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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

#281

Post by getlawgdon »

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.

So I'm not the only one.

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

#282

Post by mmooss »

dekhn wrote: post #148
cyberax wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is anyone else freaked out about cleaning their dryer's lint filter given all the new fabric materials? I used to be. So I spent quite a lot of time researching the issue. Not just google searches, but actually speaking with biologists. I think that the current microplastic scare is overblown. The "credit card worth of plastic in brain" articles are just ridiculous. Biologically, the body has defenses against micro…

Nearly every environment-adjacent field has concern nannies who make unrealistic risk assessments which then get regurgitated into guilt-inspiring newspaper articles. This is especially common when there is no way to determine for certain what the actual risk is; some folks fall on the "allow zero risk" side.

And every social or political issue has denialists who, lacking any real argument, dismiss the issue with ridicule - the last refuge of the ignorant.

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

#283

Post by mmooss »

cryzinger wrote: post #74
michaelbuckbee wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 tha…

> 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

Just hang it without wrinkles and it will be perfect when it's dry. When air drying, I don't hang shirts by their shoulders or pants by the belt end, I fold them over the hanger (or drying rack bar) at their midpoints. Adjust a little to get out most wrinkles, and they are beautiful and unwrinkled when dry.

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

#284

Post by [deleted] »

crazygringo wrote: post #135
latexr wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

A "parenthetical dash" (the semantic meaning) can be typeset either as an em dash (a typographic meaning) without spaces, or as an en dash (a typographic meaning) surrounded by spaces. And the latter is often referred to as an em dash (as a semantic meaning), since basically everyone uses that to mean "parenthetical dash" which is the correct term but a term that virtually nobody uses.

[deleted]

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

#285

Post by mmooss »

webstrand wrote: post #141
latexr wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Link is behind a login wall.

Wild, apparently my institution pays for that, sorry for the dead link. https://cmosshoptalk.com/2020/06/09/en-dashes-the-editors-ma... > quotes the relevant section here. I can't find another source for the CMOS.

The Internet Archive has at least old versions of CMOS.

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

#286

Post by mmooss »

rjmunro wrote: post #265

I want someone to engineer a fabric / fibre that grows with each wash rather than shrinks. I feel like with modern materials science it must be possible. I'd use it for children's clothes. After you wash the clothes, you wait for the kid to grow a bit before they wear it again. No more growing out of your favourite things.

Where would the extra mass come from? Water? CO2 in the air?

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

#287

Post by rjmunro »

mmooss wrote: post #286
rjmunro wrote: post #265

I want someone to engineer a fabric / fibre that grows with each wash rather than shrinks. I feel like with modern materials science it must be possible. I'd use it for children's clothes. After you wash the clothes, you wait for the kid to grow a bit before they wear it again. No more growing out of your favourite things.

Where would the extra mass come from? Water? CO2 in the air?

It doesn't need extra mass, it needs to stretch out a bit.
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