Imagine you recently bought a new T-shirt that fits you like a glove and immediately became your favourite item. But when you get it out of the wash, you realise that it has shrunk. How annoying! To prevent your T-shirts from getting shorter and shorter, you should follow these tips when washing them.
If you have bought a new cotton shirt, it is advisable to soak it in cold water for 24 to 48 hours before wearing it and to swish it back and forth from time to time. This pre-wash method prevents cotton clothing from shrinking and zips from becoming wavy. These are often sewn in with a cotton tape - if the tape shrinks during machine washing, the zip becomes wavy. It is therefore worth soaking clothes made of synthetic fibres in cold water before washing them for the first time if they have zips.
To prevent your T-shirts from shrinking during washing, you should always follow the instructions on the care label. Both washing temperatures that are too high and drying that is too hot will cause your clothes to shrink. It is therefore advisable to wash at low temperatures. Many items of clothing can only be machine washed at 30 degrees Celsius, while delicate fabrics such as silk can only be washed by hand. Don't worry: your laundry will get really clean even at low washing temperatures - just make sure that you use a detergent that can also be used at low temperatures. For example, Dylon detergents clean at just 20 degrees Celsius - which is not only particularly gentle on your clothes, but also good for the environment.
If your T-shirts are getting shorter and shorter even though you are careful to wash them at a low temperature, this could be because you are drying them in the tumble dryer. Even there, the high temperatures cause the material to shrink. If you want to avoid this, it's better to air dry them in future. To prevent the clothes from stretching out, you can place them on a clothes horse with a towel underneath. If you don't want to do without your tumble dryer, select a drying programme with low temperatures. Wool clothes should never be tumble dried - otherwise they will become matted. Check the laundry label to see if your garment is suitable for the tumble dryer.
You now know all the methods to prevent your clothes from shrinking - and yet it can happen that you accidentally wash your laundry too hot. The result: your T-shirts shrink. If you notice the mishap immediately after the machine has run through, you should act quickly to save your garment. This is how it works:
- Fill the sink or bucket with lukewarm water and add baby shampoo or mild hair conditioner
- Soak the T-shirt in the water for around 30 minutes
- Pour out the water and carefully squeeze out the clothes
- Lay the shirt flat on a towel and gently pull it into shape
- Hang on a clothes horse to dry
Whether you are successful with this method depends mainly on the material. Natural textiles (such as cotton) are easier to get back into shape than clothing made from synthetic fibres (such as polyester).
Have you accidentally bought an item of clothing in a size that is too big? Then check whether it is made of cotton. If it is, you can shrink it on purpose so that it fits you like a glove afterwards.