How to wash jeans to make them shrink - shrinking pants at home

Sometimes buying jeans first brings joy, and then disappointment: the pants stretch out and don’t fit. How to wash jeans so that they shrink is a simple question. It is only important to understand the types of denim, study the precautions and - go ahead, save your favorite thing! Even an inexperienced housewife can handle the procedure of reducing jeans at home.

Why is the procedure needed?

Why make jeans smaller when clothing stores already have enough choice? Firstly, we are not all perfect, and often choosing pants that fit our figure becomes a big problem. Sometimes it’s wide at the waist, sometimes it’s narrow at the shins, and you also have to hem it and remove the length. Thanks to special washing conditions, you can adjust the model you like to suit you.

Secondly, not all types of denim are wear-resistant. You will have to reduce the size of your pants if they are stretched. The product itself looks good, emphasizes the figure, only the elongated knees spoil everything. Some people don’t want to splurge on new pants every time the problem of pulling out the old ones arises. The procedure will also help those who have suddenly lost weight.

At home, you can make clothes one size smaller with just washing. It is unlikely that it will be possible to reduce an item by 2 sizes; in such cases it is better to resort to a sewing machine.

If all else fails, you can stitch it in!

If after washing, boiling, and quick drying it was not possible to reduce the size of denim trousers, there is only one thing left to do - sew in the jeans. The masters of sewing salons will quickly and efficiently sew from denim fabric . But such services cost a lot of money.

Therefore, having carefully studied the features of altering stretched jeans, you can safely get to work.

Algorithm of actions:

We prepare the necessary tools: thread, sharp scissors, needles, sewing machine (preferably with an overlocker), chalk or pencil, iron.
We rip the seams on the jeans in problem areas, remove old threads and carefully smooth the fabric.
Focusing on the new parameters, we make markings with chalk.
We sew the jeans along the new lines and try on the product in order to evaluate the quality of the fit of the product.
After all changes have been corrected, we sew new seams on a sewing machine.
We cut off the excess fabric, process the edges using an overlocker or sew it by hand.

Waist

The easiest way to change the width of a belt is to sew an elastic band into it . To do this, an incision is made on the back of the belt through which a wide elastic band is threaded. Fixed at the edges of the belt, it gathers it, thereby reducing the volume of the jeans at the waist.

Along the hips

In order to adjust the upper part of the jeans along the hip line, you need to do the following:

Carefully remove the belt and rip the jeans along the hips. The experts also recommend ripping off the back pockets (their location on updated jeans most often changes)
Using fitting, we fix the new hip line with pins, trying to make the transition from the factory line to the new line less noticeable.
After the fitting is completed, we sew new lines on a sewing machine. Excess fabric is cut off only after the alteration of denim trousers is completed.
Sew on the waistband and back pockets.

In order for the alteration of jeans to look as neat as possible, you need to very carefully select the shade of the thread for the external decorative seam.

This video will show you how to sew jeans:

Types of denim

Jeans come in different varieties: black, white, wide and skinny, expensive and not so expensive. It is the type of fabric that affects the price tag of the product and how to care for it:

Classic denim jeans are not the most budget-friendly purchase. But these pants will serve faithfully for several years. How to tell if denim is real? It is made by interlacing two threads and always has a white reverse side. Denim material is cotton from Mexico, Barbados or Zimbabwe. The exceptional properties of this fabric are that the product fits precisely to the figure, as if it were made to order according to individual measurements. These jeans are unlikely to need to be washed to reduce their size.
Denim is a fabric made from Indian and Asian cotton. Such products are cheaper than real denim, but can also be of different densities. A good pair of jeans is thick enough to wear out at the knees. Do these jeans fit? Depends on the material. Asian denim is difficult to shrink. After washing, it becomes rougher and shrinks a little, but soon returns in size. You need to be especially careful when handling jeans made from Indian cotton: it is thinner than Asian cotton and has a fleecy feel. If such a product shrinks, it shrinks in all directions. Not only the width of the belt will change, but also the length and volume of the legs.
Stretch jeans are made from natural fabric with the addition of synthetics - lycra. Such products fit the figure well, but they are not so easy to fit using conventional methods. If the product is stretched, the shrinkage procedure will take effect for a maximum of a couple of days, and then the panties will return to their original appearance.
“Summer” jeans are such a thin material that they fully justify their name. Some things cannot be carried through the season. They are called jeans conventionally: in fact, they are denim-dyed cotton (cotton), but the interweaving of the threads does not resemble real jeans. A thin product can be quickly wiped, and it is highly undesirable to wash it in hot water or boil it: the fabric will definitely shrink and will not stretch anymore.

Important Remember: if you do not take precautions, you risk damaging the product. Perform all manipulations with caution, ask experienced friends for advice.

We make jeans smaller: machine washable

The method is suitable for products made of natural fabric: real denim and jeans. The composition should contain, if not 100, then at least 70-80 percent cotton. Washing in a washing machine will not cause much harm to durable and dense fabric. But it is not recommended to wash items with synthetic fabric components this way: they will stretch even more or shrink so much that they completely lose their shape.

We recommend: How to stretch a shrunken woolen sweater and other clothes after washing?

Despite the fact that denim is highly durable, the shrinkage procedure should not be abused. Jeans from frequent washing will fade and lose their presentation.

Advice To prevent expensive jeans from turning into summer clothes, give them a rest, that is, wash them in a gentle cycle at low temperatures.

Denim may contain a small percentage of synthetics. This complicates the shrinkage procedure. What can I do to make these pants shrink? Wash them on an intensive cycle at a temperature of 80-90 degrees, use a fast spin. You can shrink your jeans if you wash them this way several times without wearing them.

The author of the Miss Clean website recommends testing things made from real denim. First you need to wash your jeans in hot water, but not for long. Choose the express mode of the washing machine, that is, up to 30 minutes. If nothing happened to the product, you can experiment on a large scale.

For those who truly love raw denim

If the desire to buy trousers made from “real” denim cannot be suppressed by any “counterfeits”, then the shrinking procedure will need to be carried out on your own. To ensure that you have enough knowledge and the result is what is expected, you should use a few tips.

1. Required components:

– a large container in which jeans will fit “full-length” (you can use a bathtub, if you don’t mind);

– water heated to a temperature of at least 60 degrees Celsius;

- a weight that will prevent the jeans from floating to the surface (plastic bottles filled with water are perfect).

2. Jeans must be carefully placed at the bottom of the container so that there are no folds or creases on them, and pressed down with a weight. They should soak for at least 4 hours, and there is no need to panic if the water becomes colored. This is absolutely normal. Then the jeans are taken out and hung in such a way that water flows freely down them.

3. If after shrinking you cannot fit into your jeans (they have become tight in the waistband), then you can soak the waistband for another hour and then dry it using special spacers. They will give the width the required size.

Handwash

A safer way. To make your jeans smaller, follow these steps:

Soak them in very hot water for 20-30 minutes. Be careful not to get burned!
Use very cold water to rinse. This “contrast shower” will make your jeans narrower. Just move your pants from cold to hot water several times.
If time allows, you can soak the product overnight in cold water and wash it in hot water in the morning.
Wring the jeans well.
Dry them on a horizontal surface.

A fun way to make your jeans shrink if you take a bath while wearing them! After swimming, rinse your pants and dry them.

Compromise option: “shrinkage with return”

In order not to be too categorical and not to create unpleasant situations for their customers, many manufacturers have made a compromise and created something in between the described options. The resulting jeans are marked RAW SANFORIZED on the label, which means that the fabric has gone through the appropriate stages of sanforization, the essence of which is sequential soaking, steaming and stretching with load. Then the jeans are dried and in appearance are no different from the original material, but their shrinkage is minimal. It appears only immediately after washing, and after an hour of wearing the jeans return to their previous parameters.

Jeans processed in this way are the most popular segment among buyers, since the risk of buying the wrong size is reduced to zero.

Cooking jeans

Instead of washing your pants, you can boil them, as women did in Soviet times. This procedure is guaranteed to reduce the size of the item, but will also affect its color. If you like blue-gray stains and a boiled-out tint, then feel free to proceed. If not, the method is not suitable for you.

Take a large saucepan and fill it with water.
What to weld jeans with? Add detergent: powder or regular soap. The solution should be saturated.
Place the clothes in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for about half an hour. Bonus: thanks to this washing, you can not only reduce the size of the product, but also get rid of old dirt.

We recommend: How to safely bleach a blouse at home if it has turned gray or yellowed?

Tip To avoid severe stains, turn the item inside out.

Reducing a specific area

The methods described above help reduce the size of jeans from all sides. But they are not suitable if overall the size suits you, but you need to remove stretchiness in certain areas.

In this case, there is another way to fit jeans to fit at the waist or hips - using a spray bottle:

Fill the reservoir with warm water with conditioner, shake the composition thoroughly.
Lay the jeans out on a table or ironing board.
Spray the stretched area with a spray bottle and dry quickly. This can be done with a hairdryer or iron. In the latter case, you need to move the device from the edges to the center, and not move it along the fabric. Otherwise, the material will stretch even more.

In this way, the remaining problem areas are worked out one by one. If everything is done correctly, but you don’t like the result, you will have to repeat the procedure.

Drying correctly

Jeans can shrink even after regular washing if you dry them properly. The main thing is to reduce drying time. If the item dries for a long time, the fibers of the fabric have time to straighten out. Do this:

place the washed clothes near a heat source: radiators, stoves, or simply lay them out on the street so that the sun's rays fall on them;
place terry cloth under the product, which absorbs moisture well;
use an automatic dryer.

To prevent the item from fading from the sun, dry it by turning it inside out. If your pants dry on fabric, take one that you don’t mind, because jeans can fade. When drying on a radiator, it is also recommended to place a thin cloth so that there are no dirty yellow stains left on the product. To reduce only the width of the trousers, hang them on clothespins to dry. Their own gravity will not allow them to become shorter.

How to seat in a certain place?

Fabric conditioner will help restore shape to jeans that have stretched knees, waistbands, or bulging pockets.

What should be done:

dilute fabric softener with clean water in a ratio of 3:1;
pour the resulting solution into a spray bottle and carefully treat the stretched areas of fabric on the jeans;
We place wet jeans in the drum of an automatic dryer or quickly iron the dampened areas with an iron.

The shrinkage effect of denim can only be achieved by drying as quickly as possible. Using the traditional method of drying on a rope under the sun, it will not be possible to achieve the effect of fabric shrinkage.

Precautions and Tips

Do not boil or wash items decorated with rhinestones and lace at high temperatures. The decor will definitely suffer.
It should be understood that after the procedure, not only the width, but also the length of the trousers will change. If you buy an item a size larger, then take it with a margin of length.
If the item is stretched in certain places and begins to shine, for example, on the knees, wipe them with a swab dipped in ammonia, then apply a slurry of washing powder to these places and only then wash as usual.
Sometimes it is advised to take stretch jeans a size smaller, because they stretch quickly. However, pants that are too tight do not allow the skin to breathe and compress blood vessels. Choose wisely and don't buy jeans that are too tight. It is better to buy in size, since it is not difficult to make jeans at the bottom at home and it will not be harmful to health. You can also buy new ones if the old ones stretch out. But there will be no harm to health.
The product may fade greatly. Be careful not to end up with dirty gray pants instead of bright blue ones.
What can you do to keep your jeans from stretching for as long as possible? The first rule: buy quality denim or jeans. And if you like thin synthetic trousers, then strictly follow the care instructions indicated on the label. If stretch jeans are stretched, they cannot be returned to their original shape.

If the product is out of size or has lost its attractiveness, do not despair! Arm yourself with our advice and try to bring your products back to life.

We recommend reading the article: how to stretch jeans to the desired size