Don’t rush to throw it away, or what to do if your shirt shrinks after washing

Good afternoon, dears! My name is Alexandra and I am a great-grandmother, grandmother and mother. I've raised seven kids in my life, so I know a lot about laundry. And we had to invent a lot: once upon a time there were no synthetic fabrics or washing machines.

So the mothers got out as best they could. And I will tell you how to wash cotton correctly, how to make it shrink, and what to do to stretch a cotton item.

How to stretch a polyester dress to length?

A knitted dress, a dress made of viscose and polyester can be stretched by ironing with a low heat setting through damp cotton or gauze fabric. Or you can steam the material, when during the procedure things are stretched by hand.

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Seven ways to stretch a cotton item

1. Soak sweaters or other cotton items in cool water, then put them on yourself or someone with a larger size. The product must be worn until completely dry;
2. Take water with a temperature of 30 degrees and add two tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide. Soak cotton in the mixture for one to two hours and then put the clothes on yourself. Continue this way until completely dry. As a result, the material is stretched across the body to the desired size;
3. Add a tablespoon of turpentine and vodka, three tablespoons of ammonia to water with a temperature of up to 30 degrees and stir. Soak cotton items in the resulting solution for half an hour, then rinse in clean, cool water and lay on a horizontal surface with a terry towel or sheet. Leave the product to dry. While it dries, periodically stretch the material with your hands. With this treatment, the fabric will become more elastic and stretch;
4. White cotton can be soaked for 30 minutes in water mixed with milk. After the procedure, the product is rinsed in clean, cool water and laid out horizontally on a towel or sheet. Leave until completely dry, periodically stretching the fabric with your hands;
5. Soak a sponge in 3% vinegar and wipe the product, while stretching the material in the desired directions. After this, you need to wash the clothes in the washing machine on a delicate cycle with the addition of bleach. Or soak things in a solution with vinegar. To prepare the composition, mix three tablespoons of 5% vinegar and ten tablespoons of cool water. Soak the clothes for two to three hours, then wash as usual and rinse thoroughly with the addition of fabric softener;
6. To lengthen short sleeves or stretch a sweater, hang a small weight on the item after washing. This method is suitable not only for cotton, but also for wool, viscose, knitwear;
7. If clothes are not made of 100% cotton, but contain admixtures of other fabrics, they will stretch after washing in an automatic machine. Pre-soak items for 15 minutes in cool water. Then you need to wash the product in a washing machine on a delicate cycle at a temperature of up to 40 degrees. Hang the washed clothes on soft hangers and leave to dry naturally. While it dries, periodically stretch the desired areas.

conclusions

Cotton is a natural material, but not problematic. To prevent it from shrinking or stretching, you need to wash it correctly. In order for it to shrink, you need to follow all the recommendations for washing and drying exactly the opposite. To stretch such fabric, there are three ways:

1. We wash and dry in a specific way;
2. Soak and rinse in a solution of peroxide or ammonia;
3. We stroke, slowly stretching.

And yet, if there is a good tailor shop nearby, it is better to take the cotton item there. Professionals will stretch or fit everything correctly, without harming the thing at all!

Iron

This method is universal. With its help you can stretch a shrunken T-shirt made of any material.

To carry out the procedure you will need a basin, cotton cloth, an iron and 2 clothespins. All this can be found at home, you don’t even have to buy anything.

How to stretch T-shirts - algorithm of actions:

1. Pour some water into the basin so that it covers the clothes. The temperature should be 30–40 degrees. If you add hot water, the T-shirt may shrink even more.
2. Leave to soak for a quarter of an hour.
3. After the time allotted for the procedure has expired, remove the item from the liquid. Squeeze gently, no need to twist, just squeeze with your hands to remove excess water. Twisting is contraindicated because the T-shirt will stretch unevenly. Also, you shouldn’t squeeze it like that if there is a print or inscription on the item.
4. Lay out the previously soaked T-shirt on a flat surface. Place one piece of cotton fabric under the bottom, the second on top of the sweater.
5. Turn on the steam function on the iron and go over the product on both sides. During the process, carefully stretch the item in the right places, just make sure that the stretching is uniform. Otherwise, the item will seem deformed and will ultimately not fit your body beautifully.
6. Then the tank top or T-shirt needs to be hung on the clothesline. How to do it correctly: each item is hemmed at the bottom, tuck it along this line and secure it with clothespins. The neckline will pull the fabric. Under no circumstances should you hook clothespins on the sides by the ends so that the inside flaps freely. The product may not stretch properly. As a result, the middle will remain the same, but it will stretch along the side seams.

This method is absolutely safe, budget-friendly (you don’t have to pay for anything) and effective. If the technique is carried out correctly, you can stretch a cotton T-shirt one size larger.

Return of the lost form for products of different colors and materials

Depending on the fabric from which the shirt is made and its color, the methods for stretching it will differ. Recommendations are presented in the table:

A universal method for stretching a cotton item

Place a T-shirt or other item of clothing in warm water. Wait until the material is completely saturated with water and add a quarter cup of hair rinse or conditioner or baby shampoo. Stir the mixture, smooth the blouse and leave for 10-15 minutes.

Then rinse the item thoroughly to ensure that the conditioner is completely rinsed out. Otherwise, the T-shirt will become covered with a sticky residue or streaks will remain on the dried item. Lightly wring out the product and lay it on a horizontal surface, placing a terry towel or sheet on it.

To stretch the sweater in width, lightly pull the fabric in the right places in different directions, putting your hands inside up to your elbows. To stretch the product in length, you need to stretch the shrunken item between the bottom and neck in opposite directions, also putting your hands inside up to the elbows. Pull the fabric equally in each direction. Hair product and warm water will soften the fibers of the clothing and they will begin to stretch.

If you do not want the design or print to stretch, iron the area with an iron before stretching. At the end of the procedure, lay the stretched product on a towel, if necessary, place something heavy around the edges and leave until completely dry. To stretch your chest and abdomen, place a heavy object inside your clothing.

What to do if your shirt or other items shrink after washing

Sometimes, due to violation of the rules of care, wardrobe items take on a deplorable appearance - they change their original shape, tighten and shrink, turning almost into “children’s”. This is often caused by an incorrect selection of a washing program and ignoring the clothing manufacturer’s recommendations indicated on the tag. After all, many fabrics can shrink due to too hot water, excessive speed of rotation of the washing machine drum, use of a spin cycle, or due to the simple and familiar practice of drying things on radiators.

What to do if your dress shrinks after washing or your shirt is irreparably damaged? This question requires an answer from specialists, since this problem is quite widespread.

To give your clothes a second chance at “life,” find out some of the most effective ways to quickly and easily return them to a wearable look.

Adviсe

A few tips from experienced housewives will help you quickly achieve the desired result - a T-shirt that has shrunk after washing by one or two sizes:

1. 
   It is necessary to take measures to stretch items that have shrunk after washing as quickly as possible, without waiting for the fabric to dry completely.
   Well-dried fabric loses its elasticity and will be much more difficult to stretch.

2. To achieve maximum expansion of a knitted item, before starting the stretching process, the fabric is impregnated with hair conditioner.
3. During the steaming process, the product is not completely dried. A slightly damp T-shirt is sent to dry on a rope, securing it with clothespins along the bottom edge.
4. Do not stretch T-shirts with patterns, embroidery, or sequin or bead decorations. Deformation of the fabric breaks the contour of the design, after which the T-shirt completely loses its appearance.

Don’t rush to throw it away, or what to do if your shirt shrinks after washing

A shrunken shirt is a nuisance that anyone can face.
It occurs due to non-compliance with the rules for washing and caring for a shirt. You should not rush to throw away an item. You can try to restore its size and shape at home.

What should I do if my shirt shrinks after washing, how can I return it to its original size? Find answers to your questions in the article.

What parameters increase the likelihood of shirt shrinkage or deformation after washing?

Factors that increase the likelihood of shrinkage include:

1. Fabric used. Natural ones are more susceptible to this problem.
2. Violating the advice on the care tag.
3. The shirt is not dried properly.

Optimal washing temperature (depending on material)

The choice of temperature depends on the type of material:

1. Cotton, Linen. 40 degrees is suitable if there is no other information on the label.
2. Synthetics. In the range from 40 to 50.
3. Colored. Maximum 40 degrees in delicate mode.
4. Silk. No more than 30 degrees.
5. Dark. The maximum washing temperature is 40.

Gentle detergents

To reduce the likelihood of such an outcome, it is important to choose the right detergents. It is recommended to use gentle, gently cleansing materials without causing harm. Be sure to take into account the type of fabric and its color.

Correctly selected spin mode

In addition to temperature, it is important to consider the washing mode. For a shirt, delicate is the most suitable. That's why it's worth choosing. The hand wash mode is suitable, allowing you to carefully clean things. It is important to fasten all buttons before putting your garment in the machine. Avoid drying mode so as not to wrinkle the product too much.

Important Tips

In order to avoid completely ruining your shirt when trying to stretch it, you need to take into account the following recommendations:

1. 
   To cope with the problem, the product should be stretched while drying. However, the tension force must be controlled so as not to damage the fabric.

2. Before soaking an item in a chemical, you need to test it on an inconspicuous area of ​​the fabric.
3. The product should not be thrown over a rope. Such drying neutralizes the entire effect of the manipulations performed.

After returning the shirt to its original size, you must follow the manufacturer's instructions for caring for it. Otherwise, the next incorrect wash will cause it to shrink again.