Sometimes we encounter a problem when, due to rain, after washing or prolonged improper storage, our favorite hat shrinks, decreases in size and becomes small. Hats made of wool and fur are very sensitive to bad weather. Due to wet snow and rain, severe frost and humidity, or sudden temperature changes, the material may become deformed and shrink.
In addition, wool and fur items can become smaller if clothes and hats are folded or folded, stored in a closet for long-term storage, and not taken out. When stored in a warm or hot room without sufficient air, fur and wool become deformed and shrink, decrease in size, lose shape and attractive appearance.
Deformation of the material is caused by improper washing of wool in too hot water and using the wrong powder or detergent. Fur doesn't like water at all. Such products cannot be washed, the material can only be cleaned.
If the cap does stretch out, you need to stretch the product so that it fits again. Please note that if a fur or wool product has shrunk too much, it is no longer possible to return to its original appearance. However, with slight deformation and shrinkage, you can easily restore the previous condition. In this article we will learn how to stretch a fur and wool hat.
How to stretch a fur hat
You need to be very careful with fur, as it is an even more delicate and capricious material than wool. It is better to turn to dry cleaning professionals for help. If this is not possible, a small fur hat can be stretched using hot steam, but without an iron! To do this, bring the water in a kettle or saucepan to a boil and hold the headdress until it warms up and becomes damp.
After the procedure, pull the hat onto a three-liter jar, blank or special stand and put it in a cool, dark place with good ventilation. Leave for two to three days. Fur items should not be dried on a radiator, near an open fire or near electrical appliances!
When dried properly in a cool, dark place, the hat will begin to stretch and will stretch out when completely dry. The product should be stored in a dark, cool and well-ventilated area. You need to clean a fur hat with a dry soft brush or foam sponge. If stains appear on things, you can remove the dirt using a damp brush, sponge or cloth.
Always put a wet headdress on a three-liter jar, blank or special stand so that it retains its shape. And leave until completely dry. It is also better to store the equipment on a stand or jar. Clean the inner lining regularly with soapy water or wet wipes. If possible, the lining material can be unfastened or torn, washed and dried, and then sewn or fastened back.
If the white fur hat begins to turn yellow, use a solution of water and hydrogen peroxide. Safe and proven folk remedies for cleaning any fur are sawdust, semolina and potato starch. They absorb and eliminate grease and help get rid of grease and dirt. Read more about how to use these tools here.
Precautionary measures
According to all of the above, it is easier to prevent woolen items from shrinking than to save them later. To do this, things need proper care from the very beginning, namely:
- — you need to carefully study the label, which contains information about caring for the item;
- - drying wool products should occur in a horizontal position;
- — drying should occur naturally, without the use of heating devices;
- - you can hang a woolen item on a hanger only after it has completely dried;
- — instead of wool gel, you can use hair shampoo when washing;
- — ironing of woolen items can only be done under cotton cloth or gauze;
- - woolen items are stored in a closet protected from moths.
Three ways to stretch a wool hat
- Lightly moisten the material in cool or cold water or soak the product for 10-15 minutes. Take a three-liter jar, the neck of which is also moistened with water. Then put the cap on the jar and secure it so that it does not come off or come off. To do this, you can use pins or clothespins. Wait until the headdress is completely dry;
- A more radical method is to wash the cap with a special solution. Take cool water with a temperature of up to 30 degrees and add a spoonful of table vinegar or a few tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide 30%. Rinse the product in the solution and hang it to dry on a three-liter jar or on a special stand for hats;
- Hot steam will help steam the material and return the product to its former presentable appearance. To do this, place the cap on a flat surface, cover with gauze and steam with an iron at a distance of ten centimeters from the material. In the process, stretch the headdress in different directions and directions. After processing, pull the cap onto a three-liter jar or a special stand. Leave until completely dry.
How to restore the original appearance and size of a shrunken coat
Hardly anyone dares to wash their expensive cashmere coat on their own. That is why we will talk about relatively small children's products made from mixed coat fabric. They are the ones who most often suffer from the baby’s carelessness and the mother’s inexperience. Washing a soiled coat in the machine is a simple matter, but most often this method leads to the clothes going to the neighbor’s child, who is a couple of years younger. You can still try to bring the coat back to life.
- First you need to soak the item in the following solution: 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide per 10 liters of cold water.
- Keep the product in it for two hours. Peroxide will help the fibers become more elastic.
- While the coat is soaking, gently stretch it with your hands.
- After completing the water procedures, lightly wring out the material and lay it on a towel to dry. As you already know, towels should be periodically replaced with dry ones, and the thing itself should continue to be stretched with your hands until completely dry.
Clothes made of wool will be the size of your child for a long time if you learn how to properly wash, dry and stretch shrunken clothes
What to do to prevent a wool hat from shrinking
We looked at how to stretch a wool hat if it has shrunk after washing, improper storage and use. But deformation can be prevented. To do this, you need to follow the rules for washing, wearing and using wool items. If washed and dried incorrectly, wool can shrink and shrink, losing softness and color.
Washing in a washing machine can only be done in a delicate or special mode for wool at temperatures up to 30 degrees. Woolen items are washed by hand in cool water at a temperature of 20-30 degrees. Moreover, when rinsing and washing, the water temperature should be the same, since wool does not like temperature changes. Products should be washed separately from other items and types of fabrics without spinning!
For washing, choose special gels, shampoos and conditioners designed for woolen materials. Do not wring or twist woolen materials, as they will become very wrinkled and deformed. When rinsing, you can add a little special conditioner or a few tablespoons of vinegar to the water.
After washing, wrap the wool item in a terry towel or sheet to absorb excess moisture. Then hang the clothes on hangers, and the hat on a stand, mace or three-liter jar. Under no circumstances hang things on a rope or the back of a chair, or secure them with clips or clothespins, otherwise creases and folds will appear.
Dry woolen items at room temperature in a well-ventilated area and store them in the dark and cool. For long-term storage, remove items at least twice a month and leave to air for one to two hours. At the same time, carefully straighten the woolen fabric. For more information on caring for woolen items, see the link.
Why do woolen items shrink after washing?
Wool threads are similar to human hair, so they need to be treated with care.
Causes:
- Incorrectly selected products
Detergent ingredients can destroy the organic structure of threads and make them stiff. To wash woolen items, you need to use special gels and wash them separately from the rest.
- Wrong water temperature - at what temperature should I wash woolen items?
Exposure to hot water has a negative effect on wool fibers. Wool is washed at a temperature of no more than 30 0C. If there is a “Wool” mode in the machine, the automation itself will select the required temperature.
- Poor quality yarn
Poor quality items will stretch and lose shape faster than good quality items. But the price of these things will not protect against deformation, because even the most expensive things can shrink if not properly cared for.
REFERENCE! If this has already happened, then the situation needs to be corrected. Proven folk remedies will help with this.
How to increase the size of a leather cap?
Leather cap
- take a cotton piece of cloth, moisten it;
- place the cap on the ironing board;
- Gently iron the areas that need to be enlarged through the damp cloth, slightly pulling them in the desired direction. ...
- Place the product on a jar or pan until completely dry.
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A wool jacket that has shrunk - let's stretch it on the carpet
To reliably and safely stretch the jacket without losing its shape, we will use the “grandmother’s” method. It will require a solution of the following ingredients:
- 5 liters of cold water;
- 5 tablespoons of ammonia;
- 1 tablespoon of turpentine;
- 1 tablespoon cologne.
- Soak the affected product for an hour and a half in the solution.
- Rinse in clean water at the same temperature and squeeze a little.
- Baste the jacket to a piece of thick fabric. To do this, spread a cloth on the table - a tablecloth, a sheet folded in 4 layers, a terry towel. Lay the jacket on top of the fabric, stretch it with your hands and begin sewing it along the contour to the fabric below. Make stitches in 2 cm increments. While sewing, constantly adjust the position of the jacket.
- Stretch the fabric to which the jacket is sewn onto the frame (as indicated in the original recipe). In modern realities, you can do it simpler: lay out the fabric with the jacket on a cleaned rug and attach it to it with pins, pulling it tightly. To do this, you will need a helper to hold the fabric taut while you pin it to the carpet.
- Dry your jacket this way.
- this method is absolutely not suitable if there are small children or playful animals in the house;
- count and write down the number of pins used: you should collect the same number later.
Some useful tips
To reduce the size of a woolen hat after it has stretched, not only the implementation of certain actions aimed at this will help, but also the following nuances:
- shrinkage using hot water is effective provided that the composition of the cap contains fibers from natural fabrics;
- acrylic hats may become matted due to temperature exposure;
- A washing machine should not be used to create smaller sizes. This will most likely simply ruin the product;
- It is always worth checking the headdress for color fastness; if there is a possibility of shedding, you need to take action.
The methods listed above for reducing the size of a headdress are the most effective and relatively safe.
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What can you do with shrunk socks and mittens?
Such a misfortune is doubly unpleasant if it happens in severe winter, and socks or mittens that have become smaller after washing are the only ones. To help the grief, you will need:
- vinegar;
- spray;
- many newspapers;
- any strong clips or clothespins.
- Soak things in water (you can add hair balm).
- Stretch them a little with your hands.
- Remove and squeeze without twisting.
- Spray wet items with vinegar from a spray bottle.
- Place more crumpled newspapers inside and secure the edges of the cuffs with clothespins to prevent the newspapers from falling out. You will have to change the paper sometimes, and the more often you can do this, the faster everything will dry. The smell of vinegar disappears quite quickly.
Woolen items are useful to wear for people suffering from rheumatism, osteochondrosis, orthopedic diseases and circulatory disorders.
Vinegar and crumpled newspapers will help restore the shape and size of mittens or socks made of wool.