Your favorite sweater or jeans may shrink in size when you put them in the dryer. This can happen to anyone, and technically you won't be able to get back the size of a shrunken garment. Fortunately, you can loosen the fibers of the garment to stretch it back to its original size. With most fabrics, this can be easily done with water and baby shampoo. For clothes made of wool or cashmere, you can use borax or vinegar to stretch them. If you want to save your jeans, you can try soaking them in warm water. After the clothes are washed and dried, you can put them back on because they have returned to their original size.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Soaking Knitted Fabrics in Baby Shampoo
Step 1. Fill the sink with warm water
If you don't have a sink, you can use a bucket or tub. Add at least 1 liter of lukewarm water, which is enough to soak the clothes. Make sure you use room temperature or slightly warmer water to be effective at loosening the fibers.
- You cannot use cold water to stretch the fabric. On the other hand, hot water can shrink and damage clothing, so you shouldn't use it.
- Keep in mind that knitted garments, including wool, cotton, and cashmere fabrics, will respond better to this method than other types of fabric. Fabrics that are tightly woven, such as rayon, silk, and polyester are more difficult to return to their original size.
Step 2. Add 1 tbsp. (15 ml) conditioner or baby shampoo in warm water
You can use a mild conditioner, but baby shampoo is the gentlest on clothes. Add about 1 tbsp. (15 ml) shampoo for every 1 liter of water used. Adding more shampoo is safe and can even be useful if the shrinkage is severe.
Gentle shampoos and conditioners will loosen shrinking fabric fibers without damaging them. Using gentle products is important. If you don't like using a product on your hair, don't use it on your favorite clothes either
Step 3. Soak the clothes in the water mixture for about 30 minutes
If you use conditioner, the water mixture will not be soapy. Whatever product you mix with water, completely immerse the garment in it. Make sure all parts of the clothes are completely covered with water. At this point, the water must be warm for the shampoo or conditioner to be effective. So, drain the cold water and refill the sink if necessary.
If you want, you can gently stretch the garment in the water as you soak it. However, the fabric will stretch more easily if you wait longer. So, this doesn't have to be done now
Step 4. Squeeze the clothes to remove excess water
Roll the clothes into a ball, and don't rinse out the shampoo. Press the clothes to remove as much water as possible.
The soapy water will continue to loosen the fibers until you're done stretching the garment. Wait until you've finished bringing the clothes back to their original size before rinsing out the shampoo
Step 5. Roll the clothes in a large towel
Lay out a clean, dry towel on a flat surface, then place the clothes on top of it. Make sure the towels are bigger than the clothes. Next, gently roll the towel from the bottom up. The resulting pressure will squeeze out any excess water remaining on the clothes.
- The clothes will be damp, but not dripping after you're done.
- You can leave the clothes in the towel for up to 10 minutes. Don't leave the clothes there for too long as the fibers will cool and be harder to stretch!
Step 6. Stretch the garment by hand to bring it back to size
Unroll the towel, then transfer the garment to another dry towel that has been spread out on a flat surface. Use your hands to tug at the hem of the damp garment. Do this slowly so that the fibers of the fabric are not damaged. It may not look exactly the same as it was when the clothes weren't shrunk, but try your best to get them back into shape.
- To return your clothes to a more accurate shape and size, you can create a pattern. Find clothes that are the same size and use them to make patterns on the cardboard. Next, lay the garment on top of the garment pattern while stretching it.
- If you find it difficult to stretch clothes, use the steam in the iron. The steam of the iron can soften stiff fabrics.
Step 7. Secure the garment in place by placing a book or other heavy object
Leave the clothes on the towel. Stretch the garment piece by piece at a time so you can stick it in place when you resize. If you don't have heavy books, you can use paperweights, mugs, or whatever is available. In the end, the clothes will be covered by ballast material so they can't move.
- If there are no heavy objects nearby, secure the clothes using clothespins.
- You can leave the clothes in this position to dry. If the shrinkage is severe, check the garment every 30 minutes and stretch it again.
Step 8. Wash and re-dry the clothes if necessary
To make clothes dry quickly, you can hang them in the air. Hang clothes on curtain rods, on hangers, or in an open area that is not exposed to heat and direct sunlight. You don't need to rinse out the shampoo, but you can hand wash your clothes as normal if the texture looks weird.
- Understand what can happen if you hang clothes to dry. Gravity can pull the fibers down, especially if the clothes are still wet. This can help stretch it.
- If the garment has not returned to its original shape, repeat the process. You may have to do this several times if the shrinkage is severe.
Method 2 of 3: Using Borax or Vinegar on Wool and Cashmere
Step 1. Fill the sink with warm water
Pour at least 1 liter of warm water into the sink. Be sure to provide enough water to soak the clothes. The water must also be at room temperature so that it can stretch the fibers of the fabric without breaking it.
For handling animal clothing such as cashmere and wool, the recommended ingredients are vinegar and borax. Fabrics from plant-based materials such as cotton can also use this product, but do not apply it to synthetic or natural materials with dense fabric fibers
Step 2. Add at least 1 tbsp. (15 ml) vinegar or borax
Use 2 tbsp. (30 ml) borax or vinegar if the shrinkage is severe. Alternatively, you can mix 1 part white wine vinegar with 2 parts water. Both of these products can loosen the fibers of the fabric effectively, which makes the fabric easier to pull and resize.
- Vinegar and borax are relatively strong cleaners, so you'll need to dilute them with water. Fabric can be damaged if you apply it directly to clothes.
- White wine vinegar is preferred over distilled vinegar because it is clearer and smoother. However, both of these materials can still be used.
Step 3. Soak the resized garment in the solution for up to 30 minutes
Soak the clothes in the vinegar or borax mixture. Wait for the garment to soften to allow it to stretch easily. You can start stretching the garment while it is soaking, but do this in the water.
Try stretching the fabric by hand after you've soaked it for 25-30 minutes. After that, soak the clothes again for 5 minutes
Step 4. Squeeze out as much water as possible on the clothes
Do this gently so that the fabric is not damaged. Roll the garment into a ball and squeeze it gently to remove excess water. This keeps the fabric damp, but not wet.
Don't rinse clothes, as vinegar and borax won't do their job. Wait until you have finished stretching it
Step 5. Put the towel inside the clothes to dry them
Roll up some absorbent towels and tuck them into the shrinking garment. Position the towel so that the garment returns to its original size. The towel will prevent the garment from shrinking so you don't run the risk of damaging the fabric (unlike when you stretch it by hand).
- Use as many rolls of towels as needed to get the clothes back into shape. Make sure the towel is rolled up evenly and smoothly because the bumps created by the towel will remain on the fabric as the garment dries.
- The towels will also absorb excess water, so the clothes will dry faster.
Step 6. Air dry the clothes for at least 15 minutes
Allow the towel to remain in the garment for up to 30 minutes to help dry it. Place a few extra towels under and over the clothes to speed drying. You can also shake the clothes, but take care to keep the towels inside.
While waiting for the clothes to dry, you can check the shape. Fine-tune the shape of the garment by gently pulling the ends of the fabric if necessary
Step 7. Hang the clothes to finish drying, and wash them if necessary
Tuck the hanger into the fabric, but don't remove the towel. Place the clothes in an open location that is not exposed to heat and direct sunlight. Try using a clothes hanger to do this. Once the clothes are dry, you can hand wash them in cold water if they don't feel as smooth and soft as usual.
- If you're afraid the sweater will be damaged, place the garment on a towel to dry it. Cashmere and wool are delicate fabrics so you need to be safe when handling valuable clothing.
- If the garment has not returned to its original size, repeat this cleaning process several times until you achieve the desired result.
Method 3 of 3: Using Warm Water on Jeans
Step 1. Put warm water in the bath
Fill the tub up to of the way, which is enough to submerge the lower body. Use water that is comfortable enough for bathing. Hot or cold water is not only uncomfortable, it can also damage your jeans.
- If you don't have a bath, you can still stretch your jeans. Fill a bucket or sink with warm water.
- If you only need to stretch a few areas, try spraying the shrinking area with warm water, then pulling the fabric up to the desired size.
Step 2. Put on a pair of jeans to start stretching them
After putting it on, pull the zipper and snap it on if possible. If your legs and thighs don't fit into your pants at all, you'll need to wash them by hand. Close the zipper and attach all the buttons before you try to stretch them.
Try to return the genie to its original form as much as possible. It would be easier if you could wear the pants, but sometimes this can't be done. Don't force it on if the pants are too tight
Step 3. Soak the genie in the water for about 15 minutes
The water will soften the jeans, and because you're wearing them, the pants will automatically stretch. Pants need time for this stretch to not shrink back, and the longer you soak in the water, the more effective it will be. Try to soak the genie for at least 10 minutes or until the water turns cold.
- The most important part is soaking the whole part of the genie. After soaking, the fibers of the fabric will be easier to stretch.
- If you don't want to soak in water, soak your pants in the sink or wet them with a spray bottle for 10-15 minutes. After that, you can wear the pants if you want.
Step 4. Wear the jeans for about 1 hour or stretch them by hand
The easiest way to get your jeans back in size is to wear them. Get out of the tub carefully because the pants will get heavy. If this is difficult for you, remove the pants and pull the ends. Next, stretch the fabric of the pants as gently as possible.
- If you decide to wear it, move around as much as possible. You can go for a walk, jog, stretch, or even dance to help stretch the fibers of the fabric.
- Focus on the areas that need stretching the most. For example, if your waist is shrinking, flex and stretch it.
Step 5. Take off your jeans and hang them to dry
Place the wet jeans on a clothesline or drying rack. Don't put your jeans in a place that's exposed to heat and direct sunlight, but look for a location that has good air circulation. This will help the pants drying process. At the same time, gravity will also pull the genie down to stretch it.
Don't put your jeans in the dryer again! Heat can make clothes shrink. Direct sunlight can also fade jeans
Tips
- The heat from the dryer often causes clothes to shrink. So, adjust the settings in the washing machine carefully. Use cold, gentle water for washing if necessary, or hand wash clothes.
- Remember, you can't undo damage caused by shrinkage of the fabric. So, this stretching method doesn't always work. You may have to repeat the process several times to return the clothes to their original size.
- Prevention is always better than repairing shrinking clothes. So look for ways to keep clothes from shrinking. Wash and dry clothes properly to keep them in top condition.
