Shrink Preshrunk Shirts
When dealing with cotton, shrinking has always been a fear. But cotton is a godsend when you actually want a piece of clothing to shrink. Fabric shrinkage is common. Most fabrics shrink. The American Society for Testing and Materials says 2-3% is to be expected. However, several issues arise from this shrinking factor. Sometimes you have something the right size and it shrinks to something too small. Another dilemma is when you have something a little too big that is preshrunk. How do you shrink clothing that is preshrunk? Shrink preshrunk shirts and other clothes the same way you would purposefully shrink them if they were not preshrunk. The probability is high that the item still has a little shrink left in it.
Steps
- Consider what the goods are made of. Some fabrics will shrink and some will not. Some shrink more than others. Make sure your shirt is made of a fabric that will shrink. Acrylics absolutely will not shrink...ever. Polyester does not shrink. But cotton or a cotton blend will. A cotton blend will shrink less than something made of 100% cotton.
- Add heat to your shirt to shrink it. Heat is your best form of attack to shrink fabric. Wash a shirt made of cotton in hot water, and then add to a hot dryer. Shrinkage is caused by the heat and agitation.
- Customize your washer settings for optimum shrinking. Place the item you want shrunk in the machine by itself and set the machine to an extra small load. Set the temperature dial to the hottest setting possible. If your water is a little tepid instead of habanero hot, consider adding boiling water to the machine carriage. The hotter the better.
- Keep up the heat by immediately transferring the shirt to the dryer. Set the dryer to the hottest setting. Dry the shirt completely. Leave it in the dryer to cool completely before removing.
- Repeat the process to attempt additional shrinkage, if necessary. This may or may not work but is worth a try if you need the shirt to be just a little smaller.
- Finished.
Tips
- Handle hot and boiling water carefully. The heat involved in the process of shrinking a shirt has the potential of burning your skin.
Warnings
- Consider a word of caution on shrinking shirts. You can set the machines with specific settings, and you can subject the shirt to heat, but you can not set exactly how the clothing item will shrink. Results may be unpredictable. Items may shrink in the sleeves and not the torso or vise versa.
Things You'll Need
- preshrunk shirt
- washing machine
- clothes dryer
- hot water
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