It happens to even the best: you inadvertently threw a sweater or a pair of jeans in the dryer on the high heat setting and it shrunk by one size, if not more. Technically speaking, it is impossible to "re-widen" shrunken clothes. However, you can make the fibers relax enough to allow them to regain their lost shape. Here are some methods to make this possible.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Soaking in Shampoo (Mostly Knitted Garments)
Step 1. Run the lukewarm water down the sink
Fill the sink you use for hand washing or a bucket with at least 1 liter of warm water.
- Take note that clothes knitted with a cotton, wool, and cashmere yarn respond better to this technique than tightly woven fabrics, such as silk, rayon, and polyester.
- The water should be slightly at room temperature, if not a little warmer. Do not use boiling or cold water.
Step 2. Add baby shampoo or conditioner
For each liter of water, mix approximately 15ml of baby shampoo or conditioner, stirring the product in the water until it reaches a slippery, soapy consistency.
Baby shampoo and conditioner can relax the fibers of cramped clothes. As the fibers are pulled, they become easier to stretch and manipulate, so you can return the garment to its proper size
Step 3. Soak the garment in the soapy water
Soak the restricted piece completely in the shampoo or conditioner solution, making sure it is completely under the surface of the liquid.
- Let it soak for about 30 minutes.
- If you want, you can gently begin to stretch the garment underwater while it is soaking, but this is not strictly necessary.
Step 4. Squeeze it
Remove the garment from the soapy solution and wrap it around itself, squeezing it firmly to remove excess water.
Do not rinse the garment. The soapy water must continue to actively relax the fibers as you work on enlarging and recreating the shape of the dress
Step 5. Squeeze any additional excess water between two towels
Spread out a towel on a flat surface and arrange the garment on it. Gradually roll the towel over itself, keeping the dress inside.
The garment should remain in this "microclimate" for approximately 10 minutes. After this time, it should be damp, not wet
Step 6. Pull the dress and return it to its shape
Unroll the towel and move the garment to another dry towel on a flat surface. Gently stretch the fabric so that it regains its correct shape; to keep it in place, secure the corners with heavy objects.
- For a more accurate measurement of the actual shape and size of your garment, you can trace the outline of a similar garment that fits on a large piece of parchment paper. Arrange the garment you are trying to stretch over this contour and stretch it to fit within the exact drawn boundaries.
- If it's hard to stretch a dress because it feels too stiff, use the steam that comes out of an iron to make it easy to manipulate.
- Among the heavy objects possible to use to stop the garment to be stretched, use paperweights, books and coffee cups.
- If you don't have any heavy objects on hand, you could use safety pins to attach the wet dress to the towel.
Step 7. Let it dry
Allow the wet dress to dry on a flat shelf and wait for the remaining moisture to go away.
- If all the clothes were tied to the towel instead of being held down with weight, you could hang them on a clothesline, letting them dry in a sunny, dry spot. The force of gravity can help make a garment stretch further.
- If this tactic generates some results but isn't enough, you could repeat it multiple times, until you can get the garment stretched enough.
Method 2 of 3: Dipping in Borax or Vinegar (Wool, Cashmere)
Step 1. Run the lukewarm water down the sink
Fill the sink you use to do laundry or a bucket with at least 1 liter of warm water.
- This method is generally recommended for wool and cashmere. Other knitted fibers, such as cotton, may respond equally well to this method, but synthetic or densely woven natural fibers should not be treated using this technique.
- The water should be roughly room temperature, or a little warmer. Don't use hot or cold one.
Step 2. Mix the borax or vinegar
Add 15-30ml of borax for every liter of water. Alternatively, add 1 part of white wine vinegar to 2 parts of water, or ½ liter to 1 liter of water.
- Borax relaxes wool, therefore naturally enlarges the fibers of garments of this type, facilitating their manipulation and stretching.
- Vinegar acts in the same way, it is believed that it has the property of making the textile fibers expand. White wine vinegar is generally preferred, as it is clear and more delicate than distilled white vinegar, but any clear vinegar can be used.
Step 3. Put the garment in the solution
Dip the dress in the solution and let it soak for 25 minutes.
If your dress has shrunk dramatically, you may want to gently stretch it out while in the solution after the first 25 minutes have passed. Carefully pull the garment to begin to stretch the fibers, then let it soak without touching it for another 10-25 minutes
Step 4. Squeeze it
Remove the garment from your solution and wrap it around itself to squeeze it firmly and eliminate excess water.
Do not rinse the dress. The solution must continue to actively relax the fibers as you try to stretch and reshape the garment
Step 5. Fill the garment with dry towels
Roll some towels on themselves and use them to fill the dress. Insert them into it so that it regains the size and shape it originally had.
- Use as many towels as you need to create a bold outline. If the dress has hollow parts and parts that are more swollen than it should be after you put the towels inside, the fibers may expand this way, and you will end up with a sweater that will be looser, but will not flatter you at all.
- Towels will also help absorb excess water, making the garment dry faster.
Step 6. Move the dress
Shake or whisk it while the towels are in it for 10 to 15 minutes to make the fabric stretch further.
Step 7. Let it dry outdoors
Hang the dress on a hanger and put it outside with the towels inside. Collect it once drying is complete.
If this method allows you to make some changes, but isn't enough, you may want to repeat it multiple times until the garment has stretched enough
Method 3 of 3: Smooth Water and Gravity (Jeans)
Step 1. Fill a bathtub with warm water
Let some water run into the bathtub, filling it at least 1/3 full, enough to cover your legs if you sit inside.
- The water should be nice. Ideally it should be hot, but avoid hot, steamy and cold ones.
- If you don't have a bathtub, you can still have your clothes stretched out. Fill a sink with warm or hot water.
Step 2. Put on your jeans
Pull up your tight pants. If you can, close the zipper and button.
- If the jeans don't have a zipper or button or the part that wraps around the waist has become too tight, put them on anyway and leave them open.
- If you can't put on jeans, don't have a bathtub, or plan to use the sink method instead of the tub method, don't wear the garment for now.
Step 3. Enter the water
Immerse yourself in the warm water of the tub with the jeans, they will have to get totally wet.
- You will need to sit in the bathtub for 10 minutes or make sure the jeans are thoroughly wet.
- Be careful as you get out of the tub to avoid accidentally slipping due to the extra weight of heavy, wet denim.
- If you can't zip up your jeans before entering the tub, try doing it while in the water. If the fibers cannot relax enough to close the zip, it may be impossible to return the jeans to their original size.
- If you will be using the sink method, let the jeans soak for 10-15 minutes. Then, take them off and put them on.
Step 4. Wear the jeans for about an hour
Move as much as possible to allow the fibers to spread out.
Go for a walk, jog, stretch, or any other movement that can widen the fabric. Focus on the areas that special need to be stretched. For example, if it is your waist that needs to be stretched more than the others, make sure your movements include plenty of stretching and bending in this area
Step 5. Remove the jeans and hang them to dry
Arrange the dripping jeans on a line or on a clothesline and allow them to finish drying.
