You love your clothes and may have even spent a pretty penny on them...which makes it even more frustrating when your favorite dress shirt or pair of jeans gets stretched out or shrinks after you do your laundry. Despite your best efforts to preserve your clothing, the truth is that many of us don’t realize what we’re doing wrong to keep our clothes in tip-top condition. This results in unintentional shrinkage or an oversized garment that no longer fits the owner.
Luckily, there are a few things you can do to reduce the risk of stretching or shrinkage. Check out this list of 4 laundry-related tips to know.
Read the labels to learn how to care for clothes.
Not all clothes are washer and dryer friendly. Delicate fabrics will likely shrink in the dryer, while others may stretch too much in the washer. Play it safe by following the guidelines regarding home washing or dry cleaning, water temperature, type of laundry cycle, and dryer cycle
recommendations.
Use cold water when you can.
Coldwater should become your standard for washing (with an exception being made for linens and towels, which benefit from hot, bacteria-killing heat). Though you won’t be able to eliminate all shrinking with cold water, this temperature is proven to be less damaging to fabric than hot water.
Allow your garment to air dry.
If you have time, allowing your clothes to air dry is the best way to guard them against shrinkage. Air drying clothes is by far the gentlest way to dry them, and for loosely woven fabrics or knits, drying on a flat surface will also prevent stretching.
Prevent stretching with regular washing.
Ever notice how your favorite 100% cotton blue jeans tend to stretch out between washes? This is because irregular washing makes the fibers relax and the jeans get larger. If you want to avoid this and keep fibers strong and intact, wash your garment more frequently.
Inspiration can come from anywhere – just ask the team at Sapphire Apartments in San Antonio, Texas. By passing along this information, we hope to inspire you with new ideas, projects, and goals, too.