The result of washing your favorite woolen dress can be a terrible disappointment. It may decrease in size, become shorter, or simply go astray. In most cases, housewives manage to restore it to its previous size. So what can you do with it?
Why did the dress shrink? A little about the reasons...
After purchasing, you should carefully examine the tag sewn to the product.. The manufacturer encoded care recommendations on it. All the information is here - whether it can be washed, what water temperature to choose and the washing mode. Failure to follow these tips leads to the fact that your favorite dress becomes too small after drying.
Most likely, the item was washed with aggressive compounds not intended for washing knitwear.. Use powders, or better yet, gels designed for this type of fabric. They will not only preserve the structure of the canvas, but will also prevent the color from changing over time.
Another reason could be incorrect choice of cleaning or rinsing mode for the product. For example, we washed it on a delicate cycle and set the spin cycle to 800 rpm. This is not a fabric-friendly mode, so choose it for bed linen, not for a knitted dress.
And it is very problematic to restore a dress after washing in hot water at the recommended 40 degrees (room temperature). The structure of the fibers changes under the influence of high temperature, which inevitably leads to shrinkage.
Important! Failure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations and improper washing of the dress may result in changes in its size or deformation.
Ways to stretch a dress
All natural fabrics are subject to shrinkage. If any care conditions are not met, such a nuisance may occur. Experienced housewives have several methods in their arsenal that will help bring things back to their original condition. They are recommended for absolutely all fabrics.
Take these five methods into account, perhaps, already trying the first one, you will be able to achieve the desired result:
- Soak the shrunken item in cool water for 10–15 minutes, then remove from the water without squeezing. Stretch the dress to the length of the original measurement, then give it the desired shape on a horizontal surface and fix it until dry.;
- The following method is not very pleasant and is not suitable for everyone, but those who have tried it assure of excellent results. Soak the item as in the previous method, but do not lay out the dress, but put it on yourself until it dries;
- add hydrogen peroxide to cold water and soak the product for 2 hours, then remove without spinning, let the liquid drain and dry on a hanger. As an option, replace the peroxide with table vinegar and soak in water for 20 minutes;
- After soaking in cool water, iron the dress or dry it with a steam generator. Wherein Places that need to be enlarged should be carefully stretched;
- Soak the item in cold water for 10–15 minutes, wash it in the machine on a gentle cycle, without squeezing the item or adding powder.
Important! Steaming should be carried out with maximum personal safety measures. The hydrogen peroxide method requires constant monitoring of the fabric fibers.
Knitted
For knitwear, many methods are used that we have already become familiar with: steaming, ironing, soaking with vinegar. But the simplest, but also the most effective method will be with fixation:
- soak the dress in cool water for a quarter of an hour;
- Squeeze it slightly, carefully and without twisting;
- lay out a thick blanket or large towel on a horizontal surface;
- place the wet product on top, carefully straighten it completely with your hands, stretching it in the right directions;
- it is imperative to give it its original dimensions and pin it to the blanket around the entire perimeter until it dries completely;
- To get the desired result without deforming the pins you will need a lot. This is the case when the more the better.
Woolen
A wool dress can be saved by washing it with shampoo for coarse hair or fabric conditioner. An excellent way is to fix the wet product with pins as described above. However, you can share one more thing:
- Add 3 tbsp to 5 liters of hot water. l. ammonia, 1 glass of vodka (cologne), 1 tbsp. l. turpentine;
- The shrunken dress is immersed in the prepared solution for an hour and a half;
- then rinsed in cold water;
- drying on a horizontal surface with periodic stretching in the desired directions.
From other materials
Fabrics made from linen, cotton, and viscose are also subject to shrinkage. Dressmakers, before starting to sew from these fabrics, first wash them so that natural shrinkage occurs, and then cut out dresses or shirts. If your linen or cotton dress has shrunk in size, try these methods:
- Wash with conditioner;
- Soaking with vinegar;
- Ironing with stretching;
- Steam treatment.
You can also moisten problem areas with table vinegar using a sponge and dry on a hanger. If there is a strong vinegar smell, wash the item on a delicate cycle with an additional rinse.
Prevention of shrinkage
It is easier to prevent any disease than to treat it. That's why Take precautions when caring for your belongings:
- study the product manufacturer’s recommendations and strictly follow them;
- purchase a special detergent for wool;
- Wash knitted and woolen items by hand in lukewarm water, rinse in cold. Squeeze very carefully, without twisting. Dry in a horizontal position, fully extended.
Following these simple rules will save you from many unnecessary problems in life.
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