How to Stretch Jeans

Those perfect jeans may not be so perfect after an accidental run in the dryer or a couple of extra pounds. However, there's hope for the shrunken beauties in the closet. Follow this guide to stretch denim jeans so that they're back in wearable form once more.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Water
• Spray bottle

1. Put on the jeans to distinguish which sections require stretching. The easiest sections of the garment to stretch are the bottom and thighs, since the fabric weave stretches horizontally. Areas such as the waistband are pretty hard to resize due to their composition.

2. Fill the water bottle with lukewarm water, and set the nozzle to a medium spray.

3. To stretch the buttock section of the jean, spray the rear until it's damp with water. Next, get ready to "knee" the garment: bend your leg, fit one cheek over the kneecap, and pull with a strong and sustained motion for several seconds. Repeat this with the other side. Put the jeans on when finished.

4. For the thigh, spray the denim with water and put the jeans on completely. It feels very uncomfortable for a moment, but the clammy feeling will lessen as the water warms from the body's heat.

5. For both areas, take about ten minutes to move around energetically. Do lunges, squats and kicks to stretch out the fabric. After a bit, the tight fabric will yield and reshape to suit the body once again.

Tips & Warnings

• If your jeans have shrunken lengthwise, it's possible to stretch them somewhat. However, the lengthwise grain of denim often doesn't possess much stretch on the vertical. The best bet for this is to pull the jeans and secure the garment at both ends to dry.
• After stretching the jeans, it's wise to get as many wearings as possible in before the next cleansing. Don't submerge stretched jeans in water soon after stretching. To keep the shape, try dry-cleaning. Never machine dry stretched jeans.