Shrink Clothes

Shrinking oversized clothing at home can be tricky since every garment shrinks differently, if at all. It's also important to take the proper precautions to prevent damaging your garment or shrinking it too much. In general it might be best to get rid of your clothes that don't fit and purchase new clothes.

Steps

Shrinking New Clothes

1. Read the labels on the garment. Different fibers, like wool and cotton, have different ways of shrinking, so you will want to determine what the garment is made of before washing it. Wool, for example, is a delicate material and is very susceptible to shrinking in the dryer. Cotton, on the other hand, is tougher, and will need to be in the dryer at a higher setting. Silk will generally shrink about 8-10% in the wash.
   • Determine whether or not the garment is pre-washed. New clothes will usually shrink on the first wash. Pre-washed clothes tend to stay the same size and may need to be altered.
2. Wash the garment in hot water. You can do this by hand or in a washing machine.
   • If you decide to do it by hand, heat a pot of boiling water. Place the garment into the water and let it boil in the water for several minutes, then remove from the heat.
   • Don’t use fabric softener.
3. Place the garment in the dryer. For a cotton garment, run the dryer on high heat, checking occasionally to see whether it has reached the desired size. Once it has, remove it from the dryer and allow it to air-dry to prevent further shrinking.
   • Leave the garment in the dryer if you want more shrinking time.
   • Polyester and wool garments should be dried on medium heat until they have fully dried.
4. Try the garment on. Determine whether it has reached the desired size. A benefit about fixing the size of your clothes is that you can usually shrink it further or stretch it out if you went too far.
5. Repeat this process. Do this as many times until the desired size is reached. Remember that most shrinking will happen during the first wash. If you still want the garment to be smaller, then consider getting it altered.

Shrinking Pre-Washed Clothes

1. Wash the clothes on high heat. Wash the clothes in hot water. Refrain from using any fabric softeners or other chemicals that may reduce the chance of shrinkage.
   • Just because a garment is labelled pre-shrunk, doesn’t mean it can’t be shrunk.
2. Dry on high heat. Select the longest cycle available for the highest level of shrinkage. Careful not to abuse your clothing by damaging them in high heat dryers.
   • Dry cotton garments on high heat
   • Dry polyester or wool garments on medium heat.
3. Pursue an alteration. Since pre-washed, or pre-shrunk clothes usually stay true to size and form, you may need to get the garment altered or alter it yourself.
   • Alterations are preferable to shrinking when possible, especially if you wish to shorten the length of a garment without reducing its width. Remember that running delicate clothing through a washer and dryer may damage the quality of the fabric.

Avoiding Your Clothes from Stretching

1. Avoid dry hanging. Drying your clothes using a clothesline can potentially stretch out your fabric. Avoid this by going to a laundromat and having your clothes properly dried. This could ruin your intention of shrinking if you previously washed using high heat.
2. Do not hang sweaters. Any heavy wool-based fabric like sweaters should not be hung in your closet. This type of material will stretch easily when hung because of the weight and make of the garment.
3. Use a dry-cleaner when advised. Although some think they can take shrinking into their own hands, you could potentially damage the elasticity when drying at home. The elastic in your clothes should not suffer from home-drying techniques.
   • Increase the life and size of certain clothes and delicate garments by bringing them to the dry cleaners.
4. Fasten buttons and zippers before washing. Your clothes could get caught on a loose button or zipper in the wash. This can stretch out pieces of your clothing. Avoid this from happening by paying attention to what state your clothes are in before put into the wash.

Tips

• Cotton shrinks very fast on the first wash, so you will want to check on these garments periodically as you dry so that they don't get too small.
• Do not put leather or fur in the washing machine or drying machine. If you wish to shrink these types of garments, your best bet is to get an alteration.
• Always read the labels on your clothing before washing them for cleaning instructions.

Related Articles

• Shrink Cotton Fabrics
• Shrink Leather Shoes
• Shrink Preshrunk Shirts

Sources and Citations

See also

• Clean Ink off the Inside of a Dryer
• Clean Nylon
• Clean Dress Pants
• Clean Dress Shirts
• Wash Acrylic Fibers
• Clean Jeans
• Wash Clothes without a Washing Machine
• Disinfect Laundry
• Remove Lint from Clothes
• Get Fluffy Towels

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