How to Enlarge Your Shirt After an Accidental Shrinkage

Dryers are the leader in the clothes-shrinking army.

When you accidentally shrink your shirt, don't automatically toss it in the clothing donation bin. You have nothing to lose by trying to stretch your shirt back out. Some materials will enlarge easier than others; cotton and wool will be more willing to stretch larger than polyester or silk, for example. Whatever your shirt is made out of and regardless of how much it shrank, try getting your shirt back to its original size before giving up on it forever.

Things You'll Need

• Washing machine
• Laundry detergent
• Hanger

Instructions

Enlarge Your Shirt

1. 

   Stretching a shirt involves washing it first.

   Toss your shirt in the washing machine with like-colored clothes as if you were cleaning it in a normal load. Ignore the fact that it probably isn't dirty.

2. Add detergent to the washing machine and start the wash cycle, making sure to choose the warm or hot water option if the shirt can tolerate the warmer temperature.

3. Remove the too-small shirt from the washing machine as soon as the cycle is complete and shake it out.

4. Use the help of a friend or family member to gently pull the shirt simultaneously from two directions. Continually do this as you change the section of the shirt you are slowly tugging on. Do this until the shirt is stretched back to its original size.

5. 

   Use a wood or plastic coat hanger for damp shirts for the best results.

   Hang the shirt on a hanger to dry, preferably not in direct sunlight or near a heat source.

Tips & Warnings

• If the shirt is made of wool, soak it in a sink or tub with warm water and baby shampoo or a hand-washing laundry detergent. After 30 minutes, remove the shirt, roll it in a towel to remove the excess water and lay it flat on a dry towel. Pull the shirt into a larger shape with repeated tugging.

• If all else fails, consider taking your shirt to a dry cleaner and ask if they can stretch it out during their cleaning process. Some people frustrated with shrinkage have had success with a professional cleaning.

• To avoid shrinkage in the future, hang shirts to air dry or tumble dry them on the low or delicate setting in the dryer.

• Don't hang the damp shirt on a wire hanger, if possible, to avoid the chance of getting rust on your shirt.

• When you and your friend stretch out the shirt, don't pull so hard on the material that it rips. Slow and gentle yet firm tugs are ideal.

References

• How to Cheat at Cleaning: Time-Slashing Techniques to Cut Corners and Restore Your Sanity; Jeff Bredenberg
• The Ultimate Guide to Shopping & Caring for Clothing: Everything You Need to Know From Blue Jeans to Ball Gowns!; Steve Boorstein