Wool is very popular, but has one obvious drawback. After improper washing, products can shrink. It is possible to stretch a shrunken woolen item and return your favorite sweater to its original size at home. Initially, it is worth trying mechanical methods - stretching the clothes or putting them on a mannequin while wet. To quickly restore a shrunken jacket, it’s worth trying proven household recipes based on available materials.
Most often, problems with woolen items arise as a result of violations of the washing conditions in the washing machine; experienced housewives recommend washing and rinsing such items by hand.
Reasons why a woolen item may shrink
There are a number of factors that influence the fact that blouses and other knitted wardrobe items shrink:
- Wrong detergents chosen. Some powders are not suitable for wool. They change the structure of the yarn. As a result, clothes fall off. To avoid this, it is better to use special powders and gels.
- Rapid temperature change. The wool threads that make up a sweater or pullover shrink not because they are exposed to high water temperatures, as such, but as a result of a sharp change during the transition from the washing process to rinsing. Therefore, you cannot set the temperature above 30 degrees.
- Wrong mode selected. Automatic machines usually provide the ability to wash wool clothes. You can also choose a delicate wash option.
- Rough pressing and drying. You should not squeeze woolen items at high speeds. They should also be dried in a special way, without resorting to the capabilities of the washing machine itself.
- Poor quality material. If the sweater is made from a bad base, it is almost impossible to avoid losing its shape during the next cleaning.
Prevent fabric shrinkage
Of course, you can say that having the necessary knowledge, you are not at all afraid of any shrinkage. But why waste your time and energy trying to deal with shriveled things if you can prevent this from happening in the first place?
Experts advise:
- Always pay attention to the tags on clothes before washing them. By adhering to the recommendations described, you will not be able to fit into your favorite dress;
- try to wash at a temperature of about 30 degrees - no higher. Take care of your things and they will last long in return;
- It is better to buy woolen clothes a size larger, since after the first wash they will shrink in any case.
You shouldn’t go to extreme measures and then frantically look for a way out of the situation - it’s much easier to take care of your things right away. But if an unpleasant situation happens to you when the fabric shrinks after washing, don’t despair - now you know exactly what to do!
What to do if the sweater shrinks after washing
There are many ways to stretch a shrunken wool sweater.
You can return the product to its original size by placing the clothing in cold water for ten to twenty minutes. No powders or other detergents are required. After this, the sweater should be slightly wrung out and placed in a towel.
It is better to choose a terry towel
Lay the jacket flat. For this purpose, for example, a washboard or a stand laid across the bathtub is suitable.
You can even place a wet sweater on the floor by placing a folded sheet under it. Let it sit like this for half an hour.
Then, every twenty minutes, the item must be stretched so that it returns to its previous size in width and length. This must be done extremely delicately.
When returning the jacket's shape vertically, you need to grab it in the area of the seams - top and bottom. Particular care should be taken with the cuffs and neckline. Otherwise, they will lose their shape and the jacket will have to be thrown away.
An improved way to dry while stretching is to pin the sweater to the fabric on which it is lying. To ensure that the product does not warp after drying, you need to use a large number of pins.
If it shrinks vertically and becomes noticeably shorter, you can dry it on a hanger. To prevent the jacket from losing its normal shape when stretched in such a way in the places of contact with the hanger, you must first place a towel folded several times on the base for drying.
All you have to do is wait until the item dries naturally. As this happens, it should stretch under its own weight.
If the jacket is knitted by hand, it can even be recut. You will have to rip it apart at the seams, wet the individual parts and baste them wet to dry additional inserts. After this, dry and resew.
How to stretch a shrunken wool sweater using solutions
If your wool sweater has shrunk after washing, you can use one of the recipes for rinsing and soaking in special compounds that are prepared at home. The wool will become more elastic and soft. It will be easier to stretch it.
Soak the product for a couple of hours in two liters of water with tartaric acid added to it (10 tablespoons). Then rinse the jacket.
You can also take washing powder intended for wool, pour it into water, leave the sweater in it for half an hour, then rinse.
Squeeze carefully. Wrap in a waterproof bag and place in the freezer for a day. After waiting the required time, let it defrost and dry on a towel.
Another option: dissolve 20 grams of soda in two liters of water, soak the product in this mixture and let it lie there for twelve hours. Then wash with wool powder. It is better to use fabric softener while rinsing. It will give the sweater softness.
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide will also help restore your sweater to its original size after washing.
Add two tablespoons of this product to a ten-liter bucket filled with cold water and stir properly.
Immerse a woolen item that has shrunk in the liquid for thirty minutes. Gently wring it out using a towel and then, while the item is drying, go over and stretch it into the correct shape.
Turpentine, alcohol and ammonia
If you have the necessary ingredients on hand, dissolve two tablespoons of turpentine, the same amount of vodka (cologne will also work) and six tablespoons of ammonia in five liters of water.
Soak a wool sweater or cashmere jumper in this liquid for an hour. Rinse under running water. The product will become elastic and will be easier to stretch.
Vinegar
Many people are wary of using vinegar. But it should be understood that weak acid solutions do not have a detrimental effect on woolen products.
Already in the production of wool, from which clothing is then made, such substances are used to clean it.
Therefore, you can safely use an acidic product to return the sweater to its previous shape and size.
Take room temperature water and vinegar in a 2:1 ratio, soak the clothes in this liquid for half an hour, and then carefully stretch them.
Hair conditioner
What else should you do if your wool jacket shrinks after washing? You can use completely original, at first glance, means. For example, hair conditioner.
- Prepare water whose temperature does not exceed 30 degrees;
- Rinse the item that has shrunk in it;
- Remove from the water and place in a basin;
- Apply hair conditioner evenly throughout the sweater;
- After five minutes, stretch the jacket horizontally with your hands.
The product should increase in size by one and a half times.
It’s also good to use another recipe: add 50 ml of vinegar and conditioner to five liters of water. Soak the clothes in this mixture for ten minutes, then rinse and try to regain the lost shape.
It is also recommended to dilute one measuring cap of conditioner in a container with warm water and keep the sweater in this soapy solution for half an hour. Then rinse it well under running water and hang it on a hanger.
How many more ways
In addition to knocking out a “wedge with a wedge,” there are other methods of restoring clothing. They are often required for wool blends or cashmere sweaters, but are not suitable for synthetic fabrics.
- Method 1. Fill one bowl with hot water and another with cold water. Place your clothes first in a container with hot liquid for about 7 minutes, and then in cool liquid. Housewives recommend adding lemon juice or vinegar and even ice to a bowl of cold water. After this, the jacket is carefully wrung out and spread on a towel to dry on its own.
- Method 2. If you have a bad habit of pulling down the cuffs, putting your entire arms in sweaters, a simple hand wash in cool water and line drying will help restore them to their former shape.
- Method 3. Take the item to the dry cleaner if it is expensive and you are afraid of ruining it. They use special heat treatments that will return the clothes to their former appearance. However, you need to understand that it is better to do this if the jacket is 100% wool. In the case of wool mixture, the product may be matted and unkempt.
- Method 4. The clothes are soaked for 15 minutes in a bowl of almost boiling water and wool fiber detergent, after which they are lowered for the same time in a container of cold water. Next - spin and dry on a towel.
Some desperate housewives can simply use a steam generator to reduce the size. The method is quite risky, since it may then require restoration of the sleeves or collar after uneven drying.
How to stretch a wool sweater with steam
Ordinary steam will help stretch a wool sweater after washing.
The sweater needs to be soaked, wait until it is saturated with water. Then let the moisture drain. Lightly squeeze the product and place it on a flat surface.
Using a steam iron, iron the garment through gauze or a piece of white cotton fabric, stretching it occasionally. All this must be done until the sweater is dry.
Just keep in mind that this stretching method is suitable for things woven from half-woolen threads. If we are talking about 100% wool, the product cannot be effectively stretched.
Iron and vinegar
You can try a combined method of influencing clothes that have shrunk.
- Wet the sweater or jacket so that the collar and shoulder area remain dry;
- Remove excess water with a towel;
- Leave to dry on a hanger;
- Wet it again and place it on a flat surface, repeating the stretch every ten minutes;
- Pour two tablespoons of vinegar into a glass of water, fill a spray bottle with this liquid;
- After placing the sweater on the hangers, thoroughly spray it with the spray solution;
- Turn on the steam function on the iron and, without touching the product, thoroughly spray it with steam on all sides.
Stretch a wool jacket
In order to return it to its original appearance, you must first prepare the following ingredients:
- Cold water – 5 liters;
- ammonia - 5 tablespoons;
- turpentine – 1 tablespoon;
- any cologne - 1 tablespoon.
After this, you can begin restoring woolen clothing. The procedure is as follows:
- Prepare a solution from the prepared components.
- Soak the jacket in it for 1-2 hours.
- Rinse the wool product in clean water at the same temperature as the solution.
- Squeeze lightly.
- The item must be laid out on a clean carpet or other dense fabric.
- Attach the jacket with pins to the rug, while pulling it tightly.
- Leave the clothes to dry.
This method of restoring a wool jacket cannot be used if there are small children in the apartment. Since this can cause their injuries and injuries. In addition, before attaching the product to the carpet, you need to count the number of pins so that none are lost during the work.
Dry cleaning
If home remedies do not help or you are hesitant to use them, you can stretch a sweater that has shrunk after washing by resorting to dry cleaning. Although, as practice shows, not every such service undertakes this. But in any case, no one will forbid you to talk to the receptionist.
A justified refusal of such work can be obtained if the sweater or jacket contains silk thread. As well as decorative elements made from materials that can deteriorate as a result of exposure to chemical stretching.
If possible, it is better to remove beaded decorations, appliqués and stripes from the item. You can return them to their place after the dry cleaning specialists have done their job.
If the wool has not shrunk much or needs to be stretched a little
You can stretch a shrunken woolen jacket that has only slightly lost its previous size by putting it on a mannequin after a gentle spin, if the clothing should fit its, and therefore your, shape.
But, as a rule, there are not mannequins lying around in every attic or balcony, so you will probably have to pull a wet sweater over yourself.
To avoid discomfort when wearing it, it is better to periodically change clothes that come into direct contact with the skin. In four hours your favorite thing will be the same.
