If things have sat down after washing: what to do and how to reanimate the product?

Shrunken after washing blouse or a reduced dress is an unpleasant surprise for any person.

You should not immediately send a thing for storage or throw it away. There are several ways to reanimate a cramped product.

Read about what to do if things have sat down after washing, what tools will help restore their size and how to prevent similar problems in the future, read the article.

Shrinkage reasons

There are several reasons why a garment shrinks after washing. These include:

1. Violation of the manufacturer's recommendations for washing and caring for the product.
2. Incorrect spin speed.
3. Water temperature is too high for washing.
4. Features of the fabric. It is known that 3-5% after the first wash shrinks cotton... Corduroy and plaid are most susceptible to this process, poplin has slightly lower indicators, satin, calico and cambric. The risk group includes woolen things.

2 factors most often negatively affect the condition of products: mechanical stress and high temperatures.

How can the clothes be returned to their original size?

If the trouble still occurs, you need to take measures aimed at restoring the original size of the thing.

Soak

To restore the size of the item, you can soak it in cool water. Features of the procedure:

1. Collect water in a large container. It should fit the size of the item. If there is no suitable basin, you can use the bathroom.
2. The shrunken things are soaked for 15 minutes.
3. After the specified time, the products are removed from the container, do not twist or wring out.
4. The item is laid out on a flat surface with a terry towel underneath it so that it absorbs moisture.
5. Having leveled the product, you need to stretch it with your hands in the direction opposite to the shrinkage. After giving the desired shape and size, the fabric is left to dry.
6. From time to time you need to go up and stretch the item by hand so that the fibers do not shrink during the drying process.

Alternatively, after soaking in water, the product can be put on and walked around until it dries.This will stretch it wide.

The effectiveness of the method is not too high... In this way, minor shrinkage can be dealt with. In all other cases, available means come to the rescue.

Hydrogen peroxide

If the fabric shrinks one size or more, you can use hydrogen peroxide. This substance makes the threads more pliable and softer, making the product easier to stretch.

Guide to action:

• collect 10 liters of cool water in a basin;
• add 2-4 tablespoons of pharmacy hydrogen peroxide to it;
• leave to act for 30-60 minutes;
• remove the thing from the water and send it to dry on a flat surface;
• during the drying process, the fabric is stretched by hands in the desired direction.

How to restore a product with turpentine?

Turpentine will help make the thing more pliable. Mode of application:

1. Pour 10 liters of water into a basin.
2. Add 50 ml of turpentine.
3. Soak the thing for an hour.
4. Rinse in cool water and send to dry.
5. You can hang the product on a hanger. It will stretch in length under its own weight.

If the thing has sat down in width, then it is stretched by hands. Turpentine will help to cope with shrinkage if it does not exceed 1 size. To enhance the effect, 100 ml of ammonia and 50 ml of vodka can be added to the specified amount of water.

You need to be prepared for the fact that after such processing a characteristic smell will come from the product... Over time, it will fade on its own. You can speed up this process by hanging the item in fresh air.

Vinegar

Vinegar tends to weaken the bonds between fibers, so it can be used to stretch things. To prevent acid damage to the fabric, it must be diluted with water.

Mode of application:

1. 10 liters of water are collected in the basin and 3-5 tablespoons of vinegar with a concentration of 9% are added to it. It is not recommended to use the essence, as it is difficult to dose, which increases the risk of damage to the product.
2. The thing is placed in a prepared solution and left for 30 minutes.
3. Slightly wring out the clothes and send them to dry.
4. During the drying process, the item is regularly stretched, giving it the desired shape.

In this way, you can cope with shrinkage, which does not exceed 0.5-1 size.

Conditioner or hair rinse

Hair care products make the fibers of the fabric softer and more pliable, so they can be used to shape things.

Procedure:

• soak a thing in cool water and spread it in the bathroom;
• apply hair conditioner on top and distribute it evenly over the surface;
• leave for 10 minutes;
• rinse the product and send it to dry;
• if the thing has sat down in length, then it is hung on a hanger;
• when shrinkage has occurred in width, the product is laid out on a flat surface and stretched by hand.

With the help of an air conditioner, you can increase the item by 1-1.5 sizes.

How to stretch with steam?

The temperature contrast will help to cope with shrinkage and stretch the garment slightly. In this way, it can be increased by 0.5-1 size. Procedure:

1. Soak the item in cold water.
2. Slightly wring it out and lay it out on the ironing board if using a steam iron. When used for stretching steam generator, clothes are hung on a special stand.
3. Run hot steam over the garment while manually stretching the garment.
4. The procedure is continued until the fabric is dry.

Do not expose fabrics that should not be ironed, such as natural wool, to steam.

Stretching of various shrunken tissues

Before choosing a way to stretch things, you need to decide what fabric they are sewn from. All materials react differently to high temperatures and chemicals. Key recommendations:

1. Wool. This delicate fiber does not tolerate rough handling. It is easy to overdo it during stretching, so you need to handle woolen products with care.

   Handle shrunken dress or pullover You can use water, fabric softener, turpentine or a weak vinegar solution. You need to stretch the wool in small areas, systematically working through the entire surface.

2. Combined knitwear based on natural and synthetic fibers... All methods are suitable for stretching, except for steam treatment. Particular attention should be paid to mechanical stress on the fabric. To enhance the effect, you can use the washing machine by turning on the drying function. After its completion, the item is laid out on a flat surface and stretched by hand.
3. Jeans. This coarse material is difficult to stretch and the shrinkage can be significant. To cope with the problem, it is better to resort to using a steam generator. The product is pre-soaked with a hair rinse.
4. Synthetics. The material does not tolerate contact with corrosive chemicals and high temperatures. Therefore, it is stretched, pre-soaked in cool water or in vinegar solution.
5. Cotton and linen... Fabrics are prone to shrinkage, which is often caused by washing in hot water. To stretch a thing, it can be soaked in any of the listed solutions, and then subjected to mechanical stress. It is recommended to stretch the product by hand, as the high speed of rotation in the washing machine can aggravate the problem.

The enclosed letter "A" means that dry cleaning with all known solvents is permitted under normal conditions.

Contacting dry cleaning

If an expensive item has sat down and there are fears that an independent attempt to stretch it may lead to damage, it is better to seek help from professionals.

Many dry cleaners provide a service to increase shrunken clothes in size... To do this, they have special steam mannequins and safe chemicals available.

The cost of the work depends on its complexity. For example, you can help stretch a shrunken woolen sweater for 350-500 rubles, and a silk dress for 500-700 rubles. The price must be checked in a specific institution.

Before handing over a thing for processing, you need to ask how much the thing will be able to stretch and whether there is a guarantee that it will not be completely spoiled. It is imperative to require a document confirming the transfer of the product to third parties.

Prevention

To prevent things from shrinking in the future, you need to follow simple recommendations:

1. Pay attention to the information on the product label.
2. Wash things at a temperature not exceeding 30 degrees.
3. Buy cotton items 1.5 sizes larger, as they shrink the most.
4. Do not expose things to sunlight.
5. Use suitable detergents for washing, follow the recommendations for spin speed.

Conclusion

Clothing shrinkage is a problem that everyone can face. To cope with it on your own, you can resort to using chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide or turpentine.

For delicate fabrics, use a hair rinse. It copes well with stretching the tissues of couples, but it is not applicable to all types of materials.