How to restore a shrunken shirt

Everyone should have a shirt in their wardrobe. A shirt is a versatile piece of clothing. No matter how she wears it, she can show her own unique style, and both men and women can wear shirts. What's more, it would look better if a woman wore a men's shirt. The shirt has a disadvantage, that is, it is very easy to shrink. So how should the shirt be restored after shrinking?

Reasons why clothes shrink

The main reason why clothes shrink is due to the structure and properties of the fabric fibers. The better the hygroscopicity of the fabric fiber, the greater the shrinkage; the tighter the fabric structure, the higher the shrinkage rate. For example, wool fabrics are more likely to shrink and are difficult to restore after shrinking. This is because the forward and reverse friction coefficients are different when the scales of the wool fibers move relative to each other.

In addition, the way the fabric is formed during production will also have a certain influence. For example, during the processes of spinning, weaving, printing and dyeing, the fibers and yarns of the fabric are subjected to a series of mechanical stretching and compression, resulting in deformation. Once washed in water, the fibers and yarns are exposed to the effects of moisture and heat, and the deformed parts will recover rapidly, thus shrinking.

The shrinkage of cotton and rayon is related to the hydrophilicity of the plant fibers themselves. The molecules of these fibers are arranged loosely, and the gaps between molecules are relatively large, so water molecules can easily penetrate into them. When washed with water, the fabric expands, the fibers become thicker, but their length shortens.

The clothes we wear daily are mainly made of common fabrics such as cotton, wool, polyester, viscose, linen, nylon, etc. These fabrics have a certain shrinkage rate. From a broad category, synthetic fibers have the smallest shrinkage rate, followed by cotton and linen fabrics. Silk fabrics shrink the most, while viscose, artificial cotton, and artificial wool fabrics have the largest shrinkage rate.

How to restore clothes that have shrunk

How to restore clothes that have shrunk

Use baby shampoo bubbles

Baby shampoo can relax the fibers in shrunken clothing, making them easier to stretch and thus returning the shrunken clothing to its original shape. Generally speaking, except for satin fabrics, other materials can be used.

Fill a basin with warm water, add some baby shampoo, stir well, soak the shrunken clothes in the water for about 5 minutes, take out the clothes, squeeze out the water, and then lay them flat on a dry towel;

Next, take a towel that is long enough, wrap the clothes in the towel and roll them up. After a few minutes, open the towel, take out the clothes, stretch them to the appropriate size, and then dry them normally. Be sure to measure accurately when stretching clothes, and do not over-stretch them to cause deformation.

Use vinegar or borax

This method can be used for wool and cashmere clothing. Add 500 ml of white vinegar per liter of water, mix well, and soak the woolen clothes in the water for at least 25 minutes. If the clothes shrink severely, you can stretch them a few times while soaking.

Then take out the soaked clothes and wring out the water. Similarly, spread the clothes flat on the towel, roll them into a ball, and wring them out. Let the towel wrap the clothes for about 10 minutes, take out the clothes, and lay them flat to dry. If it is borax, the ratio of water to borax is 2:1.