TBF Tool: How to Unshrink a Wool Sweater

July 16, 2005 09:08 AM

unshrink wool sweater

Accidentally shrink your favorite wool sweater? Well, this tip gives you instructions on how to unshrink that sweater in using your own kitchen sink:

Stretch your wool sweater by soaking the garment in a tub of gentle hair conditioner and lukewarm water. Do not wring the sweater, but after draining the tub, press the sweater against the side of the basin to drain the excess water.  Remove the garment and lay it flat on a very thick, very absorbent towel. Use another towel to blot away the excess water. Gently pull the sweater into the desired shape. Let the sweater air dry flat.

Interesting fact: A similar procedure, called blocking, is used by high-end knit designers like St. John Knits to “stretch” garments to a larger size.

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September 10, 2005 Agathe wrote:
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I didn’t even know that was possible! Finally I can fix my boyfriends sweater that I accidentaly shrinked. Thanks!

November 22, 2005 Thea wrote:
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Great idea, but does it work on jeans? I shrunk my favorite slouch jeans by leaving them in the dryer to long. Any ideas? Thanks

November 30, 2005 Amy wrote:
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I have the same question - is there any way you can unshrink jeans?  my boyfriend put my 3 favourite pairs of jeans in the dryer on hot and I can hardly get into them now!  I think it may have been because they had elastic in them ........ any tips?

November 17, 2006 Amber wrote:
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Hi,
You can unshrink your jeans by washing them again in cold water with gentle detergent, and letting them hang to dry. After they are dry, wear them a few times before washing them again. They’ll stretch out as you move around. I never dry my tight jeans in the dryer, they always shrink too much.

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