How To Unshrink A Sweater In 5 Easy Steps

We all dread it happening but it’s just a risk we all have to take, your clothes shrinking in the wash is just something that can happen. There are ways you can help prevent it, yes, but the risk is always there. So, what should you do if your favourite sweater suddenly gets shrunk in the wash?

First of all, before I answer that while this is something that can happen to all kinds of clothes it as to be said that this is a problem more likely to happen to sweaters. Yes, it might sound a little cliché but if you have a sweater the risk of shrinking is something that becomes a very real possibility.

So, what do you do if you empty your washing machine only to find your sweater or sweaters (because this can happen to several sweaters at once) have shrunk? First of all, don’t despair no one will enjoy seeing their clothes shrunk after a wash, but it is something that can be fixed!

Yes, despite what you might have heard you can rescue a shrunken sweater if you act fast and do the right thing. Unfortunately, this isn’t something many people know how to do but don’t worry I’ll explain everything you need to know in order to unshrink your sweater.

And best of all you can do it in five simple easy steps! Unshrinking your sweater is all about getting the clothing fibers to relax and if you follow these five steps carefully you can get your sweater back into shape in no time at all.

The Five Steps To Success

So, let’s take a look at everything you need to know in order to get your sweater back to its original condition. Before you start this process though you are going to need a few supplies, don’t worry they might sound strange but with them, you can accomplish great things.

So, what do you need you ask? Well it’s simple all you need is some baby shampoo and some cork board yes, they might be unusual components but together they can get your sweater back into shape.

Step 1 – Get Washing

The first step towards restoring your sweater is pretty simple all you need to do is prepare some warm water in a bucket or washing up bowl. Add a couple of tablespoons of baby shampoo to the mixture and then you’re ready.

Start gently washing the sweater and add a few extra drops of shampoo into the sweater’s fibers by hand. Make sure you are very gentle though because you don’t want to risk stretching the sweater, once that’s done leave the sweater for 15 minutes before beginning the let-out process.

Step 2 – Rinse The Sweater

This step is pretty self-explanatory simply remove the sweater from the soapy water and then rinse it in some cool water. This will get rid of the shampoo, make sure you are once again very gentle during this process and move from area to area to squeeze out the water. Whatever you do don’t try to ring out the sweater to drain the water that will just cause more damage.

Step 3 – Roll Your Sweater

OK, this is where things might start to sound a little odd but stay with me because despite how strange this may sound it does actually work. For this part of the process, you’ll want to place your sweater in a large dry towel and then roll it gently.

This will remove any moisture from the fabric and help dry out the sweater’s fibers. It’s very important that you ensure the fibers are as dry as possible in order to give you the best possible chance of restoring your sweater to normal.

Step 4 – Get Your Corkboard Ready

So, back at the start of this process, I mentioned two things you would need, you’ve already used the baby shampoo and now you need to use the corkboard. You’ll need to pin the sweater (once again be very gentle) to the corkboard to help it dry out.

Be firm at this part you’ll need to make sure the sweater is taut but don’t overdo it because you could damage the fibers.

Step 5 – Re-Stretch And Re-Pin Every Few Hours

The final step of the process is to repeat step four every couple of hours, yes it might sound like a headache but after a few turns stretching and re-pinning your sweater should be back to its original size.

So, don’t be put off if you don’t see results right away it could easily take a few turns for your sweater to return to its normal size. So, now you know what you need to do to rescue your favourite shrunken sweater.