You can unshrink most cotton and wool clothes, at least partly. Soak the item for 20 to 30 minutes in lukewarm water with a tablespoon or two of hair conditioner or baby shampoo, press the water out in a towel, then gently stretch it back toward its old size and let it dry flat. Polyester and other synthetics recover less.
How much comes back depends on the fabric and how far it shrank. A cotton tee that lost an inch in a hot dryer usually gets close to its old size. Wool that has felted (gone thick, stiff and fuzzy) only loosens a little. Check the care label first to see what you're working with.
Why clothes shrink
Heat, water and tumbling cause almost all shrinkage, and each fabric reacts to them in its own way.
Cotton fibers are stretched tight when the yarn is spun and the fabric is woven. Hot water and a hot dryer let them relax and pull back, and the garment gets shorter and narrower. Most cotton shrinkage happens in the first few hot washes.
Wool plays rougher. Instead of just shrinking, it felts. Each wool fiber is covered in tiny scales, and warm water plus rubbing makes the scales catch on each other and lock together, and your soft wool scarf turns into something stiff and lumpy.
Polyester, nylon and spandex hold their shape well, but high heat can damage the stretchy fibers. Once a waistband or legging has lost its stretch, it rarely gets it back.
If you're not sure how hot is too hot for a fabric, our guide to hot or cold water for laundry goes through them.
| Fabric | Can you unshrink it? | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton (tees, shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, jeans) | Usually, most of the way | Conditioner soak |
| Wool (sweaters, scarves, hats) | Partly, unless it has badly felted | Baby shampoo soak |
| Cashmere and soft wool blends | Usually, with patience | Steam and block |
| Polyester and spandex blends | A little | Vinegar and conditioner soak |
How to unshrink cotton clothes
Conditioner softens and lubricates the cotton fibers. When you stretch them, they slide back into a longer shape. This works for 100% cotton and for cotton-rich blends.
- Fill a clean sink or tub with lukewarm water (think bathwater after five minutes) and stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of hair conditioner until the water feels smooth, not slimy.
- Push the garment under the water and leave it for 20 to 30 minutes. Don't wring or swish it.
- Lift it out and lay it on a towel. Roll the towel up like a jelly roll with the garment inside and press to squeeze out the extra water.
- Unroll it onto a dry towel and stretch it a little at a time. Work on the parts that shrank most, usually the length, the sleeves and the shoulders.
- Leave it to dry flat, away from heat. Check it every hour or so and stretch it again while it's still damp.
It won't return to the exact factory fit, but it'll be wearable again. Allow 10 to 15 minutes of stretching and a few hours of drying. Leave the conditioner in while it dries. It keeps the fibers soft while you shape them. Wash the garment as normal next time you wear it.
Hoodies and sweatshirts
Put most of your effort into the body length and the sleeves. The ribbed cuffs and waistband are meant to spring back, and a hard pull there just stretches them out of shape. Pull the body down along its length while you hold the shoulders still.
Jeans, pants and sweatpants
Do the conditioner soak, then pull the legs gently from the waistband down toward the hem. Some people put damp jeans on and wear them for 20 minutes or so, which stretches them to fit around the waist and thighs. Denim with a bit of stretch in it responds better than rigid denim.
How to unshrink a wool sweater
Baby shampoo is mild, and like conditioner it helps wool fibers relax enough to be stretched. It won't undo heavy felting, but a sweater that's a size too small can often be brought back to wearable.
- Fill a sink with lukewarm water and swirl in about a tablespoon of baby shampoo.
- Push the sweater under and leave it for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Lift it out with both hands under it. Wet wool is heavy and stretches unevenly if you let it hang.
- Lay it on a towel, roll it up and press out the water. Never wring wool.
- Lay it on a dry towel and gently pull the sleeves, shoulders and hem back toward their old size. Hold the edges in place with pins or something light, like books or jars.
- Let it dry flat, away from radiators and sun. This takes several hours, sometimes a day.
To avoid the next sweater scare, use cool water and skip the tumble dryer. Our guide to washing a wool sweater without shrinking it has the full routine.
Cashmere: steam and block
Cashmere often shrinks less dramatically than wool. Usually the sleeves sit higher on your wrists or the hem feels a little short. It responds well to steam, and you don't need to soak it.
- Lay the sweater flat on a towel and smooth it into its original shape.
- Hold a garment steamer, or an iron on its steam setting, just above the fabric. Don't let the hot plate touch the cashmere.
- When the fabric is soft and slightly damp, stretch it gently with your hands, a little at a time.
- Pin the edges to the towel or weigh them down, then let it dry flat.
If it's still a bit snug when it's dry, you can repeat the steaming. Steam and pinning work for soft wool blends too.
Can you unshrink polyester?
You can loosen polyester a little, but don't expect a full recovery. Heat sets polyester's shape, and spandex that has lost its stretch has damaged fibers, which stretching won't fix. For light shrinkage, this soak is worth a try:
- Mix 1 part white vinegar to 2 parts lukewarm water in a sink or bucket.
- Add a squeeze of hair conditioner and stir.
- Soak the garment for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Roll it in a towel to press out the water, without twisting.
- Lay it flat and stretch the tight spots, like waistbands, shoulders and sleeves, with slow, steady pulls.
- Dry it flat, with no heat.
This works best on lightweight polyester shirts, leggings and gym tops that are only slightly tight. Rinse the vinegar out in your next normal wash.
How to stop clothes shrinking
Wash in cold water. It's the easiest way to avoid shrinking cotton and felting wool, and a good detergent still gets the job done. Our cold-temp-safe detergent sheets clean at any setting, so you never have to turn the dial up. Mary, a HeySunday customer, says they "really clean well in cold or hot water". Keep a wool wash for wool and silk.
Go easy on the dryer. Tumbling on high heat causes more shrinkage than washing does. Use low heat, take clothes out while they're still a little damp, or air dry them. Dry sweaters flat, since hanging a wet knit stretches the shoulders.
Read the care label before anything goes in. The laundry symbols tell you the highest temperature a fabric can take and whether it can go in the dryer. Pick a gentle detergent too, since some formulas are harsh enough to break down fibers, and that makes shrinking more likely. If you need to make a detergent swap, HeySunday laundry sheets are cold-water-ready and easy on fabrics.
When it won't come back
Some shrinkage is permanent, especially wool that has fully felted. If two rounds of soaking and stretching haven't helped, the garment can still be useful. A shrunk sweater might fit one of your children or a niece or nephew, and felted wool cuts cleanly without fraying, so you can make cushion covers and mittens from it, or cut it into coasters.
Old tees make good rags or reusable gift wrap, and a few of them stitched together make a patchwork tote. A too-tight tank can become a hair wrap or a dust cloth, or a soft little liner for your sock drawer.
Frequently asked questions
Can you unshrink clothes?
Yes, most cotton, wool and cashmere, at least partly. The fibers can pull back again the next time they meet heat, though, so after you've stretched something back, wash it cold and keep it out of the dryer.
How do you unshrink a cotton sweater?
With the conditioner soak, plus a couple of books on the hem and cuffs while it dries flat. The weight holds the length you stretched it to and stops it creeping back.
How do you unshrink polyester?
Polyester only unshrinks a little. Try the vinegar and conditioner soak, but look at the fabric first. If it has gone shiny, crinkled or rough where it shrank, the heat has damaged the fibers and stretching won't bring it back.
How do you unshrink a hoodie?
Pull the drawstring out of the hood before you soak it. Without it you can stretch the hood and the front evenly, and you can thread it back through once the hoodie is dry.
How do you stretch a shirt that shrunk in the dryer?
If it's a button-down, do the buttons up before you stretch it so the front pulls evenly and the placket stays straight. Then pull the sleeves gently along the seam, not across it.
