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Why some clothes shrink in the wash and how to unshrink them

swinburne.edu.au

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Re: Why some clothes shrink in the wash and how to unshrink them

#31

Post by cogman10 »

taeric wrote: post #25
drdec wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you may not have fully appreciated the comment you replied to

I was just offering the amusing anecdote that I have a 30 year old shirt that doesn't shrink. I used to treat it with kids gloves to keep it from doing so. Note that I fully understand it for the anecdotal weight that it has. That is, basically none. Is fun for conversation, but isn't intended to prove anything.

Earlier commenter was talking about getting fatter as they age. Not actual cloths shrinkage.

Re: Why some clothes shrink in the wash and how to unshrink them

#32

Post by gs17 »

taeric wrote: post #6

It has been ages since I had clothes shrink on me. To the point that I had assumed something must have gotten better in modern dryers. Is that not the case? Edit: Quickly searching, this appears to be the case? Specifically modern moisture sensing dryers that stop appropriately goes a long way to never having something shrink on you.

I had the same experience until this year, when a shirt I got in the airport on the way home from Philly suddenly became a present for my girlfriend.

Re: Why some clothes shrink in the wash and how to unshrink them

#33

Post by rurp »

taeric wrote: post #6

It has been ages since I had clothes shrink on me. To the point that I had assumed something must have gotten better in modern dryers. Is that not the case? Edit: Quickly searching, this appears to be the case? Specifically modern moisture sensing dryers that stop appropriately goes a long way to never having something shrink on you.

I've had the opposite problem where I hadn't had shrinking issues in years until I got a new LG dryer with one of those auto sensing modes that it defaults to. The "smart" feature is terrible. I had a number of shirts shrink on me because it sometimes goes absurdly overboard with the drying.

Once we figured out the problem and stopped using all of the smart features it started working fine. Unfortunately the interface really wants you to use the fancy modes and requires an annoying amount of steps to manually set a drying run. Easily the worst dryer UX I've ever had. I doubt I'll buy another LG appliance, although there are probably plenty of other offenders these days.

Re: Why some clothes shrink in the wash and how to unshrink them

#34

Post by taeric »

rurp wrote: post #33
taeric wrote: post #6

It has been ages since I had clothes shrink on me. To the point that I had assumed something must have gotten better in modern dryers. Is that not the case? Edit: Quickly searching, this appears to be the case? Specifically modern moisture sensing dryers that stop appropriately goes a long way to never having something shrink on you.

I've had the opposite problem where I hadn't had shrinking issues in years until I got a new LG dryer with one of those auto sensing modes that it defaults to. The "smart" feature is terrible . I had a number of shirts shrink on me because it sometimes goes absurdly overboard with the drying. Once we figured out the problem and stopped using all of the smart features it started working fine. Unfortunately the interfa…

I think ours is an LG. Could be something faulty with the sensor in yours, if it is still newish, worth a support call to them to see if they can fix it.

Re: Why some clothes shrink in the wash and how to unshrink them

#35

Post by cameronh90 »

comrade1234 wrote: post #5

I have the following printout in the laundry room. I haven't had any problems with shrinking or fading, etc. https://www.ihateironing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07...

I find clothes labels are way too conservative. Half of my stuff says don't dry, hand wash only, or cold wash on delicate.

Unless it's a particularly expensive or dry clean only, I just wash at 40 degrees "daily" programme, except for underwear, towels and bedding which go in at 60.

Most stuff is fine. On the rare occasion something gets ruined, I don't get that brand again.

Re: Why some clothes shrink in the wash and how to unshrink them

#36

Post by throwway120385 »

abdullahkhalids wrote: post #27

I had the opposite problem recently. Where Levi's jeans expanded and loosened up after a couple of washes. What's the reason for that?

Denim and duck cotton tend to "break in" after a few wearings. This happens with a lot of cotton work clothes and also with a good pair of technical or work boots. They tend to mold themselves to your body shape. It doesn't happen at all with nylon work pants like the ones Carhartt makes.

Re: Why some clothes shrink in the wash and how to unshrink them

#37

Post by taeric »

cogman10 wrote: post #31
taeric wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was just offering the amusing anecdote that I have a 30 year old shirt that doesn't shrink. I used to treat it with kids gloves to keep it from doing so. Note that I fully understand it for the anecdotal weight that it has. That is, basically none. Is fun for conversation, but isn't intended to prove anything.

Earlier commenter was talking about getting fatter as they age. Not actual cloths shrinkage.

Ha! Ok, yeah, I definitely missed that aspect of the joke. :D

Re: Why some clothes shrink in the wash and how to unshrink them

#38

Post by michaelbuckbee »

taeric wrote: post #6

It has been ages since I had clothes shrink on me. To the point that I had assumed something must have gotten better in modern dryers. Is that not the case? Edit: Quickly searching, this appears to be the case? Specifically modern moisture sensing dryers that stop appropriately goes a long way to never having something shrink on you.

I still find it to be the case that most 100% cotton shirts shrink over time (even pre-shrunk) and have switched to blends just to get some more longevity out of them.

Re: Why some clothes shrink in the wash and how to unshrink them

#39

Post by hobo_in_library »

philipallstar wrote: post #9
goda90 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a lot of things use pre-shrunk fabric these days. I've got t-shirts that haven't shrunk, and t-shirts that have. Unfortunately a lot of band shirts bought at concerts fall into the latter :(.

I tend to find that older (10+ years) t-shirts shrink a lot. Even if I don't wash them.

It's weird, I never had that problem yet suddenly my old clothes started shrinking a couple years ago too.

Might have been our new hangers.

Re: Why some clothes shrink in the wash and how to unshrink them

#40

Post by xenospn »

CurleighBraces wrote: post #10

Me and the wife have so many discussions about this :) We have a lot of "shrinkage" in our house, that I am convinced is more due to both of us uhh "growing" rather than the clothes shrinking ;) You can imagine, it's a delicate subject

I think it's definitely possible to gain weight between wash cycles when living in America.
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