How to Stretch Shrinked Clothes

Your favorite t-shirt or jeans may shrink in size when put in the dryer. This is a problem many other people have, and technically you can’t stretch clothes. Fortunately, you can stretch the fabric to return the garment to its original shape. With most fabrics, this can be done easily with water and baby shampoo. Solder and vinegar also help stretch wool or cashmere. You can “save” your jeans by soaking them in warm water. After washing and drying, your clothes will fit just like before.

Table of Contents

Soak knits in baby shampoo

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Fill the sink with warm water. If you don’t have a sink, you can use a bucket or even a bathtub. You need at least 1 liter of warm water to submerge the clothes. Make sure the water is room temperature or slightly warmer for the fabric to stretch effectively. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Cold water does not help you stretch your clothes. On the other hand, you should also avoid using hot water or clothes will shrink and damage.
Note, when applying this method, knitted materials including cotton, wool and cashmere often achieve better results than other materials. Tightly woven fabrics such as silk, rayon or ppyester are more difficult to restore to their former shape.

Stir 1 tablespoon (15ml) of baby shampoo or conditioner into the water. You can use any mild conditioner, but baby shampoo is still the gentlest for fabrics. Add about 1 tablespoon (15ml) of shampoo to every 1 quart of water you use. It is still safe to stir in a little more shampoo and even beneficial when the clothes shrink a lot. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Gentle shampoos and conditioners stretch the fibers in clothes without causing damage. It is important that you choose gentle products. If you don’t want to use certain hair products, don’t risk using them to treat your favorite outfit.

Soak the garment in water for about 30 minutes. If you use conditioner, the water will not foam. Place shrinkage clothing in water with shampoo or conditioner stirred. Make sure the garment is submerged in the water before starting the soaking process. The water must be warm at this point for the shampoo or conditioner to work; so just discard this water and get new water if needed. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

If you want, you can start to gently stretch the garment in the water while soaking. However, the fabric will stretch more easily after soaking for a while, so you don’t need to do this right away.

Dry the clothes. You’ll roll up your clothes but don’t need to rinse out the shampoo yet. Instead, use force to squeeze out all the water in your clothes. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

You still need to continue to stretch the fabric with soapy water until the garment is fully stretched. Only rinse off the shampoo when you’re done restoring your outfit’s shape.

Roll the clothes in a large towel. Spread a clean, dry towel on a flat surface and place the garment on it. Make sure the clothes are properly placed in the towel. Next, you will slowly roll up one corner of the towel. The pressure will reduce the amount of water left in the clothes. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

The clothes are still wet but no longer runny when you finish this operation.
You can keep the clothes in the towel for about 10 minutes. Don’t leave it on for too long as it will cool down and make it difficult for you to stretch!

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Stretch the garment by hand to restore it to its original shape. Unfold the towel and transfer the garment to a second dry towel that is spread out on a flat surface. Pull the edges of wet clothes with your hands. Be gentle to avoid damaging the fabric. The clothes won’t be exactly the same as they were before the shrinkage, but do your best to restore it to its original shape. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

To accurately estimate the size and shape of the garment to be treated, cut a pattern. You will find similar sized outfits and use them to cut patterns on stencils. The next step is to place the garment on the model while stretching with your arms.
If you have trouble stretching your clothes, use the steam setting on the iron. Steam will soften stiff fabrics.

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Secure clothing with books and other heavy objects. Clothes are still placed on towels. Treat each part of the garment in turn so you can keep them in place while restoring their shape. If you don’t have a heavy book, you can use a paperweight, coffee cup, or whatever else you have. Finally, your clothes must be placed under heavy objects to avoid shifting. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

If heavy objects are not available, you can hold the garment in place with clips.
Clothes need to stay that way until dry. If the garment has a lot of shrinkage, you should check the garment every 30 minutes and continue stretching.

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Wash and dry the clothes again if necessary. If you want your clothes to dry faster, hang them outside. You can hang your clothes on a drying rack, hangers, or place them in some outdoor area away from heat and direct sunlight. You don’t need to rinse out the shampoo, but you can wash your clothes by hand as usual if you feel something is wrong with the fabric.

Note the condition of the clothes while drying. Gravity will pull the garment down somewhat, especially when it’s still wet. This is what makes the garment stretch.
If the garment is still not stretched as you would like, repeat the process above. You may need to do this more than once if the garment has a lot of shrinkage.

Use borax or vinegar to treat wool and cashmere

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Fill the sink with warm water. You need at least 1 liter of warm water. Make sure you have enough water to soak your clothes. The water should also be around room temperature to stretch the fabric without damaging the garment. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Solder and vinegar are recommended for animal fibers such as wool and cashmere. Plant fibers such as cotton also work well when treated with this method, but should not be applied to synthetics or tightly woven natural materials.

Stir at least 1 tablespoon (15ml) of borax or vinegar into the water. You can use about 2 tablespoons (30ml) of borax or vinegar if the clothes are shrinking a lot. Or, mix 1 part white vinegar with every 2 parts water you use. Both materials effectively stretch the fabric, making it easy to handle and return the garment to its original shape. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Solder and vinegar are both relatively strong cleaners, so they must be diluted with water. If used directly on clothing, you may damage the fabric.
White vinegar is used more than distilled vinegar because it is clearer and lighter, but both types are equally effective.

Soak the shriveled garment in the solution for about 30 minutes. At this time, the clothes will be soaked in a mixture of borax or vinegar. Wait until the clothes are softer to stretch easily. You can start stretching the garment while soaking, but keep the garment in the water. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Stretch the clothes by hand after soaking for about 25-30 minutes and soak for another 5 minutes.

Squeeze the water out of the clothes. Be gentle to avoid damaging the clothes. You will roll the garment up and give it a gentle squeeze to reduce the amount of water. Thus, the clothes are still wet but no longer watery. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Do not rush to rinse the clothes right now because it will lose the effectiveness of the solder or vinegar. Wait until you have finished stretching.

Tuck towels into clothes to dry. You will roll up some good absorbent towels and then put them inside the shrinking clothes. At this point you need to arrange the position of the towels so that they help shape the clothes. Towels keep soft clothes from shrinking so you don’t have to worry about damaging your clothes by stretching by hand. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Roll as many towels as needed to return the garment to its original shape. Make sure the towel is flat and smooth as the clumps of the towel can leave marks on dried clothes.
Towels also help absorb water so clothes dry faster.

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Air dry clothes for at least 15 minutes. Put the towel in the clothes for about 30 minutes to dry the clothes. Put some extra towels under and above the clothes to speed up the drying process. You can also shake the clothes if you can hold the towel rolls in place. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Check the shape of the garment while it dries. You can provide extra support by gently pulling at the edges of the garment if needed.

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Hang the garment to complete the drying process, then wash again if necessary. Place a clothes hanger inside the garment, but do not remove the towel. Move clothing outdoors but avoid heat and direct sunlight. Use a clothes drying rack if needed. After the clothes are dry, you can hand wash them with cold water if you feel that the clothes are not as soft and smooth as they were originally. ^{[14] X Research Source}

If you’re afraid of damaging your t-shirt, you can spread the garment on a towel while it dries. Wool and cashmere are fragile, so be careful when handling expensive clothing.
If the clothes have not changed much, you need to repeat this treatment several times until the desired result is achieved.

Stretch jeans with warm water

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Pour warm water into the bath. You will prepare a high volume of water about ⅓ of the tub, enough to cover your feet as you sit in the tub. Make sure you feel comfortable touching the water. Cold and hot water is not only uncomfortable, but it also damages jeans. ^{[15] X Research Source}

If you don’t have a tub, you can still stretch your jeans. Put warm water in the sink or bucket.
If you only need to stretch a few places on the jeans, you can spray warm water on them and pull to set. ^{[16] X Research Source}

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Wear jeans to begin the stretching process. Once you’ve put on your jeans, zip them up and button them up if you can. If you can’t fit your jeans, you’ll have to wash them by hand. Remember to zip and button your jeans before you stretch them. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Try your best to return the jeans to their original shape. It’s easier if you can fit your jeans, but sometimes that’s not possible. Don’t try to wear jeans if you feel too tight.

Soak jeans in water for about 15 minutes. The water softens the jeans, and since you’re wearing the jeans, the pants will stretch automatically. You have to sit still for quite a while, but this method will work when you are hard to sit in the bath. Soak jeans in water for at least 10 minutes or until the water is cold. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

The most important part is to soak the jeans carefully. After the jeans are completely wet, the fabric will be easier to handle.
If you’re not ready to soak in the water, wet your jeans for 10-15 minutes in the sink or use a spray bottle. Try wearing jeans right after if you like.

Wear jeans for about an hour or stretch by hand. The easiest way to stretch jeans that are shrinking is to put them on. Be careful when you step out of the tub with water on you. If this seems difficult, you can take off your jeans and stretch the hems. Try to stretch the jeans gently. ^{[19] X Research Source}

If you choose to wear jeans, be as active as possible. Movements like walking around, jogging, stretching, or even jumping will help stretch the fabric.
Focus on areas that need to be stretched. For example, if you have to work on your back, you will bend and pull this position.

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Take off your jeans and hang to dry. You will hang your jeans on a clothesline or clothes rack. Hang the jeans in a place without heat and direct sunlight but cool to dry the jeans. While drying the jeans, gravity pulls the jeans down, making them stretch more. ^{[20] X Research Source}

Do not put jeans in the dryer! Heat often causes clothes to shrink. Direct sunlight can fade jeans.

Advice

The heat of a high-powered dryer often causes clothes to shrink, so you need to be careful when washing clothes. Choose a gentle wash with cold water when needed, or wash clothes by hand.
Note, you cannot restore shrunken clothing; so stretching doesn’t always work. You will need to repeat the process several times to return the garment to the desired shape.
Trying to avoid shrinkage is better than having to fix it later, so you need to find a way to keep the shape of the garment. Wash and dry clothes properly to avoid mishaps.

Warning

Prepare for the worst when stretching your clothes. Soaking and stretching clothes can damage clothes, no matter how careful you are.

Things you need

Soak knits in baby shampoo

Hand wash basin, bucket or tub
Baby shampoo or conditioner
Water
Absorbent bath towels
Books or other heavy objects
Clothesline or clothes rack (optional)

Use borax or vinegar to treat wool and cashmere

Solder or vinegar
Measuring spoon
Hand sink
Water
Absorbent bath towels
Clothesline or clothes rack (optional)

Stretch jeans with warm water

Bathtub, hand basin or bucket
Water
Spray bottle (optional)
Clothesline or clothes rack (optional)

Steps

Soak knits in baby shampoo

Use borax or vinegar to treat wool and cashmere

Stretch jeans with warm water

Advice

Warning

Things you need

Soak knits in baby shampoo

Use borax or vinegar to treat wool and cashmere

Stretch jeans with warm water

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