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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

#121

Post by nezi »

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 hold my breath when I clean the lint trap, replace it and start the drier, then leave the laundry room and take a breath. I’m still probably inhaling some fibers but it makes me feel like I’m doing something.

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

#122

Post by cyberax »

dlcarrier wrote: post #109
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 have a moisture-sensing dryer from the 80's that lets me select between multiple dryness levels, and it is extremely repeatable, as opposed to my parent's modern moisture-sensing dryer that that adds a fixed amount of drying time after the sensor trips, in hopes that the clothes will be dry enough. Sometimes they are and sometimes they aren't.

Ha. I modified my Whirlpool dryer with an Arduino-based automation because its own internal sensor is not precise. I used this nice sensor: https://www.adafruit.com/product/4099

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

#123

Post by dragonwriter »

nezi wrote: post #121
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 hold my breath when I clean the lint trap, replace it and start the drier, then leave the laundry room and take a breath. I’m still probably inhaling some fibers but it makes me feel like I’m doing something.

Probably be easier to just where an N95 (or even a cloth mask, these aren't really small particles) when changing the lint trap, to the extent this is a concern.

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

#124

Post by Xenoamorphous »

abdullahkhalids wrote: post #104
Xenoamorphous wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's probably not the washes but due to wear.

If somebody wants to wear tight jeans, how can they do that, if the jeans that were tight in store expand afterwards? Surely you can't buy a size smaller because then you can't wear them to break them.

If the jeans have elastane (which most tight cuts have), it should help.

As an aside, skinny jeans haven’t been fashionable in years.

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

#125

Post by jjice »

epolanski wrote: post #85
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 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.

Why? Polyester (as one plastic based fiber) gets a lot of flack because low quality clothes tend to use it, but polyester can be a fantastic fabric if done right. Durable, fast drying, and can be completely recycled.

For example, Patagonia tends to have high quality polyesters and has since the 70s. My experience with their fleece is that I can abuse it and it'll come out unaffected on the other end. Pilling now and then that I take down with a pill remover.

Nylon is also a fantastic material, when used appropriately, like for the shell of a jacket.

And don't get me wrong, cotton, wool, and hemp are all fantastic as well. Most of my clothing is those fabrics and they do a damn fine job at what they're good at.

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

#126

Post by mattmoose21 »

malfist wrote: post #108
gwbas1c wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a heat pump dryer, and I can confirm no shrinkage. It's very gentle on clothes, but it does take a bit longer to dry.

Do you like it? I've toyed with the idea of getting one for energy efficiency, but my current washer and dryer (electric) are still chugging along and it feels wasteful

We have had our LG for a few years now and it uses a third of the electricity of our craigslist Kenmore. With the rebates at the time it has paid for itself already.

The big difference in day to day use for us actually comes by way of the lint trap. Not only do you have to clean the lint trap every time (as normal) you also have to clean the heat exchanger every few loads. This process is a pain in the butt, you have to lie on the ground and gently brush away wet lint off the fins while avoiding bending them. The more lint that is left on the fins the less efficient the dryer is and the longer it takes to dry a load.

This will ultimately end up causing an issue long term (know idea how long) as more and more lint makes its way past the accessible portions of the exchanger and the dryer will take longer and longer. You can in theory take these apart and power wash them but it is not user friendly in the least and probably not worth the effort of a technician.

All together we like the dryer though.

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

#127

Post by sva_ »

epolanski wrote: post #85
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 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.

Pro tip: if your clothes say 100% merino wool or whatever, this is only about the fiber, and they may still be covered in plastic from the "superwash" process (for example, almost all merino wool is)

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

#128

Post by mattmoose21 »

ortusdux wrote: post #102
dgacmu wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have pointers to good sources you've found about that? I've been wondering about exactly this from an optimization-of-the-laundry perspective. (I've been tempted to just yolo buy one to try it out but installing it in my house is a pain in the rear because of the location.)

As I understand it, many people prefer the heat pump dryers because they are easier to install. Most are 110v and don't exhaust moisture, so you can just shove one in a closet if it has sufficient electricity. You do need to remove the water reservoir and pour it down a drain after every few loads of laundry.

Many have an optional hose to pump to a drain if available.

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

#129

Post by soulofmischief »

jjice wrote: post #125
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.

Why? Polyester (as one plastic based fiber) gets a lot of flack because low quality clothes tend to use it, but polyester can be a fantastic fabric if done right. Durable, fast drying, and can be completely recycled. For example, Patagonia tends to have high quality polyesters and has since the 70s. My experience with their fleece is that I can abuse it and it'll come out unaffected on the other end. Pilling now and…

One problem with polyester is the amount of microplastics which enter the water supply when washing them. It's an unacceptable amount.

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

#130

Post by thrawa8387336 »

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 had the exhaust vent disconnect. Still think of the amount of microplastics I must have inhaled then
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