How to Prevent Clothes from Shrinking?
We are all familiar with a common problem in many households: clothes shrinking. It is frustrating to see your garments lose their shapes. Many people seek a solution about how to prevent your clothes from shrinking. To keep your wardrobe in its original condition, read our guide below.
Do you want to know what shrinks clothes? The answer is fabrics such as cotton, linen, and wool, which mostly shrink with hot water and high heat. That’s why hand washing is recommended to increase the longevity of your favourite outfits. To do this, you must wash shrunk clothes like sweaters or jeans in cool water and then dry them in low heat. It will maintain your attire’s original fit.
Top Tips on How to Avoid Shrinking Clothes
Here, a question arises: What causes clothes to shrink? Many factors, such as heat, moisture, dryers, and ironing, contribute to shrinkage. To avoid shrinking clothes, use the proper methods, consider the fabric, and follow the care instructions outlined below.
1. Check the care labels
It is the most effective initial step in avoiding shrinking clothes. Care labels provide crucial information by manufacturers regarding the proper use of fabric, washing, and caring for clothes. To minimize the risk of shrinking, carefully read the care labels on your garments.
Certain fabrics need specific instructions to maintain their appearance. Shrinking from wool and silk can be removed by hand washing in cool water or dry cleaning. In addition, don’t dry clothes (cotton or linen) in high heat.
2. Preshrinking Practice
One more effective practice is preshrinking your new clothes. When you buy some new clothes, moist them and expose them to low heat before wearing. This method confirms a stablility of the outfit.
Do this practice to your fresh clothes by washing in hot water and ensuring the care label instructions.
Steaming is an effective wayas well for delicate clothes that are not washable. For steaming the clothes, hang them and use a warm steamer. After that, expose the fabric to high heat to dry. It will help in preshrinking and adjusting size of clothes.
3. Proper Washing Practices
Before washing, sort your clothes according to their colors and fabric type. You can wash akin clothes together to avoid staining. There is a step-by-step guide for washing.
● Adjust temperature of the washing machine to the cold setting, and then use cold water detergents for cleaning clothes.
● Choose “delicate cycle” with lower spin to uphold the original shape of garments.
● Use cold water and laundry detergents to hand wash fabrics like linen, cotton, and silk. It’s a safe way for delicate fabrics to avert shrinkage.
● Fabrics sensitive to (agitation), as for instance, cashmere and wool, they require special care, so must be cleaned with a dry cleaner.
4. Drying Practice
Proper dry cleaning is recommended for delicate garments. These techniques assist in preventing clothes from shrinkage. Below are the most effective drying methods.
Air Drying: it is a secure way to avoid shrinkage, for wool and silk fabrics. For this, Place clothes on a flat surface and avoid the direct exposure to sunlight as direct sunlight can damage the color of the fabric and fabric itself as well.
Machine Drying: For this, first carefully set the dryer settings. Check fabric type and then set the heat accordingly. When the drying cycle starts, check the clothes constantly. Don’t apply over-drying as it will shrink your clothes and lose their original shape. Take them off from dryer, when they are still slightly damp.
Moreover, you may add clean tennis balls and dryer balls to the dryer, to prevent shirts from shrinking. These balls minimize direct heat exposure to clothes by creating air pockets to circulate hot air. The dryer also shrink clothes, if you put high heat on them
5. Steaming\Pressing
If washing and drying methods are insufficient to remove shrinkage, pressing and steaming are ideal. Both practices aid upholds clothes in their original shape by preventing them from shrinkage and prolonging its life. There are some directions you must keep an eye on.
Steaming:
● Before steaming your clothes, read the care labels carefully.
● Fill your steamer with some cold water and then let it heat up by switching it on.
● It will take only a few minutes to heat up.
● For steaming your clothes, hang them on solid hanger and then start steaming from top to bottom.
● Put some extra steaming on the areas where stubborn wrinkles are found.
● Uphold shape of your clothes by leasing them cool and dry.
Pressing:
● Before doing ironing on your garment, read care labels carefully.
● Adjust heat of the iron according to fabric, either linen, silk, or cotton. A low heat ironing is directed for gentle clothes.
● For delicate fabrics, to avoid straight heat from iron, put some thin towel or cotton sheet between iron and clothes.
● Gently press the garments, while ironing.
● After doing ironing, place your ironed clothes on some smooth surface or hang them.
● Hang them to prevent creases.
6. Storing Clothes Correctly
If your shirts are not in use, for a long time, then they are unsafe. They may shrink swiftly in humid areas. To prevent shirts from shrinking, you can use protective garment bags and then store them in a stable environment with low or no humidity.
Furthermore, safe your clothes from direct sunlight exposure, as it can damage your shirt’s colour and natural fibers. Don’t forget to store your clothes in dry and cool place.
Do clothes shrink in the washer or dryer?
If you use hot water in the washer or a high-heat setting in the dryer, your clothes can shrink. So, be careful before applying any technique to prevent clothes from shrinking.
Why do clothes shrink in the dryer?
We mostly utilize advanced drying methods to avoid shrinkage in our garments. For example, we adjust the high heat setting in the dryer, and our clothes shrink. It is recommended to utilize an air dryer instead of any other drying method.
How to keep shirts from shrinking?
Follow the care labels to prevent your shirts from shrinking. To do this, wash your shirts in cold water and avoid excess heat in the dryer.
How to not shrink clothes in dryer?
In order to avoid shrinkage in the dryer, first control the heat settings. The dryer must be set to low heat, and you must not over dry your clothes.
Frequently Asked questions
Conclusion
I hope you have found this article the best solution for How to prevent your clothes from shrinking? Reading the care instructions and choosing the right method will surely assist you in making well-informed decisions to avoid shrinking your clothes and keep your garments in their original fit. Moreover, implement these effective ways in your daily or weekend laundry routines to extend the longevity of your clothes. See the significant difference and thank me later.
