We stretch a shrunken shirt and don’t let it shrink the next time you wash it.

Why do clothes shrink after washing?

Main reasons:

• non-compliance with temperature conditions. Each material is washed at a certain water temperature. If you neglect this rule, then the trousers, shirt or other item will decrease in size due to deformation of the fabric fibers;
• setting high spin speeds when washing in an automatic machine. Extensive manual squeezing can also ruin delicate fabrics;
• features of types of fabrics and their fibers;
• drying on heating devices or in an automatic machine.

Any fabric can stretch or shrink when washed. The degree of its deformation directly depends on the amount of natural fibers in the composition. As a rule, natural fabrics shrink during the first wash if washed in too hot water.

Such materials include: 100% cotton, wool, linen and even synthetic materials with the addition of natural fibers. Products made from calico, cambric, chintz, poplin and teak are less susceptible to shrinkage. But if you strictly follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on the label, you can avoid problems.

Important Tips

In order not to completely ruin it when trying to stretch a shirt, you need to consider the following recommendations:

1. Read also:  How to wash a hat made of fur, wool and other materials

   To combat this problem, stretch your laundry while drying. However, the pulling force must be controlled so as not to damage the fabric.

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

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

How to prevent fabric shrinkage

To avoid having to deal with problems with items becoming deformed after washing, you must follow the basic washing rules. To know them, you need to leave a label on your clothing with the manufacturer’s recommendations. It contains useful information on what water temperature the product can be washed at, whether it is allowed to use an automatic machine or whether the item can only be washed by hand, whether it is permissible to wring it out and use bleaches and stain removers.

Attention: preventing items from becoming deformed is much easier than returning them to their original condition after washing.

To prevent tissue shrinkage, experts recommend:

• pay attention to the manufacturer’s recommendations on the label of shrunken clothing;
• wash at a temperature of no more than 30 degrees;
• Buy wool products one size larger, since after the first wash they will shrink anyway.

The collar on a T-shirt is stretched: what to do and how to solve the problem

Surely you have encountered this unpleasant problem - the product is new, but the neck or collar has stretched unsightly after washing or normal wear. Don't throw away the item, it can be saved. You will need patience, as well as a needle and thread.

• Carefully open the collar placket - usually it is double. Divide it, make it single and longer. Sew together and you will have a longer strip of fabric for the trim.
• Take a T-shirt and use an iron to trim the stretched neckline, fold it in half along the shoulder seam.
• Take a strip of fabric, fold it in half, apply it to the shoulder seam of the T-shirt, pulling it slightly, sew it in a circle. Stop three centimeters before the joint. Connect the ends of the strip and sew them together, and hide the seam in the fold of the strip.
• Then sew the missing 3 centimeters to the neckline. The T-shirt is ready.

How to stretch a shrunken item

Before you begin the stretching process, you need to decide whether the type of fabric is suitable for the chosen method or not.

Mechanical stretch

1. Soak the shrunken item in cold water for a quarter of an hour. Then, without squeezing, lay it out on a terry towel or something similar. Gently stretch the fabric with your hands in the desired directions, and then wait until it dries.
2. You can return your favorite dress or jacket to its original shape by washing it in an automatic machine on a gentle cycle. The main thing is to set the minimum temperature and turn off the spin. No detergent is added; the product is washed in lukewarm, clean water. After this, the clothes are taken out of the drum and hung on hangers. Until it dries completely, manually pull it in the desired directions from time to time.

Stretch with an iron

To do this, you need an iron with a steam function. Clothes are pre-soaked in cold water and laid out horizontally. During drying, it must be periodically ironed and steamed with an iron. You should not put pressure on the product during ironing. After this, your favorite dress or jacket is left to dry completely naturally.

Attention: if the item cannot be ironed, then it is treated with steam after pre-soaking.

Chemical stretch

1. Dilute 6 teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide into 10 liters of cold water. The shrunken item is soaked in a basin for an hour, and then machine washed on a delicate cycle.
2. For 5 liters of cool water add 1 tbsp. spoon of vodka, 3 tbsp. spoons of ammonia and 1 tbsp. spoon of turpentine. The shrunken product is rinsed well in the prepared solution and hung on hangers until it dries completely naturally.
3. Dissolve 10 grams of soda in 1 liter of water. The item is soaked in the resulting solution for 12 hours. Then it is washed in lukewarm water with powder. After this, prepare a solution of 10 tablespoons of vinegar and 2 liters of water, and soak the product for another 2 hours. Next, the clothes are thoroughly rinsed in cold water and dried.
4. 3% vinegar is dissolved in cool water, this product is applied to shrunken clothes using a sponge. In this case, the dress or jacket must be stretched with your hands. The treated clothes are hung on hangers to dry. To ensure that the fabric fibers are fully straightened, it is recommended to use hair conditioner after the vinegar bath. After this, the product should be thoroughly rinsed in cool water to eliminate the unpleasant odor of acetic acid, and hand washed in slightly warm water with a small amount of conditioner.
5. Regular washing powder can also solve problems with shrunken clothes. To do this, dissolve a small amount of powder in warm water and soak the product for half an hour. Next, the outfit is rinsed and wrapped in polyethylene. After this, the item is sent to the freezer for a day. To defrost the outfit, it must be laid out in a horizontal position.

Important: before using any of these methods of stretching clothes, you need to test the effect of the prepared composition on a small area of ​​​​fabric. Some household products can negatively affect the material, changing its structure and original color.

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 drawing methods will be different. Recommendations are presented in the table:

Fabric types

Most often, linen, cotton, silk, wool and some synthetic materials shrink when washed. To avoid fabric shrinkage, you need to know how to care for it. If it was not possible to prevent deformation, then you will need to choose the correct restoration method.

Cotton

You can restore the shape of cotton clothes using a regular vinegar solution:

1. Dilute 3 tablespoons of vinegar per 10 liters of water.
2. The product is dipped into the prepared solution for 10 minutes.
3. Next, they are machine washed on a delicate cycle and hung to dry on hangers.

Attention: wet cotton is periodically straightened and stretched by hand.

Cotton clothing needs proper care:

• it cannot be washed at water temperatures above 60 degrees;
• stains are eliminated before loading into the machine;
• new cotton items are washed in cold water and dried naturally;
• Thin fabrics are washed in a machine in the delicate or hand wash mode.

Linen

Shrunken linen products are restored:

• rinsing in cool water;
• drying in fresh air without pre-squeezing;
• ironing with slightly stretching movements.

Important: aggressive agents and hard water negatively affect flax. The higher the quality of the material, the more resistant it is to deformation.

Recommendations for washing linen:

• clothes are washed only on a delicate cycle or by hand;
• the water temperature should not exceed 40 degrees;
• It is not recommended to squeeze things out with your hands.

Wool

The easiest way to return shrunken woolen clothes to their original shape is to use conditioners:

1. Dilute several caps of a properly selected product in a bowl of warm water.
2. Soak the item for 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the water and hang until it drains completely.
4. Place on a terry towel until completely dry.
5. Place on a dry towel and pin to it with pins or snaps for stretching.

Attention: the most radical method is to put wet woolen clothes on the body. So you need to walk around the apartment until the clothes are completely dry. However, instead of a person, you can use a mannequin. In this case, small weights are hung from the sleeves so that they stretch.

To prevent woolen items from becoming deformed during the washing process, you need to:

• wash things at a temperature not exceeding 30 degrees;
• use gentle detergents without aggressive substances;
• do not machine wash;
• use special household chemicals for woolen clothes;
• Take woolen coats to the dry cleaner.

Silk and synthetics

To prevent silk and synthetic items from shrinking during the washing process, you should:

• do not use aggressive detergents;
• wash in lukewarm water;
• do not use rough mechanical force;
• hand wash only;
• rinse at least 2 times in cool water with the addition of a suitable fabric softener.

Please note: Nylon and polyester clothing shrink the most. We recommend washing it at a water temperature of no higher than 40 degrees. Lycra, spandex and acrylic do not warp or shrink.

Let's start shrinking the T-shirt

Before you begin the operation of reducing the size of a T-shirt, be sure to study the tag on the product, the so-called medical card of “sick” clothing

Pay attention to the material

After studying the label on the product, you can begin the size reduction operation.

It’s important not to overdo it in this matter, otherwise, instead of a nice-fitting T-shirt, you might end up with a faded rag.

Easy way

It is suitable even for clothes that say “dry clean only” on the tag, as it is considered moderate:

Fill the spray bottle with water. Attention! Check the spray bottle for any chemical residues that could damage your clothing. Spray clothes

Using a spray bottle, wet the T-shirt. It is important that the clothes are not too wet after this. Otherwise, you may end up with an item one size smaller than necessary. Dry

All that remains is to put the T-shirt in the dryer, setting the “wrinkle-free” mode for 10-15 minutes. Next, remove the T-shirt from the dryer. Ready. Now the fibers of the product have tightened, and the item has returned to its original position.

Shrink wash

This method is not suitable for wool fabric.

You risk turning wool into felt, but this option may be suitable for a cotton product. Therefore, carefully read the composition of the fabric.

You can wash a T-shirt to make it shrink as follows:

Fill the sink with hot water. The water temperature is directly related to the result that needs to be achieved. The more the size needs to be reduced, the higher the temperature needs to be made. You can use a gas stove to heat water. Once the desired temperature is reached, pour the hot water into the sink. You can add a teaspoon of washing powder to the water. So, you combine the process of washing and shrinking the T-shirt. Place the item in water and then leave for at least 5-7 minutes. The time depends on what size you want to get. The more the clothing needs to be reduced, the longer the item should be kept in water. Remove item from water

Carefully remove the T-shirt from the water, trying to wring it out as gently as possible. Otherwise, you risk stretching the product, and we achieve the opposite effect. Dry the product

Here you will need a clothes dryer. If it is missing, you need to place the clothes on a flat horizontal surface, blotting the product with a towel. The most common mistake people make when using this method is that they hang their clothes to dry, which causes them to stretch at the shoulders.

For the next method we will need a washing machine and dryer.

1. Set the required washing mode. You need a mode in which hot water will flow into the machine during rinsing.
2. Pour a glass of vinegar into the washing machine. This is necessary to preserve the color of the product.
3. Wash the product.
4. Use a dryer. Due to the rapid rotations in the drum and warm air, the T-shirt shrinks.

And another washing option:

1. Wet or wash. The first step is to wet the fabric of the product. It is in this state that it is easily deformed.
2. Put it on yourself. Yes, it’s not the most pleasant procedure, but the clothes fit almost perfectly after it.

What to do if the item consists of different fabrics

If a shrunken shirt or dress is made from different fabrics, you can stretch them as follows:

1. Soak the product in cool water for 15 minutes and then put it in the machine. Wash without powder on delicate cycle. The fibers of the fabric should stretch a little. Then you need to take the item out of the machine and hang it up to dry. Wet things are shaped by hand. Clothes should dry in the fresh air or in a well-ventilated area.
2. You can dilute 3 tablespoons of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide in 10 liters of water and soak the clothes for one hour. Next, the laundry is taken out of the basin and dried in the fresh air.

Synthetics

How to wash a synthetic T-shirt if it has stretched?

Such matter is usually resistant to deformation. But sometimes after washing they also stretch.

What to do if your T-shirt is too big?

Washing will not help in this case. Hot and cold water, as well as contrast washing will not help.

Immediately move the wash to the side. It will only help if the item is small. In this case, you can try washing it and stretching it slightly with your hands, but it is also unlikely that the fabric will stretch.

To reduce synthetic material, you can try washing in a machine, but set the temperature slightly higher than the permissible temperature and select a medium spin mode. If you're lucky, the product will shrink a little. Perhaps the manufacturer did not indicate other fiber impurities.

The second way to return a synthetic T-shirt to its original size is to sew it in the right places yourself or take it to a tailor.

Wardrobe items

Any wardrobe items can sit down after washing: dresses, shirts, trousers, T-shirts, T-shirts and even your favorite sneakers. The way out of the situation depends on the materials from which the clothes are made.

The coat shrank after washing - what to do?

Not only woolen coats can fit, but also those made from any natural or synthetic fibers. You can return to the original form as follows:

1. Rinse the coat in cool water and squeeze lightly with your hands.
2. Prepare a flat surface (preferably a table) covered with a terry towel or sheet.
3. Place a damp coat on top and cover it with a second towel.
4. As soon as the product begins to dry, you will need to periodically stretch its edges.

You can also stretch the coat using an iron :

1. A cotton cloth is placed on the wet coat and the product is ironed.
2. During ironing, its edges are pulled to the sides.
3. To soften the fibers and improve stretching, it is recommended to use steaming.

How to stretch a shrunken dress

To return the dress to its original shape, it must be revived with cold water and an iron. First, soak it in cold water for a quarter of an hour, then wait until the water stops flowing and place it on a table or clean floor. After drying, iron the dress with a hot iron through gauze or thin fabric, while simultaneously pulling out its edges with your hands.

Important: you can save shrunken dresses made from different fabrics. To do this, just arm yourself with a steam generator and stretch the material.

How to stretch a T-shirt

A universal method for stretching a T-shirt or tank top that has shrunk after washing, regardless of the fabric:

1. The T-shirt is soaked for 10 minutes in water no hotter than 40 degrees, lightly wrung out and shaken.
2. If there are stickers, inscriptions and pictures on the T-shirt, then you should handle it carefully so that the design is not damaged or faded.
3. A damp T-shirt is laid out on an ironing board, gauze folded in several layers is placed on top, and the clothes are steamed with an iron from a distance of 10-15 centimeters. In this case, the T-shirt should be pulled with your hands in different directions.
4. Places with inscriptions and stickers should not be steamed, let alone stretched.
5. While steaming a T-shirt, do not dry it completely. It is better to hang it in the fresh air with the neck down. In this case, you will need to once again carefully pull the material with your hands in the right directions.

To stretch a T-shirt one size, you need to:

1. Soak it in cold water with a little shampoo.
2. Squeeze lightly with your hands and place on an ironing board.
3. Stretch and secure with pins.
4. Wait until it dries like this.

My shirt shrunk after washing - what to do?

Recommendations:

1. Soak the shirt in cold water for half an hour. Remove it from the water and lay it out on a towel without wrung out. So it should dry by periodically changing the towel to a dry one. In this case, the shirt must be stretched in different directions with your hands from time to time. This is a universal method suitable for all types of fabrics.
2. Cotton shirts are stretched by soaking in cool water for 10 minutes and placing on the body or mannequin until completely dry. This will allow the shirt to fully stretch to fit your body and regain its lost shape.
3. White shirts are soaked in milk for half an hour, then rinsed in cool water and laid out to dry horizontally on a terry sheet or towel.

What to do if your blouse shrinks after washing

Methods for restoring clothing directly depend on the type of fabric:

• You can return a cotton blouse to its original shape using vinegar. To do this, add 45 ml of 3% vinegar to 10 liters of water, and the product is lowered into a basin with the mixture for 10 minutes. After this, the blouse is machine washed on a delicate cycle. Next, it is hung in the fresh air and, during the drying process, it is periodically stretched with its hands in different directions;
• a denim blouse is restored by ironing and steaming;
• viscose is soaked in cold water for several minutes and hung over the bath until the moisture is completely drained. After this, the blouse is dried in a horizontal position in a well-ventilated area. From time to time it is necessary to stretch it with your hands in different directions.

Pants sat down, pants

We stretch pants or trousers that have shrunk after washing:

• the trousers are briefly immersed in warm water, hung over the bathtub and stretched on a horizontal surface until they dry completely naturally;
• in the warm season, the trousers can be wetted and put on the body by pulling the trouser legs from the bottom with attached weights. So you will need to wait until the trousers are completely dry.

How to stretch sneakers and other shrunken shoes

Width stretch

You can stretch your sneakers wider using thick woolen socks soaked in hot water. They are put on your feet (when they have cooled down a little), and sneakers are put on top. This will require you to walk around the house for at least an hour. If necessary, the procedure is repeated several times.

You can also stretch shrunk shoes with vodka, which is used to generously moisten the sneakers from the inside and put them on your feet.

Next, the shoes are moistened with vodka on the outside. It will take several hours to walk around the house in sneakers until they stretch well in width. This option is suitable for shoes made from natural fabric or non-elastic materials.

Length stretch

To slightly increase the length of sneakers that have shrunk after washing, you will need newspapers and steam. The shoes are kept over boiling water for several minutes until the material softens. Then wet newspapers are inserted into it. The main thing here is not to overdo it, so as not to deform the shoes.

In this position, the sneakers are left until completely dry at room temperature. It is strictly prohibited to speed up the drying process using heating devices or using a hair dryer. It is also not recommended to expose shoes to direct sunlight.

Attention: fabric shoes stretch much easier than suede and leather, but they also deform faster.

Experienced housewives offer methods for stretching shrunken shoes using:

• ice _ Thick plastic bags are filled with water and placed in sneakers or sneakers. The shoes are placed in the freezer, and after the water has completely frozen, they are taken out of the freezer and left until the ice defrosts. After this, the bags of water are removed;
• glass cleaners containing alcohol . The sneakers are generously sprayed inside and out with glass cleaner, then the owner puts on thick knitted socks and puts on the sneakers. This will require walking around the house for several hours.

Attention: you can only stretch the sneakers half a size.

It is easier to prevent things from stretching than to restore their shape later. To do this, you need to follow the manufacturers' recommendations and wash things only with gentle detergents and at the optimal temperature.