Clothing that doesn't shrink like crazy once its dried??

[mhsjax]

I wear all different brands and materials of shirts and put everything in the dryer and don't have issues with things shrinking I have shirts I've been wearing for years now that haven't shrunk...

Same here, I dry almost everything unless t is my daughters cheerleading uniform or something really nice. Our clothes don't shrink, I dry on a lower setting, but I have never had anything shrink before, not even 100% cotton.

 

[Imzadi]

Actually forgot something- What do I put underneath the dripping clothing to catch the water? We do not have a laundry sink or I'd be hanging things over that.

Why are your clothes dripping? Are you hand washing them? We didn't say to hand wash, only to hang dry.

If they are coming out of the washer still drippy, try to put them through the final spin cycle again.

I wear all different brands and materials of shirts and put everything in the dryer and don't have issues with things shrinking I have shirts I've been wearing for years now that haven't shrunk...

Are you wearing mostly polyester or acrylic blends? Synthetic materials tend not to shrink. Also, if you've been wearing them for years, they are well past the shrinkage phase. Once it's fully shrunk, it's shrunk.


I bought a beautiful, cable knit, cotton sweater from T.J. Maxx that was quite a bit too large. Last week, I purposely put it in the dryer on medium, then on low for about 25 minutes total. I watched it very carefully and it has shrunk down to the perfect size. It won't be going in the dryer again as I don't want it to continue to shrink.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Are you wearing mostly polyester or acrylic blends? Synthetic materials tend not to shrink. Also, if you've been wearing them for years, they are well past the shrinkage phase. Once it's fully shrunk, it's shrunk.

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I'm in the same boat, I don't have shrink issues. Almost all my clothes are 100% cotton (dress shirts, cotton pants, etc.) and I don't have any issues with shrinkage, I dry on low heat and then iron for a nice crisp look.

 

[Imzadi]

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I'm in the same boat, I don't have shrink issues. Almost all my clothes are 100% cotton (dress shirts, cotton pants, etc.) and I don't have any issues with shrinkage, I dry on low heat and then iron for a nice crisp look.

Maybe it's the low heat? I have to take my clothes down to the coin laundry in my building. It takes extra long for clothes on low to dry. It sounds weird, but I won't sit around the extra 20 minutes more for clothes to dry on low. I'd rather take them upstairs and hang them to dry than to sit and wait.

Sometimes, like with jeans, I will put them in the dryer on low for 20 minutes so they will dry faster, once I hang them up. But, I never let clothes, like jeans, or cottons that I don't want to fade or shrink, to dry all the way in the dryer. It is the heat at the end of drying, combines with the abrasion of tumbling, that shrinks the fibers together.

I've done some felting of wools for craft projects. Making felt is taking loose wool fibers, soaking in hot, hot water, the rubbing and abrading the fibers so they tangle, grab and shrink together into a thick felted material. It is the heat & abrasion that shrinks up natural fibers. If you've ever pulled out a formerly adult size, knitted wool sweater from the dryer and it is toddler size , that is the process of felting.

Here is a loosely knitted wool scarf. You can still see how the fabric was knitted.

After the scarf was purposely thrown in the dryer to felt, the fibers have shrunk & tangled together into a solid piece of material and you can no longer see any knitting:

Similar shrinkage happens to cotton & some natural fiber clothes because of heat, but the fibers don't get so tangled.

 

[N.Bailey]

Well, I don't know how some of you are not seeing shrinkage because when I accidentally forget to turn the heat off completely, I have ruined MANY pieces of very expensive clothing. MANY moons ago, the better clothing manufacturers would preshrink all fabrics before the process even began, but I've not seen a preshrunk tag in decades (literally).

I've even had clothing shrink when it's been put in on low heat. Perhaps for me it's because I wait till the clothing is fully dry before putting it in for a final fluff. When this has happened, it's always been an accident on my part.

I also wash in all cold unless I'm washing whites. When I do whites, I always run them thru on cold, then rewash and run them thru a 2nd wash on hot. I do the cold wash first because heat sets stains.

I wash quite a few pieces of clothing alone or with another item if neither will effect the other (one linting more than the other, etc..). I wash these items on the hand wash cycle of my washing machine. This cycle doesn't spin or agitate very fast at all, yet even when using this cycle, my clothing has never been dripping wet once done.

In all likelihood, we may have a lot of garments that might not shrink if I dried them completely in the dryer. I just don't think there is a way of ascertaining which would and which wouldn't shrink and since I don't really care for gambling, I don't take the chance.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Well, I don't know how some of you are not seeing shrinkage because when I accidentally forget to turn the heat off completely, I have ruined MANY pieces of very expensive clothing. MANY moons ago, the better clothing manufacturers would preshrink all fabrics before the process even began, but I've not seen a preshrunk tag in decades (literally).

I've even had clothing shrink when it's been put in on low heat. Perhaps for me it's because I wait till the clothing is fully dry before putting it in for a final fluff. When this has happened, it's always been an accident on my part.

I also wash in all cold unless I'm washing whites. When I do whites, I always run them thru on cold, then rewash and run them thru a 2nd wash on hot. I do the cold wash first because heat sets stains.

I wash quite a few pieces of clothing alone or with another item if neither will effect the other (one linting more than the other, etc..). I wash these items on the hand wash cycle of my washing machine. This cycle doesn't spin or agitate very fast at all, yet even when using this cycle, my clothing has never been dripping wet once done.

In all likelihood, we may have a lot of garments that might not shrink if I dried them completely in the dryer. I just don't think there is a way of ascertaining which would and which wouldn't shrink and since I don't really care for gambling, I don't take the chance.

Same here, because I have gambled and lost! More times than I care to admit!

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Imzadi, I have to say the bag you made is very cute! And your nails look great!

 

[Imzadi]

Same here, because I have gambled and lost! More times than I care to admit!

Me, too.

Once you've ruined a favorite item , it really gives new meaning to: HANG to dry.

Imzadi, I have to say the bag you made is very cute! And your nails look great!

Unfortunately, that's not me. Google search was my friend.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Unfortunately, that's not me. Google search was my friend.

Okay, then I can tell you, I was feeling like a slouch over here. Crafty and nice nails. I was wondering how you do it!

 

[disneyofcourse]

I was asking what to put under the clothes hanging up to dry just because I have pergo flooring and even if it drips a little I don't want my floors damaged. I had been putting a towel down but wondered if there's something better that I could use. Don't worry Its all running on the spin cycle and not being hand washed and put out to dry dripping wet .

 

[OceanAnnie]

I was asking what to put under the clothes hanging up to dry just because I have pergo flooring and even if it drips a little I don't want my floors damaged. I had been putting a towel down but wondered if there's something better that I could use. Don't worry Its all running on the spin cycle and not being hand washed and put out to dry dripping wet .

If you have an old vinyl table cloth, that would do the trick.

 

[disneyofcourse]

If you have an old vinyl table cloth, that would do the trick.

What a great Idea I will give that a try but it seems like it would work perfectly.

 

[Shyvioletisme]

Are you wearing mostly polyester or acrylic blends? Synthetic materials tend not to shrink. Also, if you've been wearing them for years, they are well past the shrinkage phase. Once it's fully shrunk, it's shrunk.

nope.. I wear a lot of 100% cotton. I wash on cold and always dry on the lowest setting...(I should also mention my luck in that I don't separate my colors when I wash...i've always tossed everything in together and never had anything bleed into other clothing as well...) I think laundry is the one small area of my life that I actually have perfect luck with.