Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Wash underwear with hot water
• Part 2 of 2: Drying the underwear
• Tips

Baggy or loose-fitting underwear is often uncomfortable. Instead of throwing the underwear away, try shrinking the fabric. Simply wash your underwear by hand or in the washing machine in hot water. Then put the underwear in the dryer to make the fabric shrink even more. Your underwear will then fit a lot better after drying.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Wash underwear with hot water

1. Put on the underwear to check the size of the garment. Notice how loose the elastic is on the underwear or how much it falls off your body. Appropriate underwear fits well around your legs and hips, and should be comfortable when you move.
   • You will probably only be able to shrink the underwear to an appropriate size. For example, if the underwear you bought is a size medium and has a loose fit, you can shrink it to a fitting medium size with hot water or hot air; this applies to most substances.
   • Consider returning newly purchased and unused underwear that appears to be a size too big for your body. If you still have the receipt, see if the store where you bought the underwear allows you to return or exchange the unused underwear.
   • If the underwear is old or has already been washed and dried a few times, the fabric will probably not shrink too much.
2. Read the printed label on the inside of the underwear to determine the fabric. Locate the label on the inside of the underwear along the elastic waistband and note the type of material. The fabric will likely contain some amount of cotton, elastane, or silk.
   • Mostly cotton, wool, rayon, silk and linen underwear will shrink when washed in hot water and put in the dryer.
   • Stretchy fabrics such as polyester, nylon and elastane will not really shrink and you can even melt or permanently crease the fabric if you try to do this at a high temperature.
3. Separate the underwear from the rest of the laundry. Washing other items of clothing unnecessarily in the hot water can cause them to shrink or even damage the delicate fabrics of the underwear. Put a wash consisting only of the underwear you want to shrink.
   • Wash new silk or rayon underwear of similar colors. The dyes used to color silk or rayon may run during the first wash and stain other items.
4. Use a washing machine to wash multiple items of clothing quickly. Choose this method if you have multiple pieces of underwear that you want to shrink. The washing machine saves you time by soaking all the underwear in one wash and cleaning it gently.
   • Put the underwear in the washing machine with a little detergent. For delicate fabrics such as silk or lace, use a mild detergent instead of general detergent. Then close the lid or door of the washing machine.
   • Set the amount of laundry to small, the water temperature to hot and the washing program to delicates. The warm water causes the fabric to shrink and the soft program prevents the underwear from tangling.
   • Press the start button to start washing the underwear. On average, a delicate wash program (washing and rinsing included) takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Hand wash a few pieces of underwear to save water and energy. Do this if you also have particularly delicate underwear that could get damaged if put in the washing machine along with other undergarments. Hand washing is a gentle way to clean and shrink a handful of undergarments without wasting electricity or water.
   • Fill a container or bucket with hot water and put the underwear in the water.
   • Let the underwear soak in the hot water for three to five minutes or until there are no dry patches on the undergarments.
   • Add a few drops of mild detergent to the water. Use a rubber spatula to swirl and clean the underwear in the soapy water. Let the underwear soak for a few more minutes.
   • Carefully remove the underwear from the container and rinse the soap off the underwear with warm water.
6. Let the underwear air dry and put it on to see if it fits better now. Hang the underwear in a closet or lay it flat on a drying rack. Letting the underwear air dry can help you determine if it needs to be shrunk even more. When you put on the dry underwear, it should be noticeably tighter.
   • If the underwear is still too loose, repeat the wash in hot water or consider a different shrink method.
   • Do not put the underwear in the dryer until you are sure if the garment needs to shrink even more.

Part 2 of 2: Drying the underwear

1. Place the clean and damp underwear in the dryer. If you do this after washing it in hot water, the fabric will shrink even more. If you first washed it in cold water, the fabric will shrink less in the hot dryer. Do not put underwear made mostly of synthetic materials such as polyester, nylon or elastane in the dryer. The heat from the dryer can damage or permanently crease the fabric.
   • If you have hand washed the underwear, press it between a folded dry towel to remove excess water before putting it in the dryer.
2. Set the dryer on the highest temperature setting for a 20 minute drying cycle. Look for the temperature setting for cotton. This is the highest temperature setting for most tumble dryers. Then let the dryer run for about 20 minutes. This allows a small to medium load of underwear to dry completely without damaging or burning the fabric.
   • Check that the underwear is dry after the 20 minutes. If there are still damp spots, return the clothing to the tumble dryer for an additional five minutes or allow the underwear to air dry.
3. Put on the dry underwear to see if it fits better. The fabric of the underwear should be significantly tighter yet loose enough to move comfortably in it. If the underwear does seem too big, repeat the washing and drying process one or two more times to allow the fabric to shrink more.

Tips

• Once you have shrunk the underwear to the desired size, wash it in warm or cool water only and do not put it in the dryer to prevent further shrinkage.