How To Stop Your Clothes From Shrinking
You’ve finally found it! It’s that perfect fit item of clothing that’s a unicorn in everyone’s wardrobe. Then, you washed it and now it feels like an orangutan is hugging you. What happened? Even if you follow all of the steps of how to care for your precious unicorn garment, shrinking can still occur.
The type of material determines how the clothes react after wearing and washing. Every kind of clothing fiber reacts differently. Natural fibers, such as wool and cotton have more give than human-made fibers, like polyester. Don’t give up just yet! You can still reduce shrinking by using the right techniques. Here are some quick tips to help you prevent your favorite clothes from shrinking.
- Read your clothes labels to learn how to care for clothes. Follow the garment care recommendations provided by the tag.
- Using cold water will not prevent all shrinking, but using cold or warm water when washing is less damaging than using hot water.
- Use the delicate cycle on your washer. The delicate cycle uses low agitation and a slower, shorter spin cycle when draining the water.
- Your next washing machine upgrade should be a front-loading or top-loading high-efficiency washers. Choosing one of these versions of washers without a center agitator will cause less shrinkage in clothes than top-loading washers.
- When possible, allow your clothes to air dry, Air-Drying is the most gentle method and helps prevent shrinkage. If you can’t air-dry clothes, use the lowest heat settings on your dryer and remove the clothes while slightly damp and allow them to finish air-drying.
Doing laundry is kind of boring. Get yourself a treat while your clothes are processing and make the wait zip by!
