Garments made with these natural and regenerated fibers are more likely to shrink, especially if they're made of knit material. “Fabrics that are more open or loose construction (space between the yarns) are often more likely to shrink,” said Kristie Rhodes,product development and implementation at Cotton Incorporated.
While it sounds like a great, simple way to shrink clothing, it's not very effective. If you've ever Googled "How to shrink clothes," you've probably come across several videos suggesting the following DIY method: Pour boiling water over clothing in a sink and let the clothes sit until the water dries. If your clothes end up shrinking more than expected, you can block them on a towel to reshape them. Need to take in a cotton, wool or cashmere sweater? Chalfin suggests washing them by hand in warm water.Want to take in pants or jeans a bit? Toss them into a hot cycle in the washing machine then into a warm to hot dryer, according to Robin Chalfin, owner of Toolkit Tailoring Studio.Heat has no effect on the shrinkage of cotton it’s actually the tumbling action,” said another P&G fabric care scientist, Liz Eggert. Most people think the hotter the temperature (whether it be in the washer or dryer) can more easily shrink cotton, but this isn't true. This is true for a fabric such as cotton. Throw the clothes you want to shrink into the dryer! “The mechanical action will cause the fibers and yarns to come closer together.That being said, if you're daring and want to go DIY, just make sure to use caution and try the following methods to shrink your clothes: This will help maintain some of the tension in the fibres.“By washing garments to try to shrink them, you can cause severe damage to the surface of the garment including pilling and unwanted proportions, so it’s not recommended to shrink clothes at home,” said Yvonne Johnson, director of product development and implementation at Cotton Incorporated. Ideally, try to avoid tumble drying cotton items but if you do end up throwing them in the dryer try taking them out whilst they are still damp and let them air dry. Once you’re happy with the size, leave the item to air dry. You can try and keep the top in place with weights like jars or cans – just be careful as too much pulling and stretching can distort the shape you’re trying to salvage. If your cotton top is ‘too far gone’ then a slightly lengthier process is to soak the top in water and gently stretch the top out on a flat surface to the desired size. One simple tip you can try is actually ironing your cotton garments after they’ve dried – yes, we know, fewer and fewer people actual iron their items any more, however this can help stretch out the fibres of the fabric and allow the top to come back to life. Cotton is a natural, breathable fibre and so can shrink when it is heated as the tension that is applied to the fabric during construction is released by heat from the washing machine, tumble dryer and even sunlight (yep!) which causes the fabric to shrink to its natural size.
0 kommentar(er)
