What if you have bought some of the fantastic tops on sale but they are big in size, now what to do? That’s the point, you can now shrink your tops and wear them. But the problem is, how to shrink them in the best manner?
In this article, I will share different and proven methods of shrinking your clothes. Also, I will give you a brief insight on what fabric types are highly prone to shrinkage and how to shrink them in one go.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Why does One Need to Shrink Clothes?
Why would someone shrink their clothes? Is there any need? What changes? I got your answers!
Suppose you have a cotton T-shirt which is one of your favorite shirts, but you can’t wear it now as you lost some weight and the fitting looks so untidy. Instead of rejecting it or altering it, you can simply minimize some of its centimeters with the help of shrinking.
If you really know how to perfectly shrink your clothes, you can wear your favorite clothes anytime. No more baggy clothes!
Proven Methods of Shrinking Your Clothes By Machine and By Hand
So, if you want to shrink your clothes on purpose, you must know how to do it in the best possible manner, otherwise, you will just ruin your fabric quality. Check out the following methods of how to shrink clothes by hand or by machines.
Shrink Clothes With Boiling Water
The boiling water technique is the easiest technique of shrinking your clothes, but you need a little management according to the types of fabric. Like, different time duration and different temperatures for different fabric types. First I will let you know the method, then, what to do with different types of fabric.
First and foremost, you have to boil the water in a large pot. Once. it comes to bubbling, put in your cloth piece and turn off the flame. Stir it gently with a wooden spoon, so it gets soaked properly in the hot water pot. Leave it for a few minutes, like 5 to 7 minutes. Afterward, bring it out and let it dry.
Keep in mind the following points:
- Cotton is one of the lightest fabrics which shrinks easily and in less time. Moreover, it bleeds color, especially if the color is darker. Make sure to shrink the different colors in a different pot.
- Denim takes a lot of time to shrink. You need to give it 20 to 30 minutes for shrinkage.
- Silk needs very minimum time to shrink. You only have to place it in hot water and bring it out in 1 to 2 minutes.
- Polyester takes a longer time to get shrunk. You have to do the above procedure 2 to 3 times in order to get the optimum results.
Wet Sheet Method
The wet sheet method is a method of shrinking clothes in which you place a damp fabric piece over the cloth (the one which you want to shrink) and press it.
You need to do this with the help of an iron and press it tightly. This method is widely used for shrinking sweaters, coats, and any stiff clothes which you probably don’t want to wash or soak.
In this method, you have to check out the fabric tag. Make sure it allows ironing, if not, then try to avoid this method. Moreover, use a white wet cloth, it will not ruin the color of your fabric.
Hairdryer Method
The hairdryer method is very convenient when the weather is rainy or there is no sun outside. In fact, the more heat you apply to the fabric, the more the threads get shrunk. In this method you have to apply the heat twice to the fabric, here’s how.
First set your washer to the hot water setting, put the item in which you want to shrink. Set the longest possible cycle. Once done, squeeze them to remove extra water. And now, don’t hang those clothes in your garden or balcony, instead, use a hairdryer. With its help, blow the air until dry.
If you are shrinking polyester, do not keep the hairdryer too close to the fabric. Maintain a distance of 10-15 inches. However, silk and cotton are really quick to shrinkage, they go well with the hairdryer method.
Shrink Clothes in a Dryer
If you have a dryer available at home, there is no rocket science in shrinking your clothes. In this method, keep in mind which type of fabric you are going to shrink, also, don’t mix different types of fabric in a dryer.
If you are shrinking cotton, you need to first wash it in hot water and place it in dry. However, the dry needs to be on high setting. Reduce the heat after 5-6 minutes.
However, if you are shrinking polyester and other heavy fabrics, wash them first in cold water and then do the same procedure as cotton.
Fabric Manipulation to Shrink Clothes
Fabric manipulation is the technique widely used by professionals to shrink clothes, especially when they have to only shrink certain areas. For example, sleeves. It is typically used in bespoke tailoring. In this method, there is the usage of a hot dry iron.
What if you don’t have the equipment? Don’t worry, you can still do the manipulation but only with stretchy clothes such as sweatshirts or leggings. Soak your cloth in warm water for 15 minutes. But remember to add a mild detergent. Wash it properly, don’t squeeze it. Lay it down on a flat surface under the sunshine. You will notice nice fitting when you wear it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on How to Shrink Clothes
How to Shrink a Skirt?
Washing and drying your skirt on medium-high heat can shrink some centimeters off your skirt.
How to shrink clothes that are too big?
Boil a good amount of water.
Take a big tub and pour all the hot water into it.
Soak your fabric for 5 to 10 minutes in it.
Afterward, pick it out, and squeeze it. Let it dry in the sunlight.
How to shrink sweat pants?
Get the help of a hairdryer for this method.
Damp your sweatpants with hot water with the help of any jug or kettle.
Blow-dry it from a distance of 5 to 6 inches, until dry
How to shrink a dress?
You can shrink your dress with the help of machine washing. Use hot water and washing powder while washing, and dry on medium-high heat, if your fabric will tolerate it.
How to shrink linen?
Linen can be easily shrunk in water. No need to use hot water. Just, soak it in tap water for a few hours then dry it in a dryer or in direct sunlight.
What fabric doesn’t shrink?
Synthetical fabrics don’t shrink such as polyester, spandex, acrylic, and nylon. They have petroleum-based fibers that resist shrinking.
Wrapping it up!
There you go, different methods to shrink your clothes. You can pick any of the methods but always keep in mind to check the fabric type and the tag it has. Never shrink any colored fabric with the white fabric. Other than that, you are good to go with any of the methods mentioned above and rock your loose garments.
