Depending on the circumstances, it may be feasible to recover the original size and form of a garment made of merino wool that was accidentally shrunk in the dryer. Before wearing it, you can easily unshrink a wool coat at home using a procedure identical to that of professionals — known as knit blocking.
This procedure will allow you to raise the size of your sweater by about a size and a half, and it will work on several knit fabrics, including cotton and wool.
Is it possible that you’ve accidentally shrunk your favorite merino wool sweater in the washing machine? If this is the case, you are not alone. Fortunately, there is a simple solution to the typical laundry disaster of shrinking clothes. Continue reading to find out how!
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Unshrinking Merino Wool Clothing:
If you’ve been wondering if there’s a method to get merino wool to stop shrinking after washing, you’ve come to the correct spot. For example, you may have forgotten to segregate your laundry; your favorite merino wool leggings went through a conventional wash and dry cycle, resulting in a pair of baby pants.
Maybe your friend thought they were doing you a favor by putting your damp wool socks in the machine, but now you’ve got a new fuzz for your big toe to show for their efforts. Every step, regardless of circumstance, is, for the most part, identical:
Step 1: Fill a Bathtub or Sink Halfway With Warm Water
Water, heat, and agitation are the three primary components responsible for shrinking merino wool – but we can utilize some of the same factors to counteract the shrinking process.
Step 2: Dissolve It in the Water Using a Liberal Amount of Conditioner
It is possible to purchase wool-specific conditioners designed to aid this process, but many individuals prefer to use their regular hair conditioner. If you mix in a small amount of your regular detergent, it can also aid in emulsifying the conditioner and water together.
Step 3: Allow Several Minutes of Soaking Time for the Merino Wool Outfit
You should assist with this process by squeezing the clothing so that the conditioner may travel through each layer correctly and thoroughly. Ideally, a 20-minute soak should be sufficient time. Important: Do not rinse your clothing as your following step! It is not necessary. That will be addressed later.
Step 4: Squeeze Out Any Excess Water and Lie Down on a Towel
Use a sheet or a blanket to organize things if you’re working with a larger piece than your biggest towel. You should also have a second one to place on top of the first to press out all extra moisture.
Step 5: Reshape the Object as Needed and Repeat the Process
You’ll need to work in small, proportional parts once you’ve finished squeezing out the excess water to stretch your clothing to return to its original form.
To ensure that the clothing dries thoroughly, you should do this in phases and small increments. Use of fasteners or weights to hold any garment component in place is strictly prohibited.
Step 6: Wash and Dry Your Merino Wool a Second Time
As soon as you are pleased with the reshaping and the clothing has been allowed to dry fully, you must wash the garment to remove any remaining conditioner residue before you may wear or store it again. It is important to wash the clothing only in cool water and dry it flat, away from light and heat sources.
Is It Possible to Unshrink Merino Wool?
Most of the time, you can unshrink wool by properly soaking and stretching it in a certain manner. It is necessary to return the wool to the condition that caused it to shrink first and then gently stretch the fibers back to their original length and shape.
It all comes down to the fibers used to construct them with some natural fabrics. Wool includes protein, as do the majority of animal fibers.
On top of that, Wool has a unique structure that makes it very appealing. Because of this, its fibers crimp and curl together. Wool’s excellent insulating and water-resistant properties are due to the formation of small, microscopic air pockets inside the fabric.
The problem with these curly fibers is that when they are transformed into strands for weaving or knitting, they become level out and drawn into relatively straight lines.
However, if you wash them in a warm washing machine, the heat and friction will help the fibers return to their spring-like curlicues. Think about what will happen to your clothing if all of the fibers in your fabric shrink back into their original size.
Additionally, each wool fiber has an outside layer of rough shingles that will grab and cling together as the fibers hook and catch together.
When the shingles are agitated by the spinning action of most laundry machines, they stick out in all directions and grab on one another. Eventually, this will cause all of the strands to adhere closely together, which will result in the transformation of the wool into flat, hard felt!
Today, producers often pretreat wool for clothing with chemicals that allow the wool to be washed in cold water without being harmed or discolored. These chemicals work by subduing the scales covering the fibers, allowing them to maintain their flat position long after the washing machine stops spinning them.
How Do I Wash Wool Without Making It Shrink?
The manufacturer’s recommendations on the garment label or using cold water and the delicate mode in your washing machine are the best ways to wash wool without having it shrink. Wool may also be washed by hand to ensure that it receives delicate handling that will not cause its fibers to coil up and retreat during the drying process.
The best way to ensure that your wool garment lasts as long as possible is to carefully follow the care instructions printed on the tag inside the garment. This is often seen around the back of the neck or even in a side seam at the hem of the garment.
The use of normal washing detergent on woolen clothes is not recommended. Enzymes are destroyed using these soaps, which helps the detergent take stains out of cotton or synthetic garments better. The enzymes, unfortunately, also nibble away at the protein fibers found in wool!
In addition, you should avoid washing wool in hot water. As a general rule, you should avoid submerging wool in water for an extended period, but you should also avoid overheating it! This will cause the fibers in the clothes to stick to one another and compress together, causing the fabric to shrink.
I’m sure it goes without saying, but never dry wool in the dryer! All of those protein-based, curly fibers will twist back up into their initial curlicues due to the heat, and you will discover yourself with a garment that is many sizes too small for you.
Anything made of wool should be dried in the open air. In the case of a sweater drying rack, you may gently smooth a wool garment to rest level on top of the mesh rack’s top surface. If you don’t have one, lay out a clean bath towel on the floor and put the wool garments on it.
You may need to flip the clothing over after a day to allow it to dry on all sides. In general, you should avoid hanging a sweater or pair of pants to dry since the weight of the water may cause the wool to stretch out!
What Is the Most Effective Method of Unshrinking Merino Wool?
You may undress merino wool using all of the same techniques that you would use to undress normal wool. Water and soak in a hair conditioner solution works particularly well, as long as you follow it with extremely gently stretching.
What’s so distinctive about merino wool? This wool, on the other hand, is still derived from sheep. Everything originates from a specific breed of sheep that generates exceptionally fine fleece!
As a result, merino wool is considered one of the softest textiles on the planet. While it is not the warmest of wools, it is frequently used as delicate base layers for sports use or as elegant cardigans for formal wear because of its delicate nature. It also has a high monetary value. Therefore you want to know how to take the greatest care of it!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is it possible to repair merino wool that has shrunken?
A. Merino wool garments may be made to fit again. Depending on the circumstances, it may be able to recover the original size and form of a garment made of merino wool that has been accidentally shrunk in the dryer.
Is it possible to reverse the shrinking of a wool sweater?
A. Using a mix of water and hair conditioner or fresh water and fabric softener is the most effective approach to unshrink wool. In addition to vinegar, Epsom salt, Woolite, and baby shampoo, other items that assist wool fibers to restore their form include.
What causes the shrinkage of merino wool?
A. even though merino wool does not feel as quickly as other types of wool, it will shrink significantly if you subject it to heat and stress. Mercerized wool garments are sometimes called superwash garments because they are more durable than other types of wool clothing.
Wrapping it Up:
Merino wool is a wonderful fabric for various garments; however, it often shrinks when washed. If you’re diligent and follow the proper approach, though, you should be able to undress merino wool without too much difficulty.
In other words, if your favorite merino wool shirt or sweater has shrunk in the washing machine, don’t be discouraged – follow these easy procedures, and it will be returned to its previous size.
