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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

#91

Post by DANmode »

owlninja wrote: post #86
troyvit wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have any clothes as old as yours though for sure, but line drying generally helps your clothes last longer. I'm so glad I live in Colorado. It's a warm winter, but it takes like 3 hours to dry stuff on the line (especially synthetics). Of course that means all my synthetic fibers are literally billowing into the air I guess. Still, we've been going without a dryer for about five years now and I've had no regr…

My strategy forever is to wash all my shirts, put them in the dryer on low for 5 minutes, then hang them all up in a doorway overnight. My clothes last much longer this way and never get wrinkled.

As long as that doorway isn’t made of wood,

or have any cracks for air to enter the door or doorjam,

that 90% relative humidity should be no problem!

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

#92

Post by DANmode »

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.

Check your (wet) pockets and waistbands more often.

Those sensors, across brands, are absolute garbage.

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

#93

Post by DANmode »

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.

That’s not who they were replying to.

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

#94

Post by DANmode »

taeric wrote: post #11
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 :(.

Even cheap band t-shirts don't shrink in our dryer. I have sweaters that I am confident would have shrunk in the past, but do just fine here. On that last, I almost forgot I had direct evidence. We visited a place that shrank some of our clothes that we had washed many times back home.

Warm vs cold water usage,

dryer settings,

local environment in the laundry room.

Probably in that order.

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

#95

Post by bakies »

saghm wrote: post #89

Growing up I was always told that cotton would shrink in the dryer but polyester wouldn't, and I should just check the tag on a shirt to find out if it would shrink (which usually would say something like 100% cotton, 100% polyester, 50% cotton/50% polyester, etc.). Seeing the title on this article made me think that it would be a refutation of that conventional wisdom, but it sounds like what I was taught growing up…

You need to be constantly updating your knowledge in this area. Laundry detergents and garment materials have evolved a lot in the last few decades. A lot of conventional wisdom is outdated.

You don't need to wash Hot. Detergents work in cold water now.

Cotton is often pre-shrunk but YMMV.

Personally I do not use any of these chemical additives for clothes. The best wash is unscented detergent with vinegar in the pre-wash (where liquid fabric softner goes). Vinegar does the job of deodorizing, getting rid of static, and fabric softening. You don't need a dryer sheet. I'll use spray and wash still for stains. Dish detergent for oil stains.

I stopped wearing plastic so I'm not sure what modern polyester shirts are like.

Washing cold and drying low means you'll rarely shrink something. My favorite shirts I'll hang dry.

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

#96

Post by vyaa »

jazzyjackson wrote: post #58
ynac wrote: post #51

I'm down to just a few sweat shirts and over shirts from the 80s, but they are hanging in there. Both the colors and the fabric. When the subject comes up with friends who ask about a particular shirt I joke, "The cotton was tougher back then". Recently, I've had jeans, shirts, and even socks that didn't make it through a single summer. Is anyone else freaked out about cleaning their dryer's lint filter given all the…

There's still good fabrics out there you just have to pay for them. I've mostly replaced my wardrobe now with natural undyed cottons and wools from the likes of "unbleached apparel" and "industry of all nations". There is cotton grown in new mexico, socks spun in north carolina. "Filson" makes a few things in Seattle. Don't skip the stuff made in Peru or India neither.

Do you have any brand recommendations?

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

#97

Post by bakies »

vyaa wrote: post #96
jazzyjackson wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's still good fabrics out there you just have to pay for them. I've mostly replaced my wardrobe now with natural undyed cottons and wools from the likes of "unbleached apparel" and "industry of all nations". There is cotton grown in new mexico, socks spun in north carolina. "Filson" makes a few things in Seattle. Don't skip the stuff made in Peru or India neither.

Do you have any brand recommendations?

they gave two :)

my own recommendation is spend some money, and look at tags. I shop at JCrew and higher end fashion companies, but still check material and care labels.

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

#98

Post by bakies »

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

do you dry on high or wash on hot? I'd recommend low and cold.

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

#99

Post by dghlsakjg »

adrianN wrote: post #88
epolanski wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have recently started refusing to buy all of this plastic filled clothes. If I see any % of it I don't buy it. Period. I spend much more upfront for clothes, but I gain a lot long term. Clothes don't look terrible after few washings and they tend to last forever.

I once bought 100% hemp pants because I heard that material is tougher than cotton, but my bicycle seat killed the pants in just a few weeks. Modern jeans last a few months to a year. I have yet to find pants that endure a bicycle commute.

Look for pants with a "gusseted crotch". There are also bicycle specific commuting pants that have this feature.

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

#100

Post by jarjoura »

troyvit wrote: post #56
ynac wrote: post #51

I'm down to just a few sweat shirts and over shirts from the 80s, but they are hanging in there. Both the colors and the fabric. When the subject comes up with friends who ask about a particular shirt I joke, "The cotton was tougher back then". Recently, I've had jeans, shirts, and even socks that didn't make it through a single summer. Is anyone else freaked out about cleaning their dryer's lint filter given all the…

I don't have any clothes as old as yours though for sure, but line drying generally helps your clothes last longer. I'm so glad I live in Colorado. It's a warm winter, but it takes like 3 hours to dry stuff on the line (especially synthetics). Of course that means all my synthetic fibers are literally billowing into the air I guess. Still, we've been going without a dryer for about five years now and I've had no regr…

I had a european friend introduce me to indoor drying racks, and since, anything I plan to keep long term, I hang dry as well. I've found my clothes last longer and look nicer. Only thing I've found doesn't work well are towels.
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