Avoiding heavy duty cycles, fast spins and high-heat drying can also prevent shrinkage. Use delicate cycles instead, and place delicate clothes in a mesh laundry bag for added protection. When drying, consider a low-heat or air dry setting.
STEP 1: Consult the care guide on clothing tags
If your garment is missing the care tag, a good laundry tip to help prevent shrinking in general is to wash on cold, delicate cycles and dry with low or no heat.
The Delicate cycle is great for washing lightweight, lightly soiled items like sheer fabrics, silk blouses and synthetic fabrics. It's also helpful for washing items prone to wrinkling. Check your item's care tag for specific instructions before washing.
For example, both cotton shirts and denim jeans will shrink more in a warm or hot wash, followed by a high heat drying cycle. Steam heat will effectively shrink wool clothes, and some fabrics will even shrink when soaked for long periods in warm water.
Hand washing clothes is another effective way to avoid the shrinkage of clothes. Delicate fabrics like silk and wool must be washed with cold or lukewarm water to prevent any type of damage and to prevent clothes from shrinking.
Clothes are much more likely to shrink when exposed to hot water or high dryer settings. Washing clothes in cold water goes a long way toward preserving the “off-the-rack” size. Avoiding heavy duty cycles, fast spins and high-heat drying can also prevent shrinkage.
In most scenarios, all you need is a container full of warm water with a capful of liquid detergent. Next, make sure to add in your clothes and stir them into the solution until they are completely soaked. Gently wring out the clothing to expel excess liquid and gently stretch the clothing back to its original size.
Normal: This cycle is for cotton or blended fabrics with average soil. The cycle combines high-speed wash action and high-speed spin, making it harsher on clothes. Heavy Duty: Select this setting to wash towels and sturdy fabrics like jeans. It is also appropriate for heavily soiled items.
Washing in hot water with a heavy cycle can lead to shrinkage, and drying on high heat only adds to the problem—especially if you tend to overdry your clothes. Opt for a gentler, cold-water wash and low drying heat to help keep your garments in better shape.
Natural fibers like cotton, wool, silk, linen, and hemp are more prone to shrinking than synthetic fibers. Cotton fibers, being the most amenable, can shrink up to 20 percent, depending on the quality and cotton blend. Polyester, on the other hand, shrinks less than three percent.
But that's not a reason to default from normal to the delicate setting for everything just to play it safe, says Campbell. “Although gentle cycles are necessary for fragile fabrics and items with delicate decorations, they won't do a good job cleaning heavily soiled clothing and bedding,” she explains.
Regular/Heavy: Fastest and hottest setting of your dryer. It's best to use this setting when you're drying white or light-colored clothing. Delicates: Low heat, so drying time will be longer. It is best to use this setting to use for delicate fabrics.
Do Clothes Get Clean On Quick Wash? Absolutely. Clothes will easily be cleaned in a 15-minute quick wash cycle. However, such a cycle will only perform a very simple wash.
Generally, high temperatures are more likely to shrink susceptible fabric types. Friction and heat may cause shrinkage, so to help prevent this, use dryer cycles with low temperatures or no heat and delicate tumbler settings if recommended on an item's care label.
Gentle spins reduce stress on delicate items. Make the most of steam functions: Utilize the steam settings to refresh garments without the need for a full wash. Avoid overloading the machine: Ensure enough space for water and detergent to circulate properly, promoting effective cleaning and drying.
Avoid hot water – high temperatures will cause cotton to shrink, so opt for a delicate cycle or a cold wash to avoid your favorite cotton items from shrinking. Flip them inside out – to protect the outside of the garment from the abrasive agitation of the washing process, turn them inside out.
“A good general rule of thumb is to stick to cold and delicate cycles,” says LaLonde. “Cold cycles are the way to go to prevent shrinking. Most fabrics are much more susceptible to shrinking when exposed to high heats.”
You cannot unshrink a piece of fabric completely. However, there are certain techniques that can be used to relax the fibers, getting them an inch closer to their original shape.
Fabrics that should generally be washed as delicate include lightly soiled sheer fabrics, lingerie, sweaters, blouses, shoes, pants or anything recommending a “gentle” cycle on the tag.
Spin on gentle cycle: The gentle cycle will help keep the fabric of your clothes in shape. The longer the spin cycle, the more your clothes are likely to get agitated and shrink. Some dryers have a “tumble” setting. This setting will spin dry your clothes using only motion, not heat.
A low-heat dryer setting will slowly shrink the garment with less risk of damage than high heat. Aggressively agitating wet wool on high heat can also lead to felting. Set the machine to a 30-minute timer. Check the garment every five minutes to monitor how much it shrinks.
Does warm water shrink clothes? Both hot and warm water can cause certain items to shrink. Warm water will shrink them more gradually over multiple washes. Use cooler water to be safe and conserve energy.
Methods for Unshrinking Clothes. To fix shrunken clothes, you can try soaking them in lukewarm water mixed with gentle shampoo or conditioner. After soaking, gently stretch the fabric back to its original shape and size.