No More Tears, No More Shrinkage
Baby shampoo isn’t just for children’s bath time. It’s also the miracle fix that can coax a shrunken sweater back to its original size. To try this trick yourself, you’ll need baby shampoo (fabric softener and hair conditioner also work), a towel, a bucket, and a cork or foam board you can pin the sweater to.
The process is simple, but there are some caveats. This method is most likely to work with sweaters made of more pliable materials such as wool, mohair, and cotton. Synthetic fibers like acrylic, polyester, and nylon typically stay shrunk once they’ve been shrunk.
For natural fibers, follow these steps:
1. Mix 2 tablespoons of baby shampoo (or fabric softener or hair conditioner) with about a gallon of lukewarm (not hot) water in a big bucket. This combination helps loosen the sweater’s fibers, making them easier to stretch.
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2. Soak the sweater in the bucket for at least 20 minutes. There’s no harm in letting it sit for up to two hours to further loosen the fibers.
3. Drain the bucket and gently squeeze excess water out of the sweater. Go easy. If you’re too rough, you risk damaging the material.
4. Lay a towel on a flat surface, then place the sweater on top. Carefully roll it all up like a Swiss roll, then press on the towel to draw moisture out of the sweater and into the towel.
5. Transfer the sweater onto a cork or foam board and stretch it out — gently, again — as much as possible without straining the fibers. Secure it with pushpins or something similar.
6. Let the sweater rest for an hour, then stretch it a little further and repin it. Repeat this until the sweater won’t stretch any more.
Remember to treat your sweater with care during the process, especially if it’s made of a fragile fiber. Too much heavy-handed stretching can tear it or damage it beyond repair, so move slowly and be patient.
