When your favorite dress or shirt shrinks after washing, it is natural to feel heartbroken. But have you ever wondered why this happens? And do you know that shrunken clothes can be fixed again? Yes, this is not magic, but science. The answer to why clothes shrink after washing lies in their structure and the way we wash them. Let us understand this mystery in this article, and also know how you can fix your shrunken clothes again.
5 surefire ways that everyone should know
Shrinking of clothes is a common problem that bothers almost everyone. But if you know the cause and solution, then you can avoid this problem.
How are clothes made
Our clothes, such as cotton and linen, are made from fibers obtained from plants. These fibers naturally shrink. When they are stretched and woven, they turn into smooth threads. But these fibers have ‘fiber memory’, due to which they return to their old shrunken state again due to moisture, heat, or the friction of the machine.
Why do clothes shrink after washing
While washing clothes, the ‘hydrogen bonds’ between the fibers break due to hot water and the high speed of the washing machine. Loosely woven clothes shrink more because there is more space between their fibers. Apart from this, cellulose fibers become more flexible by absorbing water, due to which they shrink.
Does cold water also shrink clothes
Yes, cold water can also make the fibers swell. However, its effect is not as much as hot water. To avoid this problem, always wash clothes with cold water and keep the speed of the washing machine slow while putting it in. This makes the clothes shrink less, especially clothes like cotton and rayon.
Reason for the shrinkage of woolen clothes
Wool is made of keratin protein. When washed, the ‘cuticle’ cells present in it get entangled with each other. This is the reason why woolen clothes shrink and look thick and small.
How to stretch a shrunken dress
If any of your dresses has shrunk, then this solution is very useful for you:
Take lukewarm water in a bucket and add a spoonful of baby shampoo or hair conditioner to it.
Soak the shrunken dress in it for 30 minutes.
Pull the dress slowly with a light hand.
Now dry it on a rope.
This softens the fibers of the cloth, and it comes back to its old shape.