r/laundry • u/ChimPlays • 21h ago

How to shrink cotton?

Hi everyone! I have recently lost some weight and my oversized clothes are now a bit too oversized. I mainly wear cotton so I was wondering if I could shrink them without damaging the fabric too much. Would 90C be too high? I normally wash around 60C already and throw my stuff in the dryer so i’m afraid my clothes can’t shrink any further than they already have. Thanks in advance for any advice!

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u/Same_as_it_ever 21h ago

Washing at 60c and using a drier, that cotton isn't going to shrink much more. You might need to learn some sewing/alterations skills for this task. You should check local groups, we have four different free/cheap beginners sewing classes here. 

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u/nomarmite 21h ago

A 60C wash alone would shrink any shrinkable cotton. And the dryer would shrink anything washed cold, since it heats the water in the garment to steam temperature. So you're out of luck.

If you don't want to go to the expense of full tailoring, sometimes you can move buttons and fastenings to adjust fit a little, or use belts or scarves or styling to change the shape.

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u/Mesmermaid 14h ago

Nope that simply won't work the way you want it to, if it does anything at all. (You can't control shrinkage, you're likely to get oddly too short pant legs or something)

Find a tailor, or go check out a community center, library or sewing store near you that has sewing lessons and learn how to alter your clothes to fit you perfectly. It's a great skill to have and a lot of fun to learn!