It can be hard to find clothes that you are comfortable in, make you look good, and fit you just right. So when you do, you want to be sure you keep them fitting the same way you bought them. Accidentally shrinking clothes while doing laundry can leave you frustrated, especially if you shrunk an item that is sentimental to you or is difficult to replace. If you are looking to avoid this feeling of frustration again this will help you to do it correctly.
By carefully following proper washing and drying techniques, and knowing what to do in case of accidental shrinkage, you can keep your wardrobe looking new and keep your clothes fitting you beautifully.
First of all let’s look what causes clothes to shrink.
In order to prevent your clothes from shrinking you must understand what causes your clothes to shrink in the first place. Shrinkage largely depends on the type fabrics your clothes are made up of along with factors such as “the amount of moisture and heat” they are exposed to during the laundry/ washing process.
Types of shrinkage in clothes
Felting shrinkage
This is the type of shrinkage that takes place with fabrics made up of wool or others that are made from animal hair fibres. These type fabrics have scales along the surface at the microscopic level and when they are exposed to excessive heat and moisture, the scales come to together and compress and entangle.
Relaxation shrinkage
Relaxation shrinkage can also occur in clothes made from cotton, silk, linen or synthetic fibres. The chances of relaxation shrinkage occurring are very slim despite several different clothing type being prone to it. If fabrics are exposed to excessive amount of moisture, particularly lukewarm water, or other type of liquids then the fabrics may shrink. This type is shrinkage is the most common reason why silk garment can shrink. To avoid a silk garment shrinking hand washing is the best approach.
Consolidation shrinkage
As the name denotes, these type of shrinkage is caused by several factors that contribute to the shrinkage of a garment. The combination of heat, moisture and the physical action of a washer or dryer affects the fibres that make up the garment. Manufacturers create tension within the fibres of the clothes. And the combination of the above factors can lead to the release of this tension and cause a garment to lose its shape or shrink. You are likely to face this kind of shrinkage with your T-shirts, particularly if you exposed them to excessive heat during the drying process.
The following tips will guide you on how to keep your clothes from shrinking
Washing your clothes with cold water to prevent shrinking
Simply set your machine temperature to “cold’ in case you are using laundry machine and with detergents purposely made for cold washing. Using cold water still works well to get your clothes clean and prevent it from shrinking. It also saves on energy costs.
Remove clothes from the dryer while they are still slightly damp.
Drying your clothes in the machine for 15-20 minutes can help speed up the drying process but, removing them while they are still slightly damp and clean will help prevent from shrinking.
Use the lowest heat setting suitable for the fabrics in our dryer.
When drying your clothes, carefully use the lowest heat. In other words you should set your machine to the lowest heat on your dryer suitable for the clothes you are drying and this prevent or reduce shrinkage. If settings are not done properly and are set to higher than recommended temperature for the fabric involved, shrinkage may likely occur.
Air–drying your clothes.
After washing, hang your items indoors on a rod or drying rack, or outside on a clothesline. If you are drying your clothes, be sure to avoid hanging wool in the direct sunlight to avoid shrinkage and not to hang all clothes in high winds or storms to avoid stretching or damaging them. Drying clothes in direct sunlight can be harmful to them as a result of the UV light rays they would be exposed to.
Laundry should immediately be removed from the dryer when you are done before folding.
Hang these items on a drying rack or lay them on a flat surface to finish drying.
Hanging clothing may sound old-fashioned, but it’s a sure way to dry any piece of clothing after washing the items must be dried. Make sure there is enough air circulation among the clothes. Hang a single item of clothing on each bar. Do not hang clothes on top of each other so as not to drastically slow down drying time. Knitted items such as sweaters should be lay flat to dry.
Smile Laundry is happy to support you in your laundry and dry cleaning needs. Get in touch.