How to Shrink Preshrunk Shirts

How to shrink a preshrunk shirt

If you’ve ever owned a clothing that was just a little too large for you, you understand how beneficial shrinking can be! Most cotton or cotton-blend shirts offered today are pre-shrunk, but don’t panic, most natural-fiber shirts can still be shrunk by around 3-5 percent. To get the desired results, you may try using a washing machine, shrinking by hand, spot-shrinking, or even taking your preshrunk garment to a professional.

1. Using a WasAhing Machine and Dryer

1. Set the washer and dryer at their highest temperatures. Heat is what causes the fibers in your garment to contract, so set your washer and dryer to their highest settings for the greatest results. The hottest setting on a dryer is generally permanent press.

2. Wash the garment by itself. Pull your clothing inside out and hand-wash it. This will assist to retain the color and pattern, and washing alone will ensure that nothing else shrinks by mistake!

3. Put it in the dryer right away. As soon as the wash cycle is through, remove your garment and place it in the dryer. Allow it to dry for the whole cycle, even if the sensor indicates that the clothing is already dry.

4. If necessary, repeat. Try on your clothing to check how much it has shrunk. If it’s still too big, continue the procedure a couple more times until it’s the size you desire.

2. Hand-Shrinking

1. Bring a big saucepan of water to a boil. You’ll need a pot large enough to float your clothing in, so use the largest pot you have. Fill it approximately two-thirds of the way; if you overfill it, water may leak out when you place the garment inside. Allow the water to come to a boil.

• If your clothing also has to be washed, add white vinegar to the water.

2. Make a ball out of your clothing. To avoid fading, turn your garment inside out and roll it into a loose ball. If you tie it in a knot, it will shrink unevenly!

3. Lower it into the water using tongs. To avoid scorching, carefully drop your shirt into the water using a pair of tongs. Do not just throw it in the water. When fabric comes into touch with the burner, it might start a fire.

4. Allow your garment to soak in water for at least five minutes. Allow your garment to soak in hot water for at least five minutes. The longer you leave it in there, the more probable it will shrink, but don’t leave it in there for more than 30 minutes. You run the danger of harming the fibers.

• Make certain that the whole garment is submerged.

5. Remove the clothing with care. Turn off the heat and remove your garment using a pair of tongs. To prevent burning yourself, proceed with caution. Hold the shirt over the pot until the leaking stops, then remove it. Allow it to cool for approximately five minutes, or until it is safe to handle.

6. Lay it evenly on a drying rack to dry. Set up a drying rack and lay out your clothing to dry. The rack may be placed either inside or outdoors, however an exterior rack will normally dry quicker. If you dry it outdoors, be sure to flip it inside out to avoid fading from the sun.

• Hanging your clothing will cause it to stretch where the clothespins are fastened.

7. Use a drier to shrink it even more (optional). You may shrink your shirt even more by running it through the dryer on the permanent press setting. Check your clothing first; it could have already shrunk sufficiently!

8. If necessary, repeat. Put on your shirt and check how it fits. If it’s still not tiny enough, repeat the process. Depending on how much you want your garment to shrink, you may need to repeat this process 2-3 times.

3. Shrink Your Shirt in Spots

1. 2 cups (0.47 l) water, heated. You may heat the water in a microwave or on the stove, or you can use hot water from the faucet. The water should be extremely warm but not hot—do not allow it to boil! You should be able to comfortably submerge your finger in the water.

2. Fill a spray bottle halfway with water. Pour the heated water into a spray bottle using a funnel. Use a bottle made of strong plastic, metal, or even glass. Warm water may cause lightweight plastic to deform.

3. Spray just the areas of the clothing that you wish to shrink. Make cautious not to spray the whole garment, but rather only the areas you want to shrink. For most individuals, this is the sleeves or neckline. Spray enough water on the garment to get it moist to the touch in the regions you want to shrink.

• You may also run the affected regions under a hot water faucet, but be cautious not to saturate the whole garment.

4. Transfer to a hot dryer right away. Place the garment in the dryer on permanent press for the duration of the cycle. Some people prefer to take it out of the dryer and spritz it again every ten minutes or so, but this is entirely optional.

5. If necessary, repeat. If the shirt does not fit well when you try it on, repeat the process. Because spot-shrinking utilizes colder water than other procedures, you’ll most likely need to repeat the process at least twice.

4. Employing a Professional

1. Bring your shirt to a laundromat that offers full-service laundry. Bring your clothing to a laundry that offers specialized washing and has workers on site, and ask if they can assist you shrink it. They could have high-heat washers or procedures that you can’t perform from home.

2. Discuss shrinking your clothing with a dry cleaner. If your preshrunk garment is only dry-cleanable, take it to your dry cleaner and ask if they can shrink it. Dry cleaners often use specific shrinking procedures.

3. Request that your shirt be altered by a tailor. If you can’t shrink your shirt at home, bring it to a tailor to be physically changed. Even if you need the whole garment adjusted, they should be able to fit it to your precise needs.

• Some fabrics may be hard to modify; pay attention to what the tailor advises!
• For normal t-shirts, this may not be cost-effective.