Mishap in the Laundry Room: Discover How to Expand Shrunken Clothes
Nisa Salim, Director of the Swinburne-CSIRO National Testlab for Composite Additive Manufacturing at Swinburne University of Technology, recently penned an article for The Conversation about preventing and unshrinking clothes.
It's a common problem - clothes that shrink in the wash. But why does this happen?
Fibers in clothes, such as cellulose-based fabrics like cotton or linen, swell when exposed to water. This swelling makes the fibers more flexible and mobile, leading to a phenomenon called "fiber memory." This memory causes the fibers to revert to their original coiled or convoluted shapes, resulting in shrinkage.
Wool, on the other hand, behaves differently during washing. Its cuticles open up and interlock with neighboring fibers, causing fiber entanglement or 'felting', leading to shrinkage.
But fear not, there's a simple solution to this problem. Using conditioner can help reverse the shrinking process, at least partially. Conditioner contains cationic surfactants, chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension between a liquid and some other substance. In the case of clothes, they provide extra lubrication and reduced friction, helping to unshrink the garments.
Here's a step-by-step guide to unshrinking your clothes using hair conditioner or baby shampoo:
- Mix lukewarm water with about one tablespoon of hair conditioner or baby shampoo per liter in a tub, sink, or bucket.
- Submerge the shrunken clothing and let it soak for 20–30 minutes.
- Carefully lift the garment out (do not wring) and place it on a clean towel.
- Slowly and gently stretch the tight areas of the garment (waistbands, sleeves, shoulders) back to their original dimensions. Avoid excessive force.
- Let the garment dry flat on a towel or lay it under gentle tension, for example pegged on a drying rack, to keep the stretched shape.
This method works best on lightweight fabrics such as polyester blends, spandex-containing activewear, cotton, and some wool garments, though it cannot fully reverse extreme shrinkage or felting in wool. Avoid heat or dryers during drying as this can cause further shrinkage.
Reading instructions more carefully may help prevent shrinkage in the future. So, take a moment to read those care labels next time you do laundry, and your clothes will thank you for it!
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