You finally did it! It took time, will power and perseverance but you finally lost those 10 nagging pounds and not enough people are noticing. Could it be because your clothing didn’t shrink with you? Not everyone can afford to replace their entire wardrobe and oh, the very thought of getting rid of your favourite hoodie just because it hangs loose on you, gives you the shivers.
Thus, here are some ways to make your clothes lose 10+ pounds. P.S.- Just try not to get frustrated at how quickly it happens for your wardrobe!
The best ways to shrink clothes
How to shrink polyester, spandex, and other synthetic fibres:
While it will take some time as these are known to stubbornly hold on to their shape, you can give it the old college try to shrink synthetic fibres. All you have to do is wash the fabric in the washing machine with cold water (never use hot water for these fibres, as you will end up damaging the thread in the seams) and then drying it on high heat. But be cautious while drying it by keeping an eye on the size of the clothing to ensure that it’s not getting over-shrunk. If you notice this, use low heat to finish drying it.
Shrinking cotton:
While it is very easy to shrink a cotton garment, it is equally possible that you may end up over-shrinking it. So, after you wash it in hot water and put it in the dryer on high heat, keep checking and if it looks like that it has shrunk enough but the garment is still wet, switch to low heat or even better yet let it air dry.
Shrinking woollen clothing:
Let’s say it’s a sweater that you want to shrink. If you are wanting to lose 2 sizes, the best way is to wash it in a washing machine with very hot water and then take it out to shape it to the size you want it to be. As it dries, it should shrink to the arranged size. Wool is probably one of the easiest clothing materials to shrink.
So, if all that is needed is a little shrinking, then simply spray water on the sweater and hang it up to dry or use your dryer rack on a very low heat..
Shrinking a Cotton-Polyester blended garment:
Now this one is tricky as you see cotton is highly susceptible to shrinkage while polyester, as stated above, tends to be difficult to change its shape. But we said difficult, not impossible.
- Wash the garment in a washing machine through a full cycle, with the temperature setting dialled up to hot. Here the heat will shrink the cotton fibres but will have very less effect on the polyester part of it. Once done, transfer it to the dryer, add a fabric softener of your choice, and dry the garment for 15 minutes at the highest temperature setting. As this will shrink both types of fabric present, keep checking for the shrinkage. If it needs more shrinking, dry it for another 15-20 minutes and when you have attained your desired size, let it air dry, if needed.
Most of our crewnecks and hoodies are made from a Cotton/Poly blend, and you can shop them here.
Which clothes will NOT shrink?
While many fabrics can be shrunk, they all require a different approach and varied methods. But there are also some fabrics that do not shrink and often if you proceed with the above-mentioned methods without evaluating the type of clothing you have in hand, you may end up ruining its texture and quality. Like cotton shrinks very easily, so much that if you don’t have any plans of shrinking it you have to take extra precautions while washing it. Polyester shrinks less than cotton but if you try to apply your shrinking skills on leather and fur, they will be ruined beyond a point where salvaging anything would be impossible.
There are fabrics which would otherwise shrink but have been chemically treated with anti-shrinkage treatment-- this amps up the woven shrinkage of the fabric to a certain extent, giving it a more relaxed structure i.e, the pre-existing shrinkage potential is retracted. So, if a cotton fabric is anti-shrinkage treated, it will not shrink.
Congratulations!
While shedding those annoying pounds was certainly an amazing accomplishment, you now have tips and tricks to help ensure that your wardrobe manages to do the same!