place cotton items away from radiators and heating devices.

You need to iron things made from natural fabrics as follows.

1. Remove the slightly damp product from the rope, and if it has already dried, moisten it with a spray bottle.
2. Lay out the clothes on a flat surface covered with thick bedding.
3. Set the heat of the iron from 200 to 220 degrees.
4. Iron the material by moving the device in the direction of the warp threads.
5. Use the steam function.

You can iron cotton while it is wet, but in this case the heating of the iron should not be too high, otherwise scorch marks will appear on the surface of the fabric.

Professional advice

Regardless of whether the item is wool or silk, it can always be restored if you listen to the recommendations of experts.

Why do clothes shrink?

There are many reasons why your dress, T-shirt, shirt or even pants may shrink. The most common of them are presented below.

• You are choosing the wrong spin cycle in your washing machine. For example, there are situations when a woolen jacket cannot be spun, and its owner sets the spin speed too high.
• The temperature when washing will also affect your dress, pants and even curtains. Try not to deviate from the values ​​recommended by the manufacturer.
• The fabric itself. Remember that silk shrinks much more than any other type of natural or synthetic material.

If you choose the wrong washing temperature, the fabric may lose its structure as a result. In addition, the mechanical impact of the “washing machine” will have a detrimental effect on cotton and knitted clothing.

Do not despair ahead of time, because you can always find a way out of every situation, even the most deplorable one. Sit back comfortably and try to remember all the recommendations of professionals that can be useful to you in a situation when your T-shirt, dress, curtains and other things suddenly shrink.

What to do if things still shrink?

It happens that, despite all the efforts made, a cotton item still shrinks after washing. However, this is not a reason to part with your favorite shirt or T-shirt. Cotton, although slightly, stretches, and the problem can be solved in one of the following ways.

1. Soak the product in warm water for an hour, and then wash it at 30 degrees, and, taking it out of the drum, gently pull it to the sides. After this, send the clothes to dry and periodically repeat the stretching manipulations.
2. Soak a cotton item for 2 hours in a solution prepared in the proportion of 3 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide per 10 liters of water, and then rinse thoroughly, stretching slightly, and dry in a horizontal position. You can replace peroxide with vinegar.
3. Iron the clothes with a hot iron, using the steam function and slightly stretching the fibers to the sides.

So, by following the listed recommendations, you can prevent cotton clothes from shrinking during the washing process, and if this happens, solve the problem quickly and easily. Otherwise, when you need to “shrink” the product a little, it is enough to do the opposite: wash it at high temperatures and dry it in a horizontal position, covering it with terry cloth.

Stretching T-shirts using an iron

Completely wet the clothing in a bathtub or basin until the item is soaked to the skin. To ensure even wetting, spread the cloth over the bottom of the tank or sink.

Place the item on a flat horizontal surface, but first twist it thoroughly.

Set your iron to low or medium heat. At the same time, iron the T-shirt and stretch it in the desired directions. Run the iron in all directions, pulling the clothes in all directions. When you are done with one side, turn the product over and iron on the other.

After ironing, straighten the fabric and stretch it with force one last time. For best effect, place a weight to maintain the desired size. If you are happy with the current size, do not dry your clothes in the dryer. Subsequently, this should only be done outdoors. Also stretch your T-shirt periodically.