Often, if the temperature regime is not maintained, some items lose their shape and shrink when washed. The situation is unpleasant, but not too rare. How to restore things if they shrink after washing? Is it possible to correct the situation, or can the item be considered irretrievably lost?
For what reasons does clothing shrink?
There are a sufficient number of reasons why your favorite underwear may shrink in size. Most often this happens in the following cases:
- The spin mode is incorrectly selected during the washing process. For example, there are cases when a wool product should not be wrung out, but the owner has set an excessively high speed setting in the program;
- The temperature of the water during the washing process also affects things. It is recommended not to deviate from the values indicated by the manufacturer on the label, otherwise the laundry will begin to shrink;
- fabric structure. Silk can shrink significantly more than other natural or synthetic materials.
You should not get upset prematurely, because in any situation there is a way out.And we even know how to restore a shrunken item.
Ways to return things to their original appearance
We found out why clothes shrink. Now let's see how we can restore its original appearance. This can be done using chemical compounds and mechanically.
Mechanical stretching
The technique is based on the properties of air and water. There are several recipes for doing it:
- Place the shrunken laundry in cold water for a quarter of an hour, lay it out horizontally without spinning, and lay a microfiber towel underneath. We stretch the item slightly by hand to the sides to give it the required shape. In this position it should dry naturally;
- soak the laundry as in the first option. Then we lay it out horizontally and iron it with an iron operating in the “steaming” mode, without creating much effort. After this procedure, the item dries;
- We put the shrunken item in the washing machine, activate the delicate wash at minimum temperature and without spinning. Washing powder and other cleaning compounds should not be added. The fabric is straightened out on a hanger and left to dry vertically. It is very important at this time to monitor the symmetry of the item, periodically adjusting it as needed.
Chemical stretching
In this case, it is possible to use household formulations containing chemical components. But first, such a composition is applied to an inconspicuous area to check the reaction of the fabric and its ability to shrink. The following recipes are considered effective:
- Ten grams of soda are added per liter of liquid. The resulting solution is poured onto the shriveled item and kept in it for half a day.Then wash with a small amount of detergent added. The second soaking is performed with the addition of vinegar (five spoons per liter). All that remains is to rinse the item and leave it until completely dry, without spinning;
- Add six small spoons of three percent hydrogen peroxide to a ten-liter bucket of cold water and soak the item for no more than one hour. After this procedure, machine processing is performed in a gentle mode;
- In five liters of water, dilute three tablespoons of ammonia, add one spoon each of vodka and turpentine. The item is rinsed and hung out to dry.
It should be noted that each type of fabric can be restored using different methods after washing in a machine. And if you know the composition of the sewing material, you should use one of the proven methods.
How to return a shrunken item to its original condition?
Different fabrics require special care. If you break the rules, you can damage the appearance of your laundry. What to do in these cases?
How to stretch shrunken cotton clothes
Its shape can be restored using a vinegar solution. Three spoons are added to a bucket of water, the clothes are soaked for ten minutes, washed in a gentle cycle and sent to dry. Wet fabric drying on hangers must be periodically straightened and stretched. Linen made from such material should not be washed in water whose temperature exceeds sixty degrees.
Existing stains should be removed before washing in the machine. A new item made from 100% cotton can be washed in cool water and dried naturally. In Tonic, footer items are washed using a “manual” or “delicate” program.
How to restore a woolen item
It is best to use special conditioners when washing. Several caps of the product are diluted in warm water, the item is soaked for about fifteen minutes, dried on a terry towel, secured to it with pins. To wash woolen products, it is necessary to heat the water to thirty degrees, do not use aggressive detergents, and exclude the machine method. Bulky wool items should be dry cleaned.
How to restore a viscose item
To fix underwear made from such a material, which is quite delicate and capricious, you will have to take certain actions to prevent it from shrinking. To begin with, the item is soaked in cold water for several minutes, then hung up so that the liquid drains as much as possible. The product can be left to dry naturally by laying it horizontally and periodically adjusting its shape with your hands. The recommendations given by the manufacturer on the label must be followed. There are things made from such material that can be subjected to dry or chemical cleaning.
How to stretch out shrunken jeans
Cotton denim, which includes denim, can be greatly deformed during cleaning. If the material contains elastane, your jeans are unlikely to shrink. But when this happens, you need to stretch the jeans by ironing, steam softening the fabric to restore them. If the material has an elastic component, the problem areas are wetted with water, and the jeans stretch right on your legs. An excellent solution is a belt-type expander. With this tool you will stretch your jeans to the required size.
To prevent jeans from shrinking, you must prefer the manual method, do not heat the water above thirty degrees, exclude drying in the SMA, and do not hang the product in the sun.
If your jeans are marked Shrink to fit, they may shrink only during the first cleaning procedure. Take this feature into account and purchase a product one or two sizes wider.
How to restore the shape of silk and synthetics
There are several rules to avoid shrinkage of these items. Silk does not like rough mechanical cleaning, alkaline powders and high temperatures. So it is recommended to wash such fabric by hand, without raising the water temperature above thirty degrees, otherwise it will begin to shrink. Silk underwear is rinsed twice - in plain water and with the addition of a softener, which helps restore size.
Synthetics should also not be exposed to hot water. If the laundry is made from pure or mixed materials, carefully study the label data. Taking into account the composition, we wash the synthetics in accordance with the recommendations, and if they still shrink, we dry the item under a damp cloth using a heated iron to return it to its former shape.
How to prevent shrinkage
Many will say that they are not afraid of such phenomena. But is it worth spending time, effort and money if you can simply avoid such troubles?
Experts recommend carefully studying the labels on your underwear and following all the manufacturer’s recommendations. After all, the question of whether things shrink remains always relevant for users who doubt whether it is possible to restore their appearance.
