How to stretch a fur or wool hat at home

Products made from natural materials require proper care and compliance with the manufacturer's instructions. Leather hats made of wool and fur are extremely sensitive to improper care and can become deformed, stretch and shrink. The most common problem that arises is how to stretch a hat at home after the headdress has shrunk due to rain, incorrect storage or washing tactics.

Why does the hat shrink?

To obtain suitable material for the manufacture of headwear, the raw materials must go through many complex processing steps. This is the only way to obtain matter that will have the necessary characteristics - density, thickness and softness. But even pre-processing of raw materials is unable to completely eliminate the likelihood of cap deformation. Most often, woolen products, fur and leather hats lose their shape and shrink due to the following circumstances:

Violation of the washing/cleaning temperature regime. This is one of the common problems. Natural materials of animal origin contain keratin, a natural protein that coagulates due to heat. Accordingly, matter is compressed.
Hard rinse. A wool hat may rub against the drum during the rinse cycle in the washing machine. The result is matted fibers.
Incorrectly selected washing chemicals. Lye, present in many detergents, weakens the structure of natural matter.
Features of the cap material production process. During the processing of raw materials, the material is stretched. After the first contact with water, the product may shrink.
Insufficient quality of material. If the production process is disrupted, it is virtually impossible to maintain the original appearance of the hat, even with careful care.
Violations of the rules for drying hats. An incorrectly chosen method or a temperature jump caused it to shrink after washing, rain, or snow.

Attention!

It is possible to restore the size of the headdress with your own hands. There are many options that allow you to stretch a shrunken hat as painlessly as possible for the product. The main thing is to be careful, follow the rules exactly and not neglect the recommendations.

Some useful tips

To reduce the size of a woolen hat after it has stretched, not only the implementation of certain actions aimed at this will help, but also the following nuances:

shrinkage using hot water is effective provided that the composition of the cap contains fibers from natural fabrics;
acrylic hats may become matted due to temperature exposure;
A washing machine should not be used to create smaller sizes. This will most likely simply ruin the product;
It is always worth checking the headdress for color fastness; if there is a possibility of shedding, you need to take action.

The methods listed above for reducing the size of a headdress are the most effective and relatively safe.

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Restoring the header size

It is possible to stretch a woolen hat yourself, but it is better to take the product to a specialist in the studio if you are not sure of the success of the result. The craftsmen will treat the headdress with a specialized solution. Afterwards, the studio workers will place the product on a specialized block. In a few days you will be able to get a hat of the right size. But it is not always possible to seek professional help and you have to take independent steps to solve the problem.

Softening fibers

To stretch hats, workshops use specialized solutions that soften the fabric structure, making it elastic. This effect can be achieved at home with a solution of hydrogen peroxide or table vinegar. You need 2 tbsp. Pour table vinegar into 10 liters of water (up to 30 °C). The cap is immersed in liquid for 5-10 minutes. Afterwards, the product is wrung out with a terry towel and pulled onto a 3-liter glass jar or mannequin. Peroxide is used in the same proportions as vinegar.

Heating

It is possible to return the shape of a wool hat using heat. The product is placed, straightened on an ironing board and covered with a damp cotton cloth. The iron is switched to wool ironing mode. After heating, carefully and without pressure, move along the product, giving the required shape. The iron and wet gauze can be replaced with a steamer to simplify the process of resizing the product.

Towel instead of wringing

The essence of the method is that the knitted hat will stretch without damaging the fibers and weaving, but at the same time it will also be possible to get rid of moisture with a towel.

How to stretch a hat in this way. Algorithm of actions:

Lay out a terry towel on the table.
Place the cap stretched by hand on it.
Roll the towel for 10 minutes. Moisture will be absorbed.
Replace the towel with a dry one.
Repeat the first steps again.
The remaining moisture will evaporate after hanging the headdress on the rope.
The hat will stretch due to its weight.

When hanging a product on a rope, clothespins are used to hold the edges of the item.

How to stretch a leather or fur hat

Fur and leather dry out over time. When the hat was first stored in a room with high humidity, and then moved to another room, it shrinks. The best solution is to contact a studio, where craftsmen will carry out professional restoration of the product. But sometimes there are no options other than trying to independently restore the normal appearance of the hat and restore its size.

Ferry

There are not always craftsmen in the locality who work with leather and fur products. The opportunity to contact the studio may also not be available for some reason. Therefore, knowledge of how to stretch a fur hat at home or restore the size of a leather product using improvised means is needed. It is possible to stretch a fur and leather headdress yourself using steam:

You need a saucepan, a 3-liter jar or another similar object on which the headdress will stretch after steaming.
Water is boiled in a kettle; after the liquid has boiled, the cap is held over the steam until it is heated and soaked with moisture.
The cap is pulled onto the prepared jar and left to dry.

Attention!

It is forbidden to force-dry a leather or fur hat near heating appliances. The best temperature for drying is 20-25 °C. Until the headdress is completely dry, it is not removed from the jar. Drying occurs in approximately 3 days.

Salon services

When a fur/leather hat is expensive or severely deformed, the best solution is to contact the craftsmen in the atelier. In the workshop, the product will be treated with specialized compounds that will increase elasticity. Then the hat will be fixed on the mannequin of the desired circumference. These actions will cause the headdress to stretch with minimal negative consequences for the material from which it is made.

How to stretch wool clothes

When a woolen item has shrunk, two methods are used to stretch it - physical and chemical. The first method is to pull the wet wool product out by hand or using an iron/steamer. The chemical option is the use of specialized products. The best results are obtained when physical and chemical methods are combined.

Chemical technique

To return woolen clothes to their original size, use 4 products that are practically always at hand - hydrogen peroxide, table vinegar, wool conditioner and hair conditioner. A tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide or table vinegar for stretching is dissolved in 5 liters of water. The woolen item is soaked in this solution for 5-30 minutes. Then the clothes are rinsed. Wool conditioner is used as follows:

dilute according to the instructions for the product;
soak the shrunken item in the solution for 5-10 minutes;
wring out the woolen product with a towel;
Lay out the clothes on a horizontal plane to dry.

Hair conditioner is highly effective when you need to stretch out shrunken woolen items. The effect of the product is similar to a specialized wool conditioner, since their compositions include similar components. To stretch the wool you need 1 tbsp. dissolve hair conditioner in 5 liters of water. Clothes are left in the liquid for 30 minutes. Then they take it out and wrap it in a towel.

For reference!

There is no need to rinse hair conditioner on wool products.

Physical technique

By manually pulling and fixing the product in the desired position during drying, the result of exposure to chemicals is secured. The main thing is to ensure that the item does not lose its symmetry, since after drying the clothes will retain it. There are 3 ways to restore the original size of products made from woolen fabric and yarn after the clothes have shrunk:

Using a towel instead of wringing. The item is lowered into the water, the towel is spread over a flat surface. The clothes are stretched by hand, placed on top of the towel and wrapped in a roll for 10 minutes. – terry cloth will absorb moisture. Then the towel is replaced and the procedure is repeated.
Ironing helps when clothes are dry but have shrunk slightly. The item is straightened on the ironing board. The product is covered with a damp towel and ironed without pressing, but with slight stretching in the desired directions.
Putting on and wearing a wet item until it dries or attaching the item to a mannequin.

There is a separate way to stretch a knitted hat - lower the headdress for 10 minutes. into water with conditioner, then wring out. After the excess moisture has been removed, the hat is placed on a suitable ball or jar and left to dry. The result will be a hat that matches the size of the object that was used as a block.

How to store warm clothes

Out of season, warm clothes need to be stored properly. When a product is made of natural fur or has fur inserts, it is necessary to leave the item cool - a balcony closet with tight-fitting doors is the best option. In this case, the clothes are wrapped in vacuum bags - they should not come into contact with other things and should be protected from direct sunlight.

For reference!

It is not recommended to store genuine leather products on a balcony/loggia.

Hats, especially those that keep their shape, should be stored in cardboard boxes. Scarves made of silk, acrylic, and thin fabric are placed on special hangers for storage. Cashmere and wool scarves are folded and placed in a drawer - this will prevent the item from stretching during storage. With sweaters, do the same as with wool scarves. However, it is prohibited to stack long woolen and leather items - they must be placed on hangers with soft hangers.

Precautionary measures

Increasing the volume of any accessory affects the structure of the material and changes it. During the stretching process, the item may fade or become paler.

Be careful when stretching leather products: the material may tear if there is strong tension on the base. An item that has been stretched once should not be stretched again. Each impact injures the material. Avoid sudden changes in temperature and exposure to direct sunlight when transforming the model.

Proper use and following care tips will help keep your hat looking beautiful :

Dry natural wool hats at room temperature on a flat horizontal surface. Try to lay out on a terry towel or cotton fabric away from heating devices.
Clean suede and leather products without using water, using a dry method.
Store hats made of natural fur or leather on a stand in a cool, dark place. Alternatively, stuff your hat with newspaper.
Store leather products only when straightened. It is difficult to remove creases and folds from an expensive accessory.

These simple recommendations will help you preserve your favorite hats for a long time.

How not to spoil woolen items

In order not to spoil woolen items, it is necessary to adhere to the rules of precaution in handling and storage. The first thing you need to do is read the manufacturer’s recommendations written on the labels. Signs on the labels indicate how the item can be washed, whether it is permissible to iron it, and other significant points that describe the possibility of using certain types of chemicals, etc. In addition to the manufacturer's recommendations, the following rules must be followed:

Expensive and comfortable items made of woolen fabric are recommended to be washed by hand using detergents marked “For wool”. Machine washable only with cold water in a gentle cycle without spinning.
To prevent deformation of hats after washing, it is prohibited to wring out the hats.
It is necessary to avoid drying wool products on clotheslines and near heating appliances. Woolen items should dry on their own on a horizontal surface in a straightened position.
It is prohibited to use hot steaming when ironing wool.

By following the rules for handling things made from natural materials, it is possible to keep their appearance unchanged. But sometimes wool, fur or leather hats suffer due to unforeseen circumstances. In such cases, it is better to seek help from ateliers and workshops. But, in emergency situations, it is possible to stretch the headdress yourself, provided you follow the process technique.

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Reasons for shrinkage

Wool thread is similar in structure to human hair and requires careful handling.

The reason that a woolen item has stretched may be the following care errors:

Wrong means. The components of powders and detergents destroy the organic structure of the threads and make them rigid. You need to wash wool items with special gels, separately from other clothes.
Incorrect temperature. Hot water is also bad for wool fibers. It should be washed at a temperature of no more than 30°C. If the machine has a separate “Wool” mode, then the automation itself will select the desired temperature.
Poor quality yarn. There is a high probability that a sweater made from cheap yarn will stretch and lose shape faster than a higher quality item. But the cost of the product will not protect it from deformation; even expensive products shrink if not properly cared for.

If this has happened, the situation needs to be corrected. Proven “grandmother’s” methods will help with this.