Do you ever find that your most cherished clothes seem to be mysteriously shrinking after a few rounds in the wash? We know exactly what that feels like! Let’s roll up our sleeves together and figure out how to prevent clothes from shrinking and how to breathe new life into those pieces that have already been victims of the dreaded shrink.
Our Top Tips For How to Prevent Clothes from Shrinking
You might think doing laundry is as simple as tossing clothes in the machine and hitting the start button, but there’s a bit more to it. Let’s expose those hidden culprits that may be causing your clothes to shrink and come up with some practical solutions.
Does Heat Shrink Clothes?
What causes clothes to shrink? First on the list: heat. Overdoing it with hot water during washing and drying can make the fibers in your clothes contract, causing shrinkage. This happens particularly with clothes made of natural fibers like cotton or wool.
Our Solution: To prevent clothes from shrinking due to heat, try washing them in cold or lukewarm water, and let them air dry under the open sky. If you must use a dryer, be sure to choose the lowest heat setting.
Don’t Overdry
Have you ever had that moment where you pulled out your favorite shirt from the dryer, only to find it’s suddenly a perfect fit… for your nephew? Sounds like a classic case of overdrying.
When you leave your clothes in the dryer longer than needed, they’re getting more heat and tumbling action than they signed up for. This is a big no-no for clothes made from natural fibers like cotton or wool, as the heat causes the fibers to tighten up – hello, unwanted shrinkage!
Our Solution: Avoid setting the dryer to its maximum time and hoping for the best. Try to gauge how long your clothes really need based on their type and load size. You’ll want to look for a dryer with a moisture sensor. This feature will turn off the machine as soon as it detects your clothes are dry, saving them from the shrinking trap of overdrying.
Now if your dryer takes too long to dry, you may want to look into getting your dryer vents cleaned, as inconsistent drying times will make this issue hard to nail down!
Avoid Too Much Agitation
Next, let’s talk about agitation – the tumbling action your clothes undergo in both the washer and dryer. The more your clothes are tossed around, the more they’re likely to shrink.
Our Solution: To minimize this, select the delicate cycle on your washing machine, which reduces the intensity of agitation. As for drying, yet again, nothing beats good ol’ air drying. If you need to use a dryer, select a gentle cycle with low heat.
Check the Labels
Can you prevent cotton from shrinking? Here’s another point to consider – different fabrics require different types of care. For example, wool and other natural fibers are more likely to shrink than synthetic fabrics.
Our Solution: Always check the care label on your clothes. If it instructs “hand wash” or “lay flat to dry,” follow those guidelines. Trust us; your clothes will thank you!
Can You Unshrink Clothes?
Let’s say the horse has already left the barn – you didn’t know how to prevent clothes from shrinking, and now your beloved shirt is fit for a doll. Don’t panic; there’s a method to save it.
- Fill a bucket with lukewarm water and add a bit of baby shampoo or a gentle conditioner. This helps relax the fibers.
- Submerge the shrunken garment in the mixture for about 30 minutes.
- Gently remove excess water (don’t rinse), and lay the garment flat on a towel.
- Carefully stretch and reshape the clothing back to its original form.
- Let it air dry.
This might just bring your beloved garment back to life!
There you have it – our handy guide on how to prevent clothes from shrinking. Now if you’re having a bigger issue like a broken appliance, that’s where we at Appliance King of America can step in. We’re seasoned pros at providing quality washer and dryer services to ensure your clothes and appliances stay in top-notch condition. If you’re ready to wave goodbye to laundry issues, don’t hesitate to reach out.
