How to stretch a T-shirt if it shrinks after washing: proven ways and methods

What should you do if a T-shirt that suits you suddenly doesn’t fit quite right after washing? Perhaps it was washed in the wrong mode on an automatic machine and was subject to shrinkage. There are effective ways to stretch a T-shirt a size larger at home. This way you can return to using this item without discomfort.

Universal method - cold water and iron

At home, a shrunken T-shirt or polo is stretched by one size (more is unlikely to be done without losing the structure of the fabric). You can refresh an item by first soaking it in cold water. The holding time is about 15 minutes.

If a T-shirt shrinks after washing, you need to take measures to restore it as quickly as possible. A well-dried item will lose its elasticity and will become more difficult to restore. The best option is to immediately start working with a T-shirt that has not yet dried.

After soaking, apply ironing. Using an iron, you should quickly smooth out the shrunk item, while simultaneously stretching it. If the T-shirt has a pattern that may lose its appearance when ironed, then it would be correct to use the “steam” function of the iron. And also continue to stretch the product.

The collar on a T-shirt is stretched: what to do and how to solve the problem

Surely you have encountered this unpleasant problem - the product is new, but the neck or collar has stretched unsightly after washing or normal wear. Don't throw away the item, it can be saved. You will need patience, as well as a needle and thread.

• Carefully open the collar placket - usually it is double. Divide it, make it single and longer. Sew together and you will have a longer strip of fabric for the trim.
• Take a T-shirt and use an iron to trim the stretched neckline, fold it in half along the shoulder seam.
• Take a strip of fabric, fold it in half, apply it to the shoulder seam of the T-shirt, pulling it slightly, sew it in a circle. Stop three centimeters before the joint. Connect the ends of the strip and sew them together, and hide the seam in the fold of the strip.
• Then sew the missing 3 centimeters to the neckline. The T-shirt is ready.

How to stretch cotton?

These methods apply to items in which you made a mistake when purchasing or chose the wrong washing mode. Such 100% cotton items, due to the structure of their fiber, are most susceptible to shrinkage. Cotton fabric is obtained from raw cotton. As a result of its processing, loose threads are formed. When interacting with water, they stick together, decreasing in volume. But they can also be stretched.

Option number 1 – vinegar and sponge

Vinegar serves as a natural fabric softener and is therefore used to stretch fabrics.

• dilute water with vinegar in a ratio of 3 to 1), vinegar serves as a natural fabric softener;
• moisten, for example, a foam sponge in this solution;
• wipe the T-shirt with it, while simultaneously stretching the item in different directions;
• After drying, rinse with conditioner to eliminate the unpleasant smell of vinegar.

Rice. 1. Vinegar for stretching shrunken items

Option number 2 - soaking in water with vinegar

This way you can also increase the size of a shrunken item.

1. Soak things in a vinegar solution similar to option No. 1 for 20 minutes.
2. After curing, squeeze the product slightly.
3. Dry while giving things the desired shape.

Here it is important not only not to overdo it with the amount of vinegar in the solution, but also not to give too small a dose.

Pros and cons of using vinegar

For a cotton T-shirt, vinegar is suitable. It is necessary to complete several steps: add a solution of water and 9% vinegar in a ratio of three to one in a container, saturate the sponge with the resulting composition and carefully process the entire product, while stretching it in all directions. Hang to dry in a vertical position and periodically stretch to the required parameters. The final step will be washing in a suitable manner.

Reference! A significant drawback is the strong smell of vinegar, which can be eliminated using fabric softener.

How to stretch synthetics?

Fabrics made from polyester, lavsan, lycra, nylon, spandex, elastane and many other types of such material are so elastic that after stretching, the fabric returns to its original state. Therefore, do not try to stretch 100% synthetic materials. To increase sizes, immediately contact a sewing workshop.

On store shelves there is a huge number of mixed types of fabrics, combining natural and synthetic bases. The stretchability is proportional to the percentage of stretch fibers. Fabric of a combined composition can be restored after shrinkage in the following ways.

Option No. 1 – delicate mode and vertical drying

Rice. 2 – Vertical drying of synthetic clothes

Place the T-shirt in a container of cold water for 10–15 minutes or set the washing machine to a delicate cycle. Dry on hangers, periodically stretching the item along the length or width.

Option number 2 – soaking and ironing

Place the T-shirt in a container of water for 10–15 minutes. After taking it out, you need to wait until water stops dripping from it. Place a dry towel on the ironing board and lay out the T-shirt on it. Iron it at high temperature, gradually stretching it in the right places. Using an iron with a steam function will be preferable.

Option number 3 - peroxide

Prepare a solution based on hydrogen peroxide. To do this, add 6 teaspoons of peroxide to 10 liters of water. Dip the T-shirt completely into the solution and leave in it for 60 minutes. After soaking, the item is washed without powder in a gentle washing mode in an automatic machine at a temperature of 40°C.

How to stretch knitwear?

Knitted fabric can be characterized by good stretchability. This is due to the method of its manufacture. Knitwear is made by interlacing loops of threads. The loops can take any shape and, as a result, form an elastic structure.

The material of knitted fabrics (they can be made of cotton, wool, or viscose) also shrinks when washed. Viscose knitwear, which is made using natural fibers, is not even recommended to be washed in a machine.

Option No. 1 – stretching a T-shirt after a centrifuge

It's easy to do:

• soak a knitted T-shirt in warm water for 15 minutes;
• place the soaked items in the washing machine and turn on the spin mode or lightly squeeze by hand;
• hang vertically on hangers and dry at room temperature;

Local stretching of problem areas of the T-shirt is allowed. The general technique needs to be adjusted in the right direction: for example, when drying on a hanger, pulling out only the collar, neck or sleeves is a quick way to deal with the problem. But here you need to be careful so that the thing does not lose its proportions. It won’t be possible to change the shape much, but to update the thing a little, it’s just right.

Option number 2 - drying on a towel

This option will take longer. It includes soaking things and other operations.

Rice. 3. Drying things on a towel

Drying after restoration should be carried out in conditions that exclude direct sunlight and the presence of batteries and other heating units nearby.

Width

Increasing the width of a shirt is not difficult if you follow the procedure. Algorithm of actions:

1. As in previous methods, it is first soaked in cool liquid for half an hour.
2. Then squeeze out excess moisture and lay it out on a horizontal surface.
3. Fasten all buttons or zippers.
4. The bottom of the T-shirt and the top must be fixed in one position so that the item does not shorten. And the inner part must be carefully stretched with your hands.
5. You can also put the wet product on a mannequin or the back of a chair, just first measure the circumference of the area on the body where the width stretch is required, and then the width of the back of the chair.

This method is suitable for stretching cotton and woolen items.

How to stretch a woolen item?

Of the large number of ways to stretch a wool T-shirt, we will highlight the most universal ones.

Option number 1 - drying on a towel

How this is done:

• soak the woolen product in cold water for 15 minutes;
• easy to squeeze, no need to twist;
• Place the product on a large towel.

Dry by periodically replacing a wet towel with a dry one. Let it be as long so that the whole thing fits on it. In the process, stretch the woolen product in the desired directions.

Option number 2 – drying on the body

An effective, although unpleasant, method is to put a wet T-shirt on yourself. In this case, you will have to wear it on yourself until it dries completely. The solution weakens the fabric fibers, and the more active the movements, the more effectively the item stretches. It is guaranteed that there will be no complaints about the shape and size of these clothes after this method of restoration.

Option number 3 – hydrogen peroxide

It gives elasticity to wool fabric. For light-colored fabrics (colored ones lose their brightness when treated with hydrogen peroxide), a solution is prepared: no more than two tablespoons per 10 liters of water. Rinse and leave things in this solution for 1.5 hours. Dry on a terry towel, stretching occasionally.

Option number 4 - drying on a board

After soaking, a woolen product is placed on a board covered with thick fabric. Using pins, secure it, giving the required shape. It is permissible to sew the product along the contour. The item will remain in this position until it dries completely.

Rice. 4 – Method of stretching a wool sweater

Hydrogen peroxide

Silk and woolen fabrics can be drawn out using peroxide.

Pour enough water into a bowl of water so that the T-shirt is completely covered. Add 2 tbsp to the liquid. l. hydrogen peroxide.

Soaking lasts 2 hours. There is no need to wring out silk and wool items. Just squeeze out the excess water lightly so it doesn't trickle out.

Then place the T-shirt on a clean cloth and shape it into the desired shape by stretching it slightly with your hands and straightening out all the wrinkles.

How to stretch a shrunken denim item?

Denim is a thick cotton material. Therefore, it is quite possible to get a washed item that does not meet at the waist after an intensive wash cycle with a high temperature. There are a sufficient number of ways to influence denim clothing in such a way that it begins to stretch.

Spray method

Pour warm water into a spray bottle. Moisten thoroughly the area of ​​clothing that is to be corrected. When stretching, measure (for example, with a centimeter) how the dimensions have changed. This will make it possible to evaluate the results. To increase effectiveness, put the wet item on yourself and wear it while performing various stretching movements on the item.

Stretching denim pants

Moisten the ends of the trousers below the knees. Place your pants on the floor and stand on them. Pull your pants legs up with effort. Perform the action at least ten times. You can do stretching together with an assistant - this will be more productive.

Extreme method - soaking and pulling on yourself

Not everyone dares to use this method. But if you're willing to take the risk, go for it. Wearing denim, sit or lie down in a bath of warm water.

1. Stay in the bathtub with your denim clothing completely submerged in water for about 15 minutes.
2. Drain the water. While the water is draining from the clothes, without removing them, stretch the problem areas: the collar and cuffs of the jacket, the bottom of the trousers, etc.
3. Blot your clothes with dry towels.
4. Standing in a bathtub (in a basin) or sitting on an oilcloth, you perform various movements that subject the clothes to deformation.

After final drying, the item will acquire the desired size.

Stretching T-shirts using an iron

Completely wet the clothing in a bathtub or basin until the item is soaked to the skin. To ensure even wetting, spread the cloth over the bottom of the tank or sink.

Place the item on a flat horizontal surface, but first twist it thoroughly.

Set your iron to low or medium heat. At the same time, iron the T-shirt and stretch it in the desired directions. Run the iron in all directions, pulling the clothes in all directions. When you are done with one side, turn the product over and iron on the other.

After ironing, straighten the fabric and stretch it with force one last time. For best effect, place a weight to maintain the desired size. If you are happy with the current size, do not dry your clothes in the dryer. Subsequently, this should only be done outdoors. Also stretch your T-shirt periodically.

What rules should you follow to prevent clothes from shrinking?

Rice. 5. Decoding the signs on the label

The most important thing in preventing clothes from shrinking is to wash them correctly. Exposure to the fabric structure of high temperatures, deformation during spinning, chemical reactions from powder and bleach - all this can lead to a change in the shape of clothing. To ensure that washing occurs without undesirable consequences, you must follow the following simple rules:

• wash things only when necessary, do not do it too often;
• sort items by type of material (do not wash coarse and synthetic fabrics with thin and natural ones);
• be sure to use the recommendations for choosing the washing temperature (the label on the clothing indicates the maximum allowed);
• Wash heavily soiled items separately from lightly soiled items.

It is not difficult to follow the rules, and the service life of things will increase significantly.

What to look for when buying a new product

• To buy a quality item of clothing, pay attention to the following nuances:
• The shoulder seams should run exactly along the edge of the humerus.
• Check the seams of things made from materials that stretch - they should not unravel.
• The sleeves of the product should not be tight; to check this, bend your elbows - if something is too tight, the item does not suit you.
• There are fabrics that wrinkle a lot when worn - these are natural materials such as linen or cotton. To check, squeeze the fabric in your fist; if it is very wrinkled, then you need to decide for yourself whether it is worth buying it.

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