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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

#71

Post by stronglikedan »

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 have a similar one, but all it says is wash anything and everything except sheets and towels on cold/permapress/delicate with half the recommended amount of detergent, and use your head when deciding what to put in the dryer on a setting that leaves just a little moisture. Sheets and towels get the hot water treatment with a full drying cycle.

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

#73

Post by jorvi »

cameronh90 wrote: post #35
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.

They are too conservative but it really depends. Lots of formal pants are a mix of wool, rayon and cotton. They'll indicate to only steam clean, and whilst they can be washed on 30c + delicate, you have to make sure to wash inside out and to dry them hanging from the legs. Mostly due to the rayon, although the wool is also a sensitive fabric.

In general it's just smart to wash and (air)dry things inside out. Keep the wear and tear on the inside.

And if you have decent suit jackets, pants or dress shirts, please just steam or hand clean them.

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

#74

Post by cryzinger »

michaelbuckbee wrote: post #38
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.

If you have 100% cotton garments you want to get more longevity out of, washing on cold water + letting them air dry is the way to go (although sticking stuff in the dryer for ~5 minutes on the lowest possible setting before putting it on a hanger is fine to help fluff out any wrinkles). This also goes for anything "nice" that you want to keep in the best possible shape, even if it's not 100% cotton--don't forget that dryer lint is partly the result of your clothes' fabric sloughing off, which is why some shirts get paper-thin if you own them long enough!

I wear a lot of 100% cotton (including 100% linen) shirts that still look and fit almost like new, since I'm a stickler about laundering them this way. Towels, on the other hand, get maximum heat for both washing and drying, and you can really see the difference. I use a lot of 100% cotton washcloths from those Target multipacks, and recently bought a set identical to one I'd bought a year or two prior; the new one was larger, a little softer, and a much brighter color. The old one had shrunk to a pale, slightly scratchy ghost of its former self!

On exactly one occasion, I accidentally threw a 100% cotton shirt in the towel hamper and didn't catch it before starting the load. It's not a shirt so much as a crop top now :)

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

#75

Post by taeric »

moehm wrote: post #57
taeric wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

> Note that I fully understand it for the anecdotal weight that it has. At this point I thought you were going for an ahem heavy-handed joke.

I can only wish I was that comically gifted. :D

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

#76

Post by bluGill »

HWR_14 wrote: post #14
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.

It's not just moisture sensing. Modern dryers also use patterns to prevent shrinking in terms of reducing the heat and then bringing it back as opposed to a constant temperature until dry.

Unless the load is very small this doesn't really do much - water evaporates and uses however much heat the dryer can put out. It is only near the end of the cycle where this can make a difference in most cases.

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

#77

Post by moduspol »

testplzignore wrote: post #7
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.

There have been changes in the manufacturing process to "pre-shrink" fabrics. Similar improvements have been made to improve colorfastness. Mixing new reds and whites used to consistently produce pink. Not anymore.

This makes sense in the modern age where retailers accept returns for any/no reason and manufacturers tend to bend over backwards to get you to avoid returning anything.

Same reason why any furniture you order online seems to always have all the tools necessary to assemble it. They never require power tools and always include screwdriver(s) and/or Allen wrenches. They need to design away every possible reason someone might just return it.

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

#78

Post by chpatrick »

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.

Modern heat pump dryers also work at a lower temperature because they cool the air to evaporate the moisture so they don't need to be as hot to start with.

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

#79

Post by ortusdux »

There was a great custom order screen printing website blog where they documented their shrinkage testing. They made a pressure sensitive shirt form and then ran 30+ brands of shirts through a battery of tests, measuring fit after each washing.

I've heard reports that the newer heat pump clothes dryers are less prone to cause shrinking. In their default mode they act more like a dehumidifier than a heater. In theory you can wash more delicate dry-clean only garments as well.

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

#80

Post by latexr »

webstrand wrote: post #60
latexr wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not an em-dash, but an en-dash. So it’s incorrectly used.

Its correctly used, just not common in American English. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/book/ed18/part2/ch06/ps... >

Link is behind a login wall.
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