How to wash a knitted item so that it shrinks: ways to shrink in size after knitting

How to wash a thing correctly so that it shrinks

Of course, each material needs its own approach. But there are also general recommendations on how to wash a stretched item so that it shrinks.

Let's consider:

To make clothes shrink, their normal temperature can be changed. For example, if the instruction label recommends washing trousers or denim pants at 40°C, and you need them to fit correctly, you can safely wash them at 90°C.
More often than not, one effective method for drying a garment when washing is to increase the spin speed after exposure to hot water. Heat softens the fabric, and intense machine twisting tightens it.
What to do to make the hat fit. Acrylic, knit or synthetic wool blend fabrics also shrink when exposed to high temperatures. Bring water to boiling water and fill the headdress or program the machine to the appropriate mode. Dry in a warm place (for example, on a radiator) in a horizontal position or on a jar that is significantly smaller in size than the cap.

Next we’ll talk about how to wash an item made of any material so that it becomes a couple of sizes smaller.

Shrinkage and its causes

If you are not careful when processing cotton fabrics (for example, chintz, cambric, satin and others), they can:

sit down (be subject to deformation);
turn yellow;
shed.

The material shrinks both in length and width. In order to properly care for such fabrics, you need to understand why their size changes.

Why does 100 percent cotton shrink?

The reduction in the original size of cotton is largely due to the structure of the fibers. The raw material for the production of the material is the fluffy mass of cotton fruits.

Textile threads are thoroughly stretched during the manufacturing process. When in contact with water and heat treatment, cotton fabrics swell, and when dried, they change length (shrink).

If decating was carried out correctly during production, the scale of shrinkage is much less. Decatation is the processing of textiles (wet-thermal) during the production process. Its purpose is to pre-shrink fabrics before cutting them.

The reason for shrinkage of cotton fabrics is often the incorrectly chosen washing (ironing) temperature.

Is it not 100% deformable?

Artificial fabrics, as a rule, are not prone to shrinkage, which is why adding them to cotton makes it more stable and elastic. Cotton with elastane (satin, stretch cotton, bengalene, gabardine, polyester) has increased stretchability.

When fibers are combined, the texture of the fabric becomes elastic, firm, and shrinks to a lesser extent. However, we must not forget about the temperature compliance when washing and ironing, determined by the product labels.

How to wash wool so that it shrinks

Often we make every effort and try to wash things so that they do not shrink. But over time, any product can stretch - this is normal.

We will demonstrate several simple ways to properly wash wool so that it shrinks but does not become deformed:

Before washing a wool sweater, check the instruction label on the product to ensure it shrinks. If the maximum permissible temperature is stated as 40°C, increase it to 60°C. The fibers of the fabric will be compacted, but the product will not be deformed if the difference is no more than 20°C.
Before washing the jacket in the machine to make it shrink, program the device to “Wool” and adjust the spin speed. If for cotton and jeans this should be the maximum number of revolutions (1000 or more), then 600 rpm is enough to set a woolen item, since spinning is not used during normal washing of such items.
Here is another method on how to make a woolen item shrink. Immediately after a “hot” wash, immerse it in a container of cold water. You can even put ice in it. Rinse in lukewarm water and then plunge back into ice cold water. Repeat this manipulation several times.
Natural fiber products should only be dried by placing them horizontally. Otherwise, under the weight of moisture, the sweater or jacket will stretch and your efforts will be in vain.

Dry with a hairdryer

A proven and safe way is to dry the sweater with hot air. For example, near a heat gun or even a regular hairdryer. It is important to be patient here. A large product can be dried for a long time and persistently, devoting more than an hour to the task. So for now, hand washing in hot water remains the most proven method.

As you can see, there are several ways to plant wool sweater at home. But it’s worth knowing: most often, things with an admixture of synthetic fibers stretch. Well-made wool does not shrink or fall over, and with proper care it holds its shape for a long time. Choose good formulations, keep an eye on things, stay elegant.

Effective ways to wash cotton so that it shrinks

Cotton items, or as they are also called, cotton items, tend to sag a little during any wash.

If you are looking for a way to wash a cotton product so that it shrinks and noticeably shrinks, we offer several effective methods:

Making a T-shirt or T-shirt fit is easy. Place the clothes in the machine, use the “Cotton” option and set the temperature to 60°C. The item will not be deformed, but will become slightly denser. Use only a high-quality detergent that will preserve the color of the clothes, because high temperature has a bad property - it removes the color of the fabric.
Another effective option for reducing the size of a cotton T-shirt is to soak it for a while in water that is almost boiling, and then transfer it to a container with cold liquid.
To shrink items, simply place it in a container with almost boiling water, wait 10 minutes, remove the items and send them to dry in the usual way.
The Cotton mode in the machine allows you to select a high temperature (up to 95°C). Program and adjust this option before washing your cotton item to allow it to shrink.
If the shirt needs to shrink, after hand or machine washing and proper drying, iron it using steam.
Make the most of the ways you can use your washing machine. How to wash cotton so that it shrinks? If the fabric is thick enough and does not stretch (does not contain synthetic rubber microfibers), then send it for washing using the maximum temperature and maximum number of revolutions. This method will be even more effective if you dry the product correctly in a horizontal position.

Restoring shape manually

Wool really does not like water, and frequent washing is simply destructive for it. Because of their looseness, things knitted by hand stretch faster and more strongly than items made by machine.

They are difficult to restore, since acrylic threads are usually added to the yarn. The more there are, the more the clothes stretch, and to make a hand-knitted sweater fit you need to work hard, since such things are not advisable to wash in a machine.

Any experienced housewife knows what to do and how to restore a wool sweater and return it to its original condition. You need to wash a stretched sweater by hand.

How to wash a sweater by hand is indicated in the rules:

Fill a basin with warm water (30 degrees) - the water should be the same temperature! Do not wash or rinse the product in water of different temperatures!
Turn the item inside out.
Pour or add wool detergent into the water. If you don’t have it, use any hair shampoo; it will also make your sweater fluffier.
Place the straightened item on the surface of the water and wait a few minutes until it gets wet. You can't soak it! Soaking leads to loss of product shape!
The wool product wrinkles slightly in foamed water. Do not twist or twist!
Change water and rinse.
Drain the excess water, squeeze it slightly and hold it suspended for a while. You cannot dry wool vertically, only horizontally.
After washing, wring out the sweater without twisting or stretching.
Wrap in a towel and repeat the spin cycle.
After a few hours, unwrap the towel and change the wet to dry.
After the second towel, the sweater is placed on a dry horizontal surface, on the fabric, and left there until completely dry.

How to wash silk so that it shrinks

How to wash your favorite silk dress to make it shrink? The above tips are not relevant for shrinking a product made of natural, thin material.

Such things shrink and do not lose their shape only if certain conditions are met.

Remember them as an axiom:

Correct temperature conditions. While with cotton and wool you can change the temperature in terms of temperature, with a silk product this is strictly prohibited.
Hand wash only. What can you do to make your favorite silk sweater go down a size? In slightly heated water, 50-70°C degrees warmer than what is indicated on the tag, soak the clothes and add laundry detergent for delicate materials.
Rinse in summer water.
Leave the jacket or dress to dry in an open space (on the street or on a clothesline on the outside of the balcony). This is important, because silk needs flows of fresh and dry air to shrink.

How to reduce your denim size by washing

How to wash a jacket or pants made from real jeans so that they become a couple of sizes smaller? Such products become slightly shorter and are already machine washed using the highest possible water temperature (90°C). Automatic twisting should also be set to maximum (1000 rpm or more).

But this should not be done if the trousers or jacket are stretchy (contain stretch).

What can you do with stretchy jeans to make them shrink a little? Wash them using the maximum permissible water temperature (according to the label) and wring them well. Place to dry vertically in a well-ventilated place.

What type of thread can be shrinked

But not every thing can be returned to its original form. It all depends on the type of thread from which it is made:

Natural fabrics are most susceptible to stretching - and they also have a higher chance of shrinking back. Natural ones include wool, cotton, flax, bamboo, silk, nettle, hemp and other yarn made from fibers formed in nature;

The most famous natural threads for knitting are cotton, linen, wool, silk, bamboo
Clothing made from pure synthetics is very difficult to shrink, but it is also quite difficult to stretch it. The most famous synthetic types of yarn are acrylic, polyamide, lurex, nylon, lycra, polyester, microfiber;
things made from mixed threads, that is, from a mixture of synthetics and natural fabric, can be shrinked, but a lot depends on the composition - which natural threads are included in the mixture and in what quantities;
The greatest difficulties arise with things knitted from different types of threads - for example, wool and acrylic, or wool and cotton. If one of the types of threads is synthetic, then the shrinkage result will most likely be positive, since synthetics are difficult to change in size, so only the stretched part - made of natural threads - will shrink. If the entire product is made of natural fabrics, just of different types, then the result of shrinkage actions can be unpredictable, since each type of thread requires its own approach.

Before undertaking measures to return the item to its original form, the owner should immediately decide whether she is ready for the item to be damaged if the outcome is unfavorable.

Recommendations on how to wash knitwear so that it shrinks

How to wash your favorite piece of clothing made of jersey fabric so that it shrinks?

First, keep in mind that, unlike jeans and cotton, the material is more finicky, so washing it with hot water is not recommended.
It is enough to heat the water above the permissible temperature, pour it into a container and soak the item of clothing for no more than 20 minutes. Remove and let drain.
To gently spin, place the item in a cotton towel and roll it into a roller.
To prevent the product from stretching during drying, install a special horizontal mesh on the dryer and place a jacket, sweater or knitted T-shirt on it.

Keep in hot water

It's easy to shrink a wool sweater a size or two if you first soak it in scalding hot water. The water temperature should be approximately 70 degrees. You don't need to add powder, but any liquid detergent will work just fine.

Soak the sweater for 10-15 minutes, then wash it and gently wring it out. Do not press too hard on the sweater, otherwise the fibers will shrink unevenly. Now we put it in ice water and rinse thoroughly. The temperature change shocks the delicate fibers and they shrink in size. Just do not wring or twist the sweaters under any circumstances - this will stretch the fibers again and cause things to become deformed.

How to wash synthetics so that they shrink

How to put synthetics in a washing machine or basin so that it shrinks a little in size? To do this, use a soap solution whose temperature is no more than 10 degrees higher than the instructions recommended on the label.

If you wash things using a machine, then do not overdo it with the number of revolutions for automatic twisting, otherwise the clothes may stretch (maximum 600-800 rpm).

Dry in a dry place in the warm season on the balcony, in the cold season on the radiator.