Iron
This method is universal. With its help you can stretch a shrunken T-shirt made of any material.
To carry out the procedure you will need a basin, cotton cloth, an iron and 2 clothespins. All this can be found at home, you don’t even have to buy anything.
How to stretch T-shirts - algorithm of actions:
- Pour some water into the basin so that it covers the clothes. The temperature should be 30–40 degrees. If you add hot water, the T-shirt may shrink even more.
- Leave to soak for a quarter of an hour.
- After the time allotted for the procedure has expired, remove the item from the liquid. Squeeze gently, no need to twist, just squeeze with your hands to remove excess water. Twisting is contraindicated because the T-shirt will stretch unevenly. Also, you shouldn’t squeeze it like that if there is a print or inscription on the item.
- Lay out the previously soaked T-shirt on a flat surface. Place one piece of cotton fabric under the bottom, the second on top of the sweater.
- Turn on the steam function on the iron and go over the product on both sides. During the process, carefully stretch the item in the right places, just make sure that the stretching is uniform. Otherwise, the item will seem deformed and will ultimately not fit your body beautifully.
- Then the tank top or T-shirt needs to be hung on the clothesline. How to do it correctly: each item is hemmed at the bottom, tuck it along this line and secure it with clothespins. The neckline will pull the fabric. Under no circumstances should you hook clothespins on the sides by the ends so that the inside flaps freely. The product may not stretch properly. As a result, the middle will remain the same, but it will stretch along the side seams.
This method is absolutely safe, budget-friendly (you don’t have to pay for anything) and effective. If the technique is carried out correctly, you can stretch a cotton T-shirt one size larger.
Depending on the material
Before you do the shrinking trick, determine the type of fabric you will be working with. In principle, anything can be shrunk, even mixed fabrics. The only exceptions to the rule are polyester and nylon. These synthetic materials have a dense weave of fibers, so they are extremely difficult to compress.
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Among the most pliable materials are cotton, linen and satin. In general, the more natural fibers a product has, the more easily it will shrink. Here's another warning: Delicate vintage items may lose their appearance or become damaged due to exposure to high temperatures. Therefore, before starting the procedure, turn the item inside out.
In length
Often, after washing, T-shirts and T-shirts become short. What can I do to return it to the original size?
First, they are soaked in cold water for 25-30 minutes. Then excess moisture is removed and laid out on an ironing board. The cotton is then stretched to the required length and secured at the sides with pins. Usually the top surface of the ironing board is soft and pinning the shirt will be easy. In this form, the T-shirt is left to dry.
There is another way to stretch a shrunken item if it is a little short - using a small weight to stretch it lengthwise.
First, wash it in cold water, then wring out the moisture, hang it on hangers and attach weights to the side seams. Only in practice it turns out that where the load is attached the thing will stretch more. This method is not suitable for increasing the length of a T-shirt. Do not use it if you do not want to completely damage the product.
Twelve ways to stretch a shrunken shirt
- Soak the shrunken shirt in cool water at a temperature of up to 30 degrees for ten minutes. Then take it out and, without squeezing, lay it out in a horizontal position. When the water has drained, transfer the clothing to a terry towel or sheet and leave at room temperature until completely dry. During the drying process, you periodically need to stretch the fabric in the right directions. This is a universal method that will help stretch any material, including products made from natural and synthetic fabrics, silk and woolen items;
- You can soak a natural cotton shirt for ten minutes in cool water and then put it on yourself, walking until the clothes are completely dry. As a result, it will stretch across the body to the desired size;
- Add one or two tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide to cool water with a temperature of about 30 degrees. Soak clothing in the mixture for one to two hours. Then put the shirt on yourself and wear until completely dry, or lay the product on a horizontal surface and leave to dry naturally. At the same time, periodically stretch the material in the right directions;
- Pour three tablespoons of ammonia, a tablespoon of vodka and a tablespoon of turpentine into five liters of water with a temperature of up to 30 degrees. Leave the product in this solution for half an hour, then rinse in clean water at the same temperature and send to dry on a horizontal surface, after placing a terry towel. While drying, periodically stretch the shrunken areas. Hydrogen peroxide and alcohol-containing solutions make the fabric more elastic;
- A white shirt can be soaked in milk for half an hour. After the procedure, rinse the product in clean water at room temperature and send it to dry horizontally, placing it on a terry sheet or towel;
- To stretch a slightly shrunken shirt, sweater or T-shirt at home, turn the garment inside out and lay it out on an ironing board. Place damp cotton cloths or gauze on top. Steam the clothes with an iron at a distance of 10-15 centimeters from the surface, while stretching the shrunken areas, or iron the fabric with a warm iron, if the type of material allows it;
- To stretch the sleeves, hang a small weight on the wet item. In the same way, you can increase the length of the product. This method is suitable for shirts made of cotton and jersey, viscose and wool;
- If clothes made of cotton or knitwear have shrunk, a home method using hair conditioner will also help. To do this, soak the clothes in warm water at a temperature of 30-40 degrees for several minutes and squeeze lightly. Place the product in an empty container, thoroughly moisten it with hair conditioner and begin to stretch the material with your hands. After this, rinse in clean water at approximately the same temperature as the water in which the clothes were soaked, and leave the item to dry at room temperature;
- To stretch a cotton, wool or knit shirt, use 3% vinegar. To do this, lay out the item, soak a sponge in vinegar and start wiping the clothes, while stretching the desired areas. After this, wash the items in the washing machine on a cycle suitable for the fabric and rinse with bleach added to remove the unpleasant smell of vinegar;
- You can also soak your clothes in a vinegar solution. To do this, mix cool water with a 3% vinegar solution at the rate of three tablespoons of vinegar per ten liters of water. Soak the shirt for two to three hours, then wash and rinse as usual. When rinsing, you can add conditioner to eliminate the unpleasant smell of vinegar;
- Polyester clothing should be soaked in cold water for ten minutes and then washed in a washing machine on a delicate cycle at 20 degrees using wool powder;
- Clothing made from mixed fabrics stretches in the washing machine. Soak the items in cool water for 15 minutes, then place in the drum without powder or other detergent. Choose a gentle or delicate wash cycle. After the procedure, hang the shirt on a hanger with soft hangers and leave to dry naturally. During the drying process, periodically stretch the shrunken areas.