Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: shrink cotton, denim and polyester
• Method 2 of 3: shrink wool
• Method 3 of 3: shrink silk
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Shrinking your clothes in the wash can be a good and inexpensive method of making your clothes a size smaller. If you have a piece of clothing that is slightly oversized, try to shrink it in the wash before taking it to a tailor. Whether it's a shirt, sweater, or jeans, you may be able to shrink your garment to the correct size without spending money to have it altered.

To step

Method 1 of 3: shrink cotton, denim and polyester

1. Set your washing machine to a high temperature. During the weaving of fabric, the fabric is constantly stretched and stretched. When fabric is heated, the threads or yarn become shorter because the tension is released. Using heat is the best way to shrink all kinds of fabric.
2. Wash the garment with the longest possible wash cycle. You can shrink the garment even better if you not only heat it, but also moisten it and give it a lot of movement. This is also called "consolidation contraction". As a result, fibers of cotton, denim and polyester lose the tension, giving the garment a different shape. The longer you expose the garment to these conditions, the more likely it is to shrink.
   • Remove the garment from the washing machine immediately after washing. Do not let it air dry. By exposing the garment to the air, the fabric will cool down very quickly, so that the garment shrinks less quickly.
3. Dry the garment at a high temperature in the dryer. Heat will shrink cotton, denim and polyester. Hot water will compress the fabric and hot air will have the same effect.
   • Select the longest possible drying program. Movement (such as rotating the tumble dryer) can cause the garment to shrink more. The fibers in the fabric get warm and move, causing them to shrink.
   • Leave the garment in the dryer until it is completely dry. Letting the garment air dry will cause the fabric to cool too quickly. Denim can therefore stretch properly.
4. If the polyester garment has not shrunk enough, put it in the washing machine and dryer again. Polyester is made from synthetic fibers, which are more difficult to shrink than most other fabrics. Polyester is a durable fabric and can be washed very often without being damaged.

Method 2 of 3: shrink wool

1. Wash the garment with a short wool wash program. Wool is a relatively delicate fabric. It must be handled with care. Wool is made from animal hair and therefore consists of hundreds of tiny scales. When wool is exposed to heat, water or movement, these scales interlock and stick together, causing the fabric to shrink. This process is also called felting. Wool reacts very strongly to heat and movement, so a short washing program is very suitable.
2. Dry the garment on a low heat setting. With wool, movement is just as important as temperature if you want to shrink the fibers. Due to the movements of the dryer, the scales rub against each other and the wool shrinks. Wool shrinks very quickly, so it's best to use a low heat setting.
3. Check the garment regularly during the drying program to see if it shrinks equally on all sides. Because wool reacts so strongly to heat and movement, you can easily over-shrink the garment. If you accidentally over-shrink the garment, soak it immediately in cold water for half an hour. Then wrap it in a towel to dry.

Method 3 of 3: shrink silk

1. Use a mesh laundry bag to protect silk in a top loader. A top loader has a door that opens upwards, while a front loader has a door at the front. Top loaders have a shaft that extends into the drum, causing the garments to turn and turn over. The fabric can therefore be roughly treated. The mesh laundry bag helps protect the delicate silk.
2. Wash the garment with a short delicate cycle. Almost all washing machines have a delicate wash program in which the laundry is washed at a low temperature. This is ideal for silk shrinking. Not too strong heat can tighten the fabric so that the fibers are compressed and the fabric shrinks.
   • Use a mild detergent. Absolutely do not use chlorine bleach as it will damage the silk.
   • Check the silk garment from time to time. You can choose to stop the washing program in half and take the garment out of the washing machine.
3. Wrap the garment in a towel for a few minutes. This removes the excess water. Do not wring out the garment as this may damage the fabric.
4. Let the garment air dry. Unlike many other fabrics, silk retains its shape and does not stretch. You can hang the silk garment to dry without damaging it. Do not hang the garment in direct sunlight as this may cause the color to fade. Also, don't use a wooden drying rack, as the silk can stain the wood. Let the garment dry almost completely. You can now choose to let the garment dry further in the dryer.
   • Put the garment in the dryer for 5 minutes. Some tumble dryers have a special setting for silk. If yours doesn't, set the machine to the cold setting.
   • Check the garment often to make sure the silk is not damaged. You could set an alarm so that you don't leave the garment in the dryer for too long. When the garment has shrunk enough, take it out of the dryer.

Tips

• Check your clothes regularly if you have set the machine on a long drying program. This way you can be sure that your clothing does not shrink too much.
• If the garment has not shrunk enough after the first wash, repeat the process again. You will have to wash some fabrics like polyester several times to shrink them significantly.
• To shrink cotton even more, you can iron the garment on a warm steam setting between washing and drying.
• Repeat the process until the garment is the size you want.

Warnings

• Try not to shrink jeans by wearing them in the bath. This works less well than shrinking with heat in the washing machine and dryer, and is also a lot more uncomfortable.
• Drying jeans at a temperature higher than 40 degrees in the dryer will ruin the leather pieces on the jeans.
• Never try to shrink leather and fur in a washing machine. The garment can be seriously damaged by moisture and heat.

Necessities

• Washing machine
• Tumble dryer
• Garment too large that you want to shrink