It can be very annoying to find out that a favorite item of yours is no more your size after pulling out of the washer. Shrinking is absolutely frustrating to witness, but there are a handful of things you can do to prevent it in the future. First of all, you should know what causes shrinking.
Why do clothes shrink?
Shrinking can still happen even if you follow all the laundry guidelines. It majorly depends on the fibers, weave and the production technique. All these will determine how well the cloth will be able to handle washing and wearing. Materials like linen, wool and cotton are naturally susceptible to shrinkage. This is because they're held by chemical bonds which can break when subjected to intense tumbling and heat. However, you can still take measures to reduce the occurrence of this.
How to prevent shrinking
- It is preferable that you use cold water when washing your clothes. Not only will this help your clothes' colors, it will also reduce the probability of shrinkage since the heat generated won't be as much as if you used warm or hot water.
- You need to read the care labels of your clothes before putting them in the washer. Even though this might seem tedious or boring, they were put there for a reason. Read them to save you from regrets in the long run. If you're a person that doesn't have the time or patience to do this often, you could contact professional dry cleaners to complete this task on your behalf; dry cleaners Croydon will take out time to read every care label so as to protect the quality of your clothes.
- If you notice that your washing machine doesn't come with comprehensive settings to control the temperature, you might just decide to hand wash a select few of your clothes – especially the ones you feel have the highest tendency to shrink. With hand washing, you'll have more care and control of the situation.
- Another way to ensure that your clothes don't shrink is by air drying them. This is because hanging out your clothes to dry will reduce the level of heat that comes in contact with them. This is particularly useful for synthetic and delicate clothes in general. If you're interested in air drying your clothes at home, you can get a drying rack to try out this method.
- If you are not able to use the air-dry option, you can opt for the tumble dry low heat feature that comes with your dryer. Instead of making use of heat, this feature uses the motion of the dryer to dry the clothes. This will definitely reduce the chances of your clothes shrinking.
- The last option you should consider is to replace your washer. This might seem very extreme, but if you own an old washing machine, chances are that the machine doesn't have the capability to handle the modern fabrics. This might be a reason for shrinkage.
