How to Purposefully Shrink Clothes in the Wash With These Easy Steps

Maybe you found the perfect shirt, but it's a size too large. Or, you left a sweater hanging too long and it's now long enough to be a dress. If you have washable clothes that are a bit too big, you may be able to shrink them at home for a better fit.

Follow our easy steps for shrinking clothes made from cotton, wool, silk, polyester, and denim.

Before You Begin

• To shrink clothes, you need hot water, but it can cause fabric dyes to bleed. Test the colorfastness of the dyes by rubbing an inside seam with a cotton swab dipped in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. If you see color transfer to the swab, the dyes will bleed.

• Read the care label. If the label says the garment was preshrunk, you won't be able to make it any smaller.

• Think about what part of the garment you want to shrink. If it is only one area, like sleeves or the neckline, you'll need to target that area with heat, not the entire garment.

• Natural fibers are more likely to shrinkage than synthetic fibers like polyester, acrylic, and nylon that are heat set during the manufacturing process.

How to Shrink Cotton Clothes

You can shrink natural fibers like cotton, linen, bamboo, using the following steps.

1. Run a regular wash cycle using hot water. If you want to shrink a single item, you can also soak it in boiling water in a large pot on the stovetop and let it soak until the water cools.

2. Then, utilize the dryer. Toss the wet clothes in the dryer and dry on high heat for an hour.

3. Check to see how well the clothes shrunk. Try on the clothes and if you want them to shrink more, repeat the steps.

4. Be sure to wash in cold from then on. If you're happy with the fit, remember to wash the clothes in cold water to prevent additional shrinkage.

How to Shrink Wool Clothes

Wool and mohair are made from animal hair with a scale-like structure and are the easiest fabrics to shrink when the fibers are exposed to heat.

1. Start by washing in warm water. It's a good idea to start with warm water and see how the garment reacts before moving to hot water and high temperatures in the dryer—or you may be trying to unshrink a sweater.

2. Wash on a gentle cycle with hot water. Place the garment in a mesh laundry bag and add it to the washer with a gentle detergent.

3. Air-dry or put in the dryer. Dry the garment flat on a mesh drying rack, remove it from the bag, and tumble on low heat in the dryer for about 30 minutes.

4. Check-in on the garment every five minutes. Remove it from the heat if it has reached the size you desire.

How to Shrink Silk Clothes

Silk is a natural fiber that will shrink in hot water. Unfortunately, hot water can also cause silk to lose its natural sheen, so start with warm water.

• Fill a sink with warm water and add the silk. Let it soak for about five minutes. Lift the silk from the water but don't wring (you can break the fibers).

• Roll the item in a thick, white towel to absorb the excess moisture. Dry the garment flat or hang it to air dry.

• Repeat the process if necessary. If the garment didn't shrink as much as you hoped, try again.

How to Shrink Polyester Clothes

Synthetic fibers like polyester, Lycra, acetate, and nylon don't shrink as easily as natural fibers due to how they are manufactured.

Washing the garments in hot water and drying them in a hot dryer is your best bet to get them to shrink. Keep repeating the process until the items are as small as you desire.

To shrink a specific area, try ironing at a high temperature but be sure to protect the fabric with a pressing cloth to prevent burning.

How to Shrink Denim Clothes

True denim is woven from cotton and some fabric has lycra added in to provide a bit of stretch. Jeans made from 100 percent cotton will shrink the most easily, but you can shrink all types of denim clothing.

• Use a hot water wash and high heat in the dryer. This should shrink the fabric. Or, you can heat a pot of boiling water and submerge the jeans.

• Soak and then dry. Let the jeans soak until the water cools and then dry on high heat.

• Shrink just the waist using hot water and an iron. Dip the band in hot water or dampen it with a spray bottle. Lay the band flat on an ironing board and press the waistband with a hot iron.

Read Next: Clothes Shrunk in the Wash? Here's How to Unshrink Them

Read the original article on The Spruce.