Machine-shrunk clothing is not inevitable. Don’t cry anymore over this little top worn twice and taken out of the machine in crop top XXS – science is there to help you: memory of the fibers, behavior of the textile in the face of water, heat and friction, so many parameters to take into account which could allow you to limit, and even correct this unfortunate incident. A piece of clothing that you think is completely unrecoverable may well return to its original form.
According to an article in the specialist magazine Science Alert, this shrinkage phenomenon can be explained by the molecular structure of the cellulose present in the textile. When stretched widely to make fabrics, cellulose retains the initial shape of the fibers in “memory” and then shrinks. During washes, the mixture of water and heat weakens the bonds that keep the cellulose chains aligned, and the agitation of the drum promotes wrinkling.
The trick to “de-shrinking” a garment
To know if you will be able to recover your little top, you must first know its composition. Not all fibers shrink the same way. Wool is an animal fiber made from keratin that shrinks by felting, which means that its small scales intertwine under the effect of heat and friction, making clothing much denser and visibly smaller.
On the other hand, certain vegetable fibers such as cotton or linen have a kind of “memory” and tend to wrinkle after washing. Conversely, synthetic fibers like polyester or nylon are much more resistant to being machine washed, thanks to their ordered molecular chains which prevent wrinkling and limit shrinkage.
According to an article in The Conversation magazineto try to “de-shrink” a garment, you should first immerse it in lukewarm water with a little baby shampoo or conditioner then gently stretch it before drying it flat or under light tension using clothes pegs. These products temporarily lubricate the fibers and facilitate their redeployment.
Unfortunately, this technique will not transform your garment into a perfectly new one. However, it allows you to restore the correct shape to your garment which you can normally wear again without feeling like you have stolen a sweater from a child.
