It’s happened to all of us—you didn’t intend for the sweater to be dried with the rest of the clothes. You pull it out of the dryer and realize it could fit a small child. Or, maybe the dryer was set too hot for too long, and your favorite jeans are much shorter than you would like.
Seeing your clothes in this condition makes your heart sink. Your first reaction may be to take these favored items to the donation pile. But, wait! Did you know there is a trick to “unshrinking” clothes?
The answer to this dilemma starts with answering, “Why do clothes shrink?” Natural fibers are woven together into the cloth that is used to make most sweaters, jeans and shirts. This cloth is stretched during the manufacturing process. When it’s exposed to water and heat from your laundry, the fibers shrink back to their normal state.
So, how can you save your shrunken clothing? Try this simple 6-step method:
1. Use lukewarm water and gentle shampoo or soap. Fill a sink or tub with lukewarm water and add a capful of baby shampoo or hair conditioner. You may also try using the same amount of laundry detergent formulated for delicate cycles.
2. Soak for up to 30 minutes. This is when the fibers will begin to loosen.
3. Gently remove water from the clothing. When time is up, gently squeeze water from the clothing, but do not rinse the items.
4. Lay the clothing on a flat towel. Roll the towel, with the clothing inside, squeezing gently to release more water until the clothing is damp rather than wet.
5. Lay the clothing on another dry flat towel. As you position it on the towel, stretch it gently back to its preshrunk size.
6. Let the clothing air dry.
So, the next time your favorite outfit has come out of the laundry a bit smaller in size, don’t despair! These simple tips may get your clothing back to size and your spirits soaring.
FAQs
Take a bucket of warm water, add half a cupful of hair conditioner and a squirt of washing up liquid and mix. Add clothes and stir until hair conditioner has covered all fibres. Squeeze clothing to expel excess liquid. Lay flat and manually stretch back to shape then leave to dry.
How do you get shrunken clothes back to original size? ›
Take a bucket of warm water, add half a cupful of hair conditioner and a squirt of washing up liquid and mix. Add clothes and stir until hair conditioner has covered all fibres. Squeeze clothing to expel excess liquid. Lay flat and manually stretch back to shape then leave to dry.
How do I get my clothes to Unshrink? ›
In most scenarios, all you need is a container full of warm water with a capful of liquid detergent. Next, make sure to add in your clothes and stir them into the solution until they are completely soaked. Gently wring out the clothing to expel excess liquid and gently stretch the clothing back to its original size.
How do you Unshrink 100% cotton clothes? ›
Put 3 tablespoons of hair conditioner in a basin of warm water. Add the shirt and let it soak for about five minutes. Rinse and stretch the shirt out on a flat surface, like a countertop, until you reach the desired size. Use cans or jars to hold the garment in place, and allow it to air dry.
How do you fix shrunken? ›
How To Unshrink Clothing
- Combine lukewarm water and 2 tablespoons of hair conditioner in your bowl or basin.
- Soak the shrunken garment in the mixture for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the garment and wring out any excess moisture. ...
- Stretch the garment as much as possible and allow it to air dry in that position.
Fill a sink, tub, or bucket with lukewarm water. Add a small amount of hair conditioner, which helps relax fibers. Submerge the shrunken item and let it soak for at least 30 minutes, up to a few hours for severely shrunk items. As the garment soaks, the fibers will gently expand and loosen up.
Does fabric softener Unshrink clothes? ›
You can, however, use fabric softener to unshrink clothes enough that they will fit again. Fill a bucket or sink with warm water, add a cup of fabric softener and soak your shrunken garment over night. Wring it out and stretch gently while still damp. Spread out to dry and rejoice when it returns to its old form.
How do you Unshrink clothes in 6 steps? ›
How to Unshrink Clothes in 6 Steps
- Use lukewarm water and gentle shampoo or soap. ...
- Soak for up to 30 minutes. ...
- Gently remove water from the clothing. ...
- Lay the clothing on a flat towel. ...
- Lay the clothing on another dry flat towel. ...
- Let the clothing air dry.
Soak clothes in lukewarm water mixed with 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of baby shampoo or hair conditioner for 30 minutes. This works for woven fabrics like cotton and wool. Squeeze the garment and roll it in a large towel to remove the excess water. Gently stretch the fabric by hand and weigh it down so it maintains its shape.
Does hair conditioner Unshrink clothes? ›
It's easy to write it off as a loss and throw it in a pile of clothes destined for Goodwill. But there's a simple trick that can revive your now too-small garment, and all you need is some hair conditioner. Conditioner relaxes the cotton fibers of the garment, allowing them to be stretched back to their original form.
Luckily, cotton typically only shrinks once. The fibers could continue tightening if you keep washing the item in hot water and tumble-drying it on high heat. But generally speaking, most of the contracting will happen on the first laundry cycle.
Can you use hair conditioner on clothes? ›
it's possible to use hair conditioner as a fabric softener. Not only does conditioner smell terrific, it's usually much cheaper than fabric softener.
How to make clothes bigger? ›
Knit fibers like cotton, cashmere, and wool are the easiest materials to stretch out by soaking or spraying them, pulling the fabric, and air-drying them. Ingredients like baby shampoo, conditioner, baking soda, and vinegar can help to loosen the fabric fibers, making garments easier to stretch.
Does hot water shrink clothes? ›
"Both hot and warm water may cause certain fabrics to fade or shrink," she notes. "However, hot water shrinks items to their maximum shrinkage capacity after one wash, whereas warm water will shrink them more gradually over multiple washes."
How do you fix stretched clothes? ›
Boil It
- First, find a tall pot.
- Next, fill that pot with water.
- Place it on your stove, and turn up the heat.
- Let the water come to a boil. ...
- Drop the shirt in once it's come to a boil.
- Turn off the heat.
- Let the water cool down, allowing the shirt to soak for anywhere between 5-20 minutes.
It feels great to find a pair of jeans that fit just right, but it's not so good when they unexpectedly shrink in the dryer. Shrinkage in denim jeans is pretty normal and can often be reversed. The most important thing to do is make sure that you're washing and drying the jeans according to the instructions.
