How to prevent clothes from shrinking?

Posted by markwahl barg on November 16th, 2019

The nightmare of all of us is that when we take our favorite garment out of the washing machine, it has shrunk.

Do not worry, it is very easy to prevent this from happening. You just have to take these recommendations by Laundry service experts into account:

- Always read the washing instructions that come with each garment. The labels explain in detail the proper way to wash and dry it.

- Look at the water temperature. Washing with hot water increases the possibility of your garment shrinking, so always prefer cold water.

- If you want to keep your clothes in good condition and at the same time save, you must wash it with cold water. Except for garments whose label indicates otherwise.

- Avoid using a dryer, because the heat of this appliance usually causes the fibers to decrease in size, making many of our clothes stop looking good. It is best to dry your clothes outdoors or hang them indoors.

- You must take into account the type of garment you want to wash. There are delicate garments that must be washed by hand. In that case, Laundry service recommends you not to put them in the washing machine because they can deform.

What techniques should I follow to avoid shrinking and stretching clothes?

1. Read the labels before buying a garment:

Look for the word "pre-shrunk" in natural fibers. Low-cost brands get savings by stretching the fibers of clothing. They do it as much as they can during production, to use less cloth. If the fibers are pre-engaged before weaving the fabric, or before cutting and sewing, there will be less contraction during its useful life.

2. Read the labels to learn how to care for clothes:

Get used to following the guidelines related to the washing of your clothes versus dry cleaning, respect the recommended water temperature, the type of washing cycle and the indications for the dryer cycle.

3. Use cold water:

Coldwater will not prevent clothes from shrinking, but using cold or warm water is less harmful to the fabric than hot water.

4. Soft cycles:

The gentle cycle of a washing machine or hand washing is less harmful than spin cycles of greater rotation for extracting water and washing machine cycles that have longer agitation.

5. High-efficiency washers:

High-efficiency washers without a central agitator are less harmful and will cause less shrinkage in clothes than standard top-loading washers. The forced action of a standard washing agitator is less smooth than the turning action of high-efficiency washers.