If you're tired of losing your favorite jeans to the washing machine or dryer, this trick is for you. If you've ever had an item of clothing shrink in the wash, you probably know that it can be a very frustrating feeling, especially if you've followed all the instructions correctly. But before you run out to buy a new garment, maybe you should try to save the garment that has shrunk.
The trick that will save the garment doesn't require anything special from you except a super common household item and a little care, time and attention and your favorite garment can return to being the way it used to be. The trick was posted by content creator Morgan Cook, who goes by the name @morganevelyncook on TikTok, where she has amassed close to 200,000 followers. Morgan tried the trick after her favorite pair of sweatpants shrunk, even though she had air-dried them and washed them on cold with great care.
She said that although she washed her pants very carefully, she found that they did not "go past my ankles" once they were dry. "They were the best-fitting sweatpants I've ever worn, so I'm devastated," she said, "but the internet told me I could save them by... soaking them in water with hair conditioner."
Morgan filmed herself filling her sink with water and adding conditioner before mixing it all in with her hands, but noted that "it didn't quite dissolve completely, there's a lot of bits of the conditioner in there." Then she set a timer for 30 minutes and let the conditioner work its magic, while she hoped for the best. After half an hour had passed, she took the sweatpants out of the sink and "washed off any residue of conditioner" that was left on them, before "squeezing as much water out of them as possible." She then placed a towel on the floor and "gently shaped them back into their original shape." Morgan then left the sweatpants to air dry, and in a follow-up video showed the impressive results. More laundry secrets 10 common laundry mistakes that hurt both your clothes and your pocket Why buy new ones? 3 tips that will help your clothes last longer.
@morganevelyncook Fingers crossed for a pants miracle #unshrinkclothes #laundrytok #laundryhacks #cleaninghack ♬ original sound - user49519054276
She then hung the pants over the edge of her shower for two days and she noted that the added bonus of this method is that they "smell pretty good because of the conditioner." At the end of the whole project, she tried to put her pants back on again and was happy to announce that the experiment was successful when she realized that now "they easily cover my belly button again" and that the length of the pants returned to where they sat before they shrunk. "I thought I destroyed them," she said in the follow-up video, "I thought I wore them once and destroyed them, but they came back to themselves!". Although she didn't specify how she would wash them from now on, she was happy that she was able to get them back to their original size.
@morganevelyncook Replying to @LeopardIvy *drum roll* #laundrytok #unshrinkclothes #laundryhack ♬ original sound - Morgan Evelyn
So what actually happened here? Drew Westervelt, CEO of laundry detergent company HEX Performance, explains that "Fabric softener can help loosen fabric that has shrunk due to high heat," he says. However, the laundry expert cautioned that fabric softener can leave a residue on the garment, causing it to attract more dirt, bacteria and odors and says that after trying the trick, rinse the garment thoroughly to remove any remaining fabric softener and then follow the manufacturer's washing and drying instructions to not to shrink again.
@creative_explained How to restore clothes to original size! #clothes #lifehack #girlfriend #lifehacks #tips #diy #howto #wow ♬ original sound - creative explained
Homekeeping magazine explains that this trick works best on cotton, wool and other knit fabrics that can be stretched easily. For synthetic materials such as polyester, care should be taken not to pull too hard and overstretch the garment. It's also important to note that this trick may not work for well-woven or delicate fabrics like silk. If you are afraid of damaging the fabric, test the trick on a small area of the garment before trying it on the entire garment. In any case, the best way to prevent clothes from shrinking is to wash and dry them correctly.