If things shrink after washing: what to do and how to revive the product?

Shrunken after washing sweater or a dress that has shrunk in size is an unpleasant surprise for anyone.

You should not immediately send the item for storage or throw it away. There are several ways to revive a product that has become tight.

Read the article about what to do if things shrink after washing, what products will help restore their size and how to prevent similar problems in the future.

Reasons for shrinkage

There are several reasons why an item shrinks in size after washing. These include:

1. Violation of the manufacturer's recommendations for washing and caring for the product.
2. Incorrect spin speed.
3. Washing water temperature is too high.
4. Features of the fabric. It is known that it shrinks by 3-5% after the first wash. cotton. Corduroy and tartan are most susceptible to this process, poplin is slightly lower, satin, calico and cambric. The risk group includes woolen items.

Two factors most often negatively affect the condition of products: mechanical stress and high temperatures.

How can I return my clothes to their original size?

If trouble does occur, you need to take measures aimed at restoring the item to its previous size.

Soak

To restore the size of the item, you can soak it in cool water. Features of the procedure:

1. Take water into a large container. It must match the size of the item. If there is no suitable basin, you can use the bath.
2. Shrunken items are soaked for 15 minutes.
3. After the specified time, the products are removed from the container, do not twist or wring out.
4. Lay the item out on a flat surface with a terry towel underneath it to absorb moisture.
5. Having leveled the product, you need to stretch it with your hands in the direction opposite to the shrinkage. Having given the desired shape and size, the fabric is left to dry.
6. From time to time you need to approach and stretch the item manually so that the fibers do not shrink during the drying process.

Alternatively, after soaking in water, you can put the product on yourself and walk around in it until it dries. This will allow you to stretch it wider.

The effectiveness of the method is not very high. In this way, minor shrinkage can be dealt with. In all other cases, improvised means come to the rescue.

Hydrogen peroxide

If the fabric has shrunk a size or more, you can use hydrogen peroxide. This substance makes the threads more pliable and soft, making the product easier to stretch.

Guide to action:

• fill a basin with 10 liters of cool water;
• add 2-4 tablespoons of pharmaceutical hydrogen peroxide to it;
• leave to act for 30-60 minutes;
• remove the item from the water and place it on a flat surface to dry;
• During the drying process, the fabric is stretched by hand in the desired direction.

How to restore a product with turpentine?

Turpentine will help make things more pliable. Mode of application:

1. Pour 10 liters of water into a basin.
2. Add 50 ml of turpentine.
3. Soak the item for an hour.
4. Rinse in cool water and set to dry.
5. You can hang the product on hangers. Under the weight of its own weight it will stretch in length.

If the item has shrunk in width, then it is stretched by hand. Turpentine will help cope with shrinkage if it does not exceed 1 size. To enhance the effect, you can add 100 ml of ammonia and 50 ml of vodka to the specified amount of water.

You need to be prepared for the fact that after such treatment the product will emit a characteristic odor.. Over time it will fade on its own. You can speed up this process by hanging the item in fresh air.

Vinegar

Vinegar has the property of weakening the bonds between fibers, so it can be used to stretch things. To prevent the acid from damaging the fabric, it must be diluted with water.

Mode of application:

1. Take 10 liters of water into a basin and add 3-5 tablespoons of vinegar with a concentration of 9% to it. It is not recommended to use the essence, as it is difficult to dose, which increases the risk of damage to the product.
2. The item is placed in the prepared solution and left for 30 minutes.
3. Lightly wring out the clothes and send them to dry.
4. During the drying process, the item is regularly stretched, giving it the desired shape.

In this way you can cope with shrinkage, which does not exceed 0.5-1 size.

Conditioner or hair rinse

Hair care products make fabric fibers softer and more pliable, so they can be used to give items the correct shape.

Procedure:

• wet the item in cool water and place it in the bathroom;
• Apply hair conditioner on top and distribute it evenly over the surface;
• leave for 10 minutes;
• rinse the product and send it to dry;
• if the item has shrunk in length, then it is hung on hangers;
• when shrinkage has occurred in width, the product is laid out on a flat surface and stretched manually.

Using conditioner, you can increase the item by 1-1.5 sizes.

How to stretch with steam?

The temperature contrast will help combat shrinkage and slightly stretch the item. In this way it can be increased by 0.5-1 size. Procedure:

1. Soak the item in cold water.
2. Wring it out lightly and place it on the ironing board if using an iron with a steam function. When to use for stretching steam generator, clothes are hung on a special stand.
3. Walk over the product with hot steam, while simultaneously stretching the item by hand.
4. The procedure is continued until the fabric is dry.

Do not expose fabrics that should not be ironed, such as natural wool, to steam.

Stretching various shrunken tissues

Before choosing a method for stretching things, you need to decide what fabric they are made of. All materials react differently to high temperatures and chemicals. Basic recommendations:

1. Wool. This delicate fiber does not tolerate rough handling. It's easy to overdo it when stretching, so you need to handle wool items with care.

   Handle shrunken dress or sweater You can use water, fabric softener, turpentine or a weak vinegar solution. You need to stretch the wool in small sections, systematically working through the entire surface.

2. Combined knitwear based on natural and synthetic fibers. All methods are suitable for stretching, except steaming. Particular attention should be paid to the mechanical effect on the fabric. To enhance the effect, you can use the washing machine by turning on the drying function. After its completion, the item is laid out on a flat surface and stretched by hand.
3. Jeans. This rough material is difficult to stretch, and shrinkage can be quite significant. To cope with the problem, it is better to resort to the help of a steam generator. The product is pre-soaked with hair rinse.
4. Synthetics. The material does not tolerate contact with caustic chemicals and high temperatures. Therefore, it is stretched by first soaking it in cool water or vinegar solution.
5. Cotton and linen. Fabrics are prone to shrinkage, which often occurs due to washing in hot water. To stretch a thing, it can be soaked in any of the listed solutions, and then subjected to mechanical stress. It is recommended to stretch the product by hand, since high speed in the washing machine can aggravate the problem.

The letter “A” circled means that dry cleaning is allowed with all known solvents according to the usual regime.

Going to dry cleaning

If an expensive item has shrunk and there are concerns that trying to stretch it on your own may lead to damage, it is better to seek help from professionals.

Many dry cleaners provide a service to resize shrunken clothes.. To do this, they have special steam dummies and safe chemicals available.

The cost of the work depends on its complexity. For example, you can help stretch a shrunken woolen sweater for 350-500 rubles, and a silk dress for 500-700 rubles. The price needs to be clarified in a specific establishment.

Before submitting an item for processing, you need to ask how long the item can be stretched and whether there is a guarantee that it will not be completely damaged. It is imperative to request a document confirming the fact of transfer of the product to third parties.

Prevention

To prevent things from shrinking in the future, You need to follow simple recommendations:

1. Pay attention to the information on the product label.
2. Wash items at a temperature not exceeding 30 degrees.
3. Buy cotton items 1.5 sizes larger, as they shrink the most.
4. Do not expose items to sunlight.
5. Use suitable detergents for washing and follow the spin speed recommendations.

You will find maximum useful information about washing clothes and various fabric products Here.

Conclusion

Clothes shrinking is a problem that everyone can face. To cope with it on your own, you can resort to the help of chemicals, for example, hydrogen peroxide or turpentine.

For delicate fabrics, use hair rinse. It does an excellent job of stretching steam fabrics, but it is not applicable for all types of fabrics.