Did you know that manufacturers stretch out fabrics to save on cloth on their products? This reason explains why most clothes tend to shrink when you wash, dry, and fold them the wrong way. However, you can reduce the chances of shrinking if you do your laundry right.
How to Wash, Dry, and Fold Clothes Without the Shrinkage
Here are some handy tips for doing your laundry to prevent shrinkage in your clothes:
Use the right method.
You need to use the right method to ensure that you will not damage or shrink your clothes. For instance, fabrics with natural fiber such as cotton, cashmere, and wool will shrink fast if you put them in the washing machine.
Being agitated in the washing machine will contribute to shrinkage. Aside from that, using hot or warm water while washing fabrics with natural fiber can also speed up the shrinking process.
The best way to keep your cotton, cashmere, or wool clothes in the best condition is to avoid washing them in the washing machine. Consider dry cleaning them instead. Although dry cleaning still has some level of agitation, it does not have added heat.
Use cold water for laundry whenever necessary.
Although some fabrics, especially man-made ones, require warm water– this is not the case for most fabrics. Depending on the type of fabric, excessive heat can cause the fibers to shrink.
Although fabrics like polyester and acrylic stretch out more when exposed to hot or warm water– higher temperature does not go well with other fabrics, especially ones with natural fibers.
Wash by hand instead of using the washing machine.
It is always a good idea to check the care instructions for your pillowcases, sheets, clothes, etc.
This fact cannot be stressed enough but different fabrics need a different kind of care. For example, natural fabrics can break and shrink during all the tumbling and heat inside the washing machine. There is another gentler way to wash, fold, and dry your clothes and sheets. You can always wash them by hand.
Air Dry instead of using a machine.
It takes a lot of time and effort to wash, fold, and dry your laundry. So it is understandable if you want to just throw everything in the washing machine and transfer them to the dryer. However, the heat from the dryer is just as bad as the heat from the washing machine.
Again, heat can shrink your clothes. Air Drying your laundry involves little to no heat. So you can just put each item of your laundry in their individual hanger and air your clothes away from the sun. If using a dryer is absolutely unavoidable, make sure that the heat is low enough so that it does not alter the structure of the fibers in your clothes’ or sheet’s fabrics.
Apply the best laundry practices.
Most clothes, sheets, and other items have care instructions attached to them or on their tag. You can use these instructions to ensure that you are washing, drying, and folding them the right way.
Some materials are durable enough that they will let you get away with however you wash them. However, if you want to keep your laundry items for much longer, you must take care of them the best way you can.
Some of the laundry best practices include:
- Sorting your laundry by fabric type
- Immediately removing laundry from the dryer after it is done
- Being gentle with the laundry items (for example, avoiding twisting clothes when hand washing)
Simply Put
There is a correct way to wash, dry, and fold your laundry items. It pays to know how each type of fabric should be handled to avoid shrinkage. Generally, using a gentle setting and using cold water for washing, and either using low heat during drying or opting to airdry can save your favorite shirt from shrinking.
If getting to know your fabrics and memorizing care instructions are too much for you to handle at the moment, you can always count on laundry delivery service providers like SpinXpress to lighten up your load. All you need to do is to download their app, book a pickup date for your laundry, and wait for them to deliver your clean items on your chosen date.
