How to stretch a sweater?

With the onset of winter, the most popular item in the wardrobe is a wool sweater. Not everyone knows that wool must be properly cared for, otherwise the threads may shrink. In other words, the sweater may shrink and end up several sizes smaller than the original size. How to avoid this and what to do? Our advice will help.

Why did it “shrink” after washing?

Woolen items shrink after washing for many reasons. The most common of them:

• too hot water during washing;
• incorrectly selected washing mode in the washing machine;
• use of granular washing powder;
• use after washing in an intensive washing machine;
• Non-natural wool was used to sew the sweater.

Methods for stretching a sweater

If you washed the sweater in hot water or used coarse washing powder during washing, the product will certainly shrink. Don’t despair and immediately throw your favorite sweater in the trash.Use our tips to help restore your product to its original appearance. Dealing with an item that has shrunk several sizes is difficult, but quite possible. What you may need for work:

• pure water;
• coat hanger;
• iron with steamer or steam generator;
• gauze or thin cotton cloth;
• hydrogen peroxide;
• Apple vinegar;
• ammonia;
• hair conditioner.

Let's consider each method in detail.

With water

The easiest way to stretch wool threads is to use cold water. We act according to the instructions. Fill the basin with cold water (exactly cold, not room temperature). Take the sweater in your hands and dip it into the water so that the shoulders and neckline remain on the surface, that is, these parts cannot be lowered into the water. Keep the item in the water for a couple of minutes until it is completely wet. Remove from the water and hold over the bath for a couple of minutes until excess water drains. Wrap the sweater in a large terry towel to remove excess moisture.

It is not recommended to twist woolen items to remove water; this can damage the threads and the item will lose its shape.

After the item has been in the towel for a couple of minutes, unwrap the towel and take out the sweater. Place it on a hard surface and stretch it using force. Separately stretch the sleeves horizontally and vertically, then move to the base. Do not overdo it, otherwise the threads may break. After the stretching process is completed, hang the jacket to dry. If you apply too much force or overdo it while stretching, soak the area in cold water and repeat the process.

With ammonia

Ammonia is a proven remedy in the fight against shrunken woolen items.For 5 liters of water (large bucket), add 3 tablespoons of ammonia. In addition to this, you can also add 1 tablespoon of turpentine and 1 tablespoon of vodka to the water. These three products will soften wool threads and make them more elastic. Dip the sweater in water with the products diluted in it and leave for a couple of minutes. Remove the sweater from the water and wrap it in a thick cloth or terry towel to remove excess water. After the water has been absorbed into the towel, take out the sweater and stretch it.

With hydrogen peroxide

If ordinary water does not help, hydrogen peroxide, which can be purchased at any pharmacy, will come to the rescue. Fill a large bowl of cold water and dilute two tablespoons of peroxide in it. Stir the water thoroughly until the liquid dissolves evenly. Rinse the sweater in water, wrap it in a towel to remove moisture and lay it on the table. Stretch the wool threads in different directions. After this, the product can be hung to dry.

Iron

You can try to stretch the jacket using an iron, or rather, a steamer, which all modern irons are equipped with. If your iron does not have a steam function, you will need a steam generator. How the process works:

• lay the product on an ironing board, table, or hang it on a hanger (the latter option is the most convenient);
• set the iron temperature to 180–200 degrees;
• spray water on the jacket from a spray bottle or the spout of an iron;
• until the wool is dry, run the iron at a distance of several centimeters, turning on the steam mode;
• after steam hits the surface, stretch the fibers in different directions;
• do not stop until you have steamed and stretched the entire sweater.

The process is quite painstaking, but the result will please you.

The sweater can be ironed, but you must put gauze or thin fabric between the iron and the wool. For ironing, use a temperature of 200–210 degrees. While the jacket is hot, stretch it in different directions.

Never touch the iron to wool without a thin fabric, otherwise you will burn the product.

With vinegar

For 5 liters of water you will need 500 ml of apple cider vinegar. Dilute it in water and soak the sweater for 20–30 minutes. There is no need to rinse the item in clean water after vinegar. Next, we proceed by analogy: roll up the product in a towel, wait until the excess water is absorbed, unroll the sweater and stretch it in different directions.

With hair conditioner

Hair conditioner can smooth not only hair, but also woolen threads, making them more elastic. Rinse the shrunken jacket in cold water. Apply conditioner to the wet product. Make sure that the product is evenly distributed over the entire surface.. Dip the sweater back into cool water and leave it like that for 5-7 minutes. During soaking, the conditioner will be absorbed into the threads, making them smoother. Then take the jacket out of the water and gently pull it in different directions. To dry the product, lay it on a fluffy towel on a flat surface.

With steam

If you don’t have a steam generator or an iron with a steam function, you can stretch a woolen item by hanging it over a pan of boiling water on the stove. It is recommended to use water, since any other decoctions, such as soup or compote, have an odor that can be absorbed into the wool. The stretching process occurs in exactly the same way as working with an iron.The wet jacket hanging over the saucepan needs to be stretched in different directions.

Stretch over surface

A slightly dry sweater can be stretched on a hard surface using heavy objects and a pattern. Create a pattern for the product on cardboard, cut it and fasten it with needles so that the sleeves and back form a single whole. Lay out the damp sweater along the pattern and stretch it to the desired size. To prevent the threads from shrinking back, pin the material with the pattern using needles. Press down the sweater with something heavy, such as a wooden board or thick books. Leave in this position for a couple of hours. After this, remove all needles and unnecessary objects. The sweater is ready to wear.

What if the sweater shrank just a little?

If the product does not require strong stretching, use the following advice. Rinse the item in cool water, dry it with a thick towel and carefully place it to dry on a thick cloth. Without waiting for the sweater to dry completely, put it on yourself or the person who owns this item. Wet threads will stretch over the figure and take on their original shape. When putting on, do not pull the material in different directions too much, especially when stretching the cuffs and neckline. Walk like this for 40-50 minutes until the sweater is completely dry. As a result, the thing will take the desired shape.

Do not go outside in a wet sweater; do this procedure at home.

How to prevent the next sweater shrinkage

To avoid the above procedures, woolen products should be treated more carefully. And preventative measures will help avoid many mistakes:

1. It is better to wash a woolen sweater by hand in water at a temperature not exceeding 30 degrees.Cool water will not allow the threads to shrink, resulting in the item not shrinking.
2. If you are still used to using a machine for washing, choose the correct washing mode. Modern machines provide “delicate wash” and “woolen items” modes; they are suitable for washing sweaters and jackets that contain wool.
3. What matters is what kind of powder you use. Most washing powders contain alkali, which is harmful to woolen products. Use mild detergents or special detergent designed for washing wool and cashmere items.
4. Spinning after washing is no less important. To spin in a washing machine, select a mode that provides no more than 100 rpm.
5. If you wash by hand, do not wring out the material. Gently wrap the sweater in a large terry towel and leave for 5-7 minutes. During this time, excess moisture will be absorbed into the towel.
6. Pay attention to how you dry your wool item. Items containing woolen threads are recommended to be dried spread out on a hard, flat surface. Spread a wide towel on the floor or table and lay out the sweater on it, carefully straighten out all the folds, the sleeves can be folded in half. Avoid drying in the sun or using improvised means: hair dryer, steam generator, fire from a gas burner. Allow the product to dry naturally.
7. Woolen items are usually not ironed, but if the item still requires the use of an iron, do not forget to use gauze or a thin, light-colored cotton fabric.
8. And, the last piece of advice, never wear a wool sweater while it is wet, wait until the material is completely dry.