You have to admit, going to a tailor to shrink an XXXL T-shirt from Goodwill that cost you only a dollar is somewhat silly. Fortunately, you can easily downsize most of your clothing at home, using nothing but a washer and a dryer. Here’s a quick and easy guide on how to shrink clothes, i.e., different types of fabric.
Cotton, Rayon, Polyester, and Denim
The more natural the fabric is, the more it’s prone to shrinking when exposed to high heat. Therefore, the first step is to set the washing machine to the highest temperature and select the longest cycle available.
The heat will cause the fibers to contract and the garment to shrink. You can also select the spinning or agitation option, as that can help with shrinking as well. As for the detergent, you don’t need it, but you can add some if you want to freshen up the clothing.
After the cycle has ended, put the garment in the dryer, again choosing the highest setting and agitation. Do not air-dry — that will cool the garment instantly and basically undo everything you’ve done so far. In addition, denim can stretch if you just hang it and let it dry.
In case your garment hasn’t shrunk as much as you wanted, you can repeat the whole washing and drying process.
Wool
As it’s quite delicate, wool requires a slightly different approach than cotton and polyester. It’s also the easiest fabric to shrink, so you need to be extra careful not to end up with a baby sweater. Do know, however, that the results may vary based on the type of wool you’re working with.
Unlike with cotton, you need to select the lowest, most delicate wash setting. Choose a short wash cycle, warm water, and don’t forget about the tumbling.
Once the cycle is done, transfer the wool garment into the dryer and choose the low setting and again, agitation. Check up on the sweater every once in a while to ensure that it’s shrinking evenly.
Slik
Much like wool, silk also easily shrinks in the washer. Unfortunately, it can get damaged by the tumbling of the washing machine. To prevent that from happening, we suggest inserting your silk garment into a mesh bag first.
