Clothes keep shrinking!

13 years ago

I posted this in the appliance forum and they suggested that I post in this forum. I am so fed up with my clothes shrinking when I wash them in the washing machine. I never put my "good clothes" in the dryer so it's not the heat that is causing my clothes to shrink. Could it be the dryer? Could the detergent be too harsh? Is it the water? I bought 2 new sweaters a few weeks ago. I wore the black one a few times and washed it in cold water on Sunday and hung it up to dry. I compared it to the gray one just a few minutes ago, and the black one shrunk up a few inches! I'm furious. The fabric of the sweater is 60% cotton/40% rayon. My washer is a 4-year-old Fridgidaire stacked unit.

Can anyone provide any advice? I'd greatly appreciate it. I'd hate to go buy a new unit if there's nothing wrong with the current one.

Thanks!

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Comments (9)

herring_maven
13 years ago
teelo_boo wrote: "I am so fed up with my clothes shrinking when I wash them in the washing machine. I never put my 'good clothes' in the dryer so it's not the heat that is causing my clothes to shrink. Could it be the dryer? Could the detergent be too harsh? Is it the water?"

Your problem is not your Frigidaire washer (unless it is feeding hot water to the wash when the setting is on cold -- which is possible); your problem is not the detergent that you are using, and it is not the mineral content of the water.

Your problem could be the temperature of the water. Your statements about the dryer need some clarification, as you wrote that you do not put the clothes in the dryer, then asked if the dryer is the problem. The drying process is the first suspect in cotton or wool shrinkage.

When you hung the black sweater out to dry, where did you hang it? If you hung it near a household heating vent or a radiator, that could be the reason. For potentially shrink-prone clothing, your best bet is to lay it flat on a horizontal surface at room temperature (68ÃÂ° F. or 20ÃÂ° C.), and not above a heat vent.
jakvis
13 years ago
Generally at this time of year I find all of my clothes shrinking a bit but usually by spring they seem to have adjusted back to their original size and fit.
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It might be the textiles. Certain spins of cotton shrink even in cold water. Rayon is less likely to shrink, but can. It shouldn't be the detergent or water quality. Those can affect color, but don't generally do anything to shrink. Are you sure that the two sweaters were identical in size when they were brand new? Different colors are often made with different fibers in different factories. Blacks in general tend to be a bit smaller new. This might be from dyeing them after sewing (i.e., garment dyed). Blacks are usually a multi-stage dye process where they overdye the ones that didn't come out right from a lighter color vat. They are processed more, often with heat, which leads to some pre-shrinkage, so your cold wash might be keeping lighter colors from shrinking but the blacks might have already shrunk. Another issue is finish. Once the garments are made, they're often processed with sizing or other treatments, and are blocked, which stretches them to maximum. They look crisp and nice in the store. After a few washings, the sizing is all washed out and the garment goes limp and shrinks a bit. Therefore, the blocking and sizing might have made the black seem the same size as the gray, but if the gray wasn't as heavily processed it might actually be larger in the long run. As I said before, this is something known about blacks. They tend to be smaller for ostensibly the same garment. This is one of the differences between a $10 shirt, a $75 shirt and a $250 shirt. I'd expect it of the first, I'd be annoyed by the second but not too surprised, and I'd take the third back and demand a full refund even though it had been worn and washed several times, because better quality and no surprises are supposed to be what you're paying for with an expensive garment. But then, the expensive ones usually just say "dry clean only" so that they're not responsible for laundry mishaps that are caused by the manufacturers' quality problems. With natural fiber sweaters, you're best off washing in cool water, and laying flat to dry on some layers of towel. Shape the sweater to the way you want it to hang. Usually, hanging sweaters to dry can cause them to droop and sag, though sometimes being free can make a loose twist draw up. If you lay it flat you might be able to use the friction from the towel to keep it spread the way you want it.
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badgergrrl
13 years ago
With that much cotton content, it's possible that the garment has stretched out and is "shrinking" back to its original shape....

Also, different dyes can cause different reactions in fibers.

It's also possible that the fiber that was used in the garment was not pre-washed.

Does this happen with other clothing? What types?
teelo_boo
Original Author
13 years ago
My mistake. I meant to ask if it was the washing machine - not the dryer. The only clothes I put in the dryer are pajamas, panties and socks. I wash all of my clothes in cold water. After I washed the black sweater, I used a dryer rack in the dining room. There's no vent in that room.

After I washed the purple sweater, I hung it on a hanger in the guest bedroom. There is a vent in the guest bedroom, but it is not near where I hung up the purple sweater. I don't think it could be the drying process that caused problems with the purple sweater because the shrinkage was noticeable as soon as it came out of the washing machine.

The next time I do laundry, I'll check to see if there's hot water getting fed into the washer.

badgergrrl, this mostly happens with cotton blend clothes. Today's camisole is 95% cotton/5% spandex. The gray and black sweaters are 60% cotton/40% rayon. The purple sweater is 100% cotton.

Strangely enough, I have a pink blouse (some kind of rayon blend) that shrunk after I hand-washed it. That's why I was starting to think that I am having water problems. I washed that one in Woolite, which I always thought was gentle.

Thanks for your advice, and thanks for listening to my rant!
beaniebakes
13 years ago
What are the care instructions on the labels? Rayon is known to shrink and should generally be dry cleaned. See the following link for more than you'll ever want to know about rayon.

Here is a link that might be useful: Information on Rayon
calliope
13 years ago
I do a lot of sewing and quilting, and I have noticed a steady lowering of quality in fabrics in general anymore. If I am seeing it in the raw fabric I buy, I must assume we are all seeing in in the clothing produced from it.
teelo_boo
Original Author
13 years ago
Instructions
Purple sweater: machine wash cold with like colors; gentle cycle
Black sweater: machine wash cold with like colors; gentle cycle
Pink blouse (95% rayon/5% Spandex): hand wash with cold water

I'm hoping to go back to the store and find the same black sweater tomorrow. I really liked it! I can't replace the pink one, and it's possible that I can replace the purple sweater. I'm also going to start having to dry clean more of my clothes. If manufacturers are starting to get cheap with their fabrics, then I guess I don't have a choice!
beaniebakes
13 years ago
Rayon shrinks. Period. I learned the hard way when I washed a rayon blouse. It has nothing to do with the cheapness of the fabric,though I agree that fabric isn't what it used to be. (Don't get me started about sheets; whatever happened to crisp percale?)
What does the care label say?
teelo_boo
Original Author
13 years ago
The pink rayon shirt is the one that says hand wash with cold water.

I was able to buy a replacement for the black sweater yesterday! The replacement will only go to the dry cleaner - no more washing machine! I'll hunt for the purple sweater this coming weekend.

I wish I could upload a picture that shows the difference between my pink rayon shirt and my sister's (we buy a lot of the same clothes). Maybe I'll try to get her to bring hers down when she comes for Christmas.

Clothes keep shrinking!

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Clothes keep shrinking!

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