Washing our clothes is an essential part of being a functioning adult human, but sometimes it can seem like an impossible challenge. With so many different types of fabric and garments out there, preventing shrinkage isn’t always easy.
In today’s blog, we’re going to share 4 laundry tips to show you how to avoid shrinking your clothes during washing and drying. Read on to level up your laundry game and keep your clothes looking their best.
Why Do Clothes Shrink In the Wash?
We’ve all been there. You’ve thrown your favorite jumper into the washing machine without thinking, and a couple of hours later, you’re left with a garment suitably sized for a tiny puppy instead. It’s easily done, but let’s take a look at why shrinkage happens so often.
Clothing fibers are relatively short, but when they’re turned into clothes, they’re stretched out and structured to create the garments we buy in the store. Applying heat in the form of hot air or hot water releases the tension in the fibers, forcing them to return to their natural state. As a result, your beloved clothes are essentially minimized.
4 Laundry Tips: How to Avoid Shrinking Your Clothes
1. Always Read the Care Labels
No matter what laundry mission you’re embarking on, there’s one top tip that never falters: ALWAYS read the care labels before getting started. These handy tags provide an essential guide to your specific garment, produced by the manufacturer with their expertise in mind. By following the temperature instructions and advice around drying, you can always expect your wash to be a success.
2. Sort Your Laundry Into Categories
One of the most effective ways to avoid shrinking your laundry is to sort your clothes into categories. Before you panic at the sound of how complicated that might be and start googling ‘professional laundromat near me’, let us explain in more detail.
When separating laundry, you should group items with similar materials together, as well as similar colors. For example, whites, lights, and darks should make up your basic color categories. Starkly different materials like cotton and satins should definitely go in different loads due to their opposing compositions.
Need to know more? Read our blog about why it’s important to separate laundry.
3. If In Doubt, Choose a Cold Wash
If your care label has completely rubbed away or you’ve bought something second-hand, it’s always a safe bet to choose a cold wash over a hot one. Cold laundry cycles have a whole host of other benefits too, including considerable savings on your monthly utility bill. As we mentioned earlier, heat is the primary cause of shrinkage, so opting for your coldest setting and a mild detergent is a fail-safe combination.
4. Air Drying Is the Ideal Solution
Most people face their worst shrinkage after using a dryer, both at the laundromat and in their utility space at home. That’s because the way hot air reacts to clothes can completely differ from garment to garment.
To avoid any unnecessary shrinking, dry clothes in the same categories as you washed them (as long as the care labels say it's okay) and select the lowest setting. If you’re extra worried, you can stop the load as many times as you need to check on the item’s progress.
No matter how challenging you find the laundry process, we hope these tips will help you avoid shrinking your clothes for the long term.
If you’re concerned about a particularly special garment, researching ‘laundromats near me’ might be the ideal solution. At WaveMAX, we offer a wide range of professional laundry services, from drop-off and collection to commercial laundry for your business.
