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How to make jeans smaller? Washing and other shrinkage methods

How to wash jeans so that they shrink is a simple question. It is only important to understand the types of denim, study the precautions and - go ahead, save your favorite thing! Even an inexperienced housewife can handle the procedure of reducing jeans at home.

A girl thinks about how to wash jeans and trousers

Why is the procedure needed?

Why make jeans smaller when clothing stores already have enough choice? Firstly, we are not all perfect, and often choosing pants that fit our figure becomes a big problem. Sometimes it’s wide at the waist, sometimes it’s narrow at the shins, and you also have to hem it and remove the length. Thanks to special washing conditions, you can adjust the model you like to suit you.

Secondly, not all types of denim are wear-resistant. You will have to reduce the size of your pants if they are stretched. The product itself looks good, emphasizes the figure, only the elongated knees spoil everything. Some people don’t want to splurge on new pants every time the problem of pulling out the old ones arises. The procedure will also help those who have suddenly lost weight.

At home, you can make clothes one size smaller with just washing. It is unlikely that it will be possible to reduce an item by 2 sizes; in such cases it is better to resort to a sewing machine.

Jeans after washing

Types of denim

Jeans come in different varieties: black, white, wide and skinny, expensive and not so expensive. It is the type of fabric that affects the price tag of the product and how to care for it:

  1. Classic denim jeans - not the most budget purchase. But these pants will serve faithfully for several years.How to tell if denim is real? It is made by interlacing two threads and always has a white reverse side. Denim material is cotton from Mexico, Barbados or Zimbabwe. The exceptional properties of this fabric are that the product fits precisely to the figure, as if it were made to order according to individual measurements. These jeans are unlikely to need to be washed to reduce their size.
  2. Jeans - fabric made from Indian and Asian cotton. Such products are cheaper than real denim, but can also be of different densities. A good pair of jeans is thick enough to wear out at the knees. Do these jeans fit? Depends on the material. Asian denim is difficult to shrink. After washing, it becomes rougher and shrinks a little, but soon returns in size. You need to be especially careful when handling jeans made from Indian cotton: it is thinner than Asian cotton and has a fleecy feel. If such a product shrinks, it shrinks in all directions. Not only the width of the belt will change, but also the length and volume of the legs.
  3. Stretch jeans are sewn from natural fabric with the addition of synthetics - lycra. Such products fit the figure well, but they are not so easy to fit using conventional methods. If the product is stretched, the shrinkage procedure will take effect for a maximum of a couple of days, and then the panties will return to their original appearance.
  4. "Summer" jeans - such a thin material that it fully lives up to its name. Some things cannot be carried through the season. They are called jeans conventionally: in fact, they are denim-dyed cotton (cotton), but the interweaving of the threads does not resemble real jeans. A thin product can be quickly wiped, and it is highly undesirable to wash it in hot water or boil it: the fabric will definitely shrink and will not stretch anymore.

Important
Remember: if you do not take precautions, you risk damaging the product. Perform all manipulations with caution, ask experienced friends for advice.

We make jeans smaller: machine washable

The method is suitable for products made of natural fabric: real denim and jeans. The composition should contain, if not 100, then at least 70-80 percent cotton. Washing in a washing machine will not cause much harm to durable and dense fabric. But it is not recommended to wash items with synthetic fabric components this way: they will stretch even more or shrink so much that they completely lose their shape.

Washing jeans in a washing machine

Despite the fact that denim is highly durable, the shrinkage procedure should not be abused. Jeans from frequent washing will fade and lose their presentation.

Advice
To prevent expensive jeans from turning into summer clothes, give them a rest, that is, wash them in a gentle cycle at low temperatures.

Denim may contain a small percentage of synthetics. This complicates the shrinkage procedure. What can I do to make these pants shrink? Wash them on an intensive cycle at a temperature of 80-90 degrees, use a fast spin. You can shrink your jeans if you wash them this way several times without wearing them.

The author of the site purity-en.htgetrid.com recommends testing things made from real denim. First you need to wash your jeans in hot water, but not for long. Choose the express mode of the washing machine, that is, up to 30 minutes. If nothing happened to the product, you can experiment on a large scale.

Handwash

A safer way. To make your jeans smaller, follow these steps:

  1. Soak them in very hot water for 20-30 minutes. Be careful not to get burned!
  2. Use very cold water to rinse.This “contrast shower” will make your jeans narrower. Just move your pants from cold to hot water several times.
  3. If time allows, you can soak the product overnight in cold water and wash it in hot water in the morning.
  4. Wring the jeans well.
  5. Dry them on a horizontal surface.

Washing jeans by hand

A fun way to make your jeans shrink if you take a bath while wearing them! After swimming, rinse your pants and dry them.

Cooking jeans

Instead of washing your pants, you can boil them, as women did in Soviet times. This procedure is guaranteed to reduce the size of the item, but will also affect its color. If you like blue-gray stains and a boiled-out tint, then feel free to proceed. If not, the method is not suitable for you.

  1. Take a large saucepan and fill it with water.
  2. What to weld jeans with? Add detergent: powder or regular soap. The solution should be saturated.
  3. Place the clothes in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for about half an hour. Bonus: thanks to this washing, you can not only reduce the size of the product, but also get rid of old dirt.

Cooking jeans

Advice
To avoid severe stains, turn the item inside out.

Drying correctly

Jeans can shrink even after regular washing if you dry them properly. The main thing is to reduce drying time. If the item dries for a long time, the fibers of the fabric have time to straighten out. Do this:

  • place the washed clothes near a heat source: radiators, stoves, or simply lay them out on the street so that the sun's rays fall on them;
  • place terry cloth under the product, which absorbs moisture well;
  • use an automatic dryer.

To prevent the item from fading from the sun, dry it by turning it inside out.If your pants dry on fabric, take one that you don’t mind, because jeans can fade. When drying on a radiator, it is also recommended to place a thin cloth so that there are no dirty yellow stains left on the product. To reduce only the width of the trousers, hang them on clothespins to dry. Their own gravity will not allow them to become shorter.

drying jeans

Precautions and Tips

  1. Do not boil or wash items decorated with rhinestones and lace at high temperatures. The decor will definitely suffer.
  2. It should be understood that after the procedure, not only the width, but also the length of the trousers will change. If you buy an item a size larger, then take it with a margin of length.
  3. If the item is stretched in certain places and begins to shine, for example, on the knees, wipe them with a swab dipped in ammonia, then apply a slurry of washing powder to these places and only then wash as usual.
  4. Sometimes it is advised to take stretch jeans a size smaller, because they stretch quickly. However, pants that are too tight do not allow the skin to breathe and compress blood vessels. Choose wisely and don't buy jeans that are too tight. It's better to buy in size, so how to taper jeans at home It’s not difficult to do and it won’t be harmful to health. You can also buy new ones if the old ones stretch out. But there will be no harm to health.
  5. The product may fade greatly. Be careful not to end up with dirty gray pants instead of bright blue ones.
  6. What can you do to keep your jeans from stretching for as long as possible? The first rule: buy quality denim or jeans. And if you like thin synthetic trousers, then strictly follow the care instructions indicated on the label.If stretch jeans are stretched, they cannot be returned to their original shape.

If the product is out of size or has lost its attractiveness, do not despair! Arm yourself with our advice and try to bring your products back to life.

We recommend reading the article: how to stretch jeans to the right size

What mistakes should you not make when reducing jeans by 1-2 sizes?
  1. Faith

    Either I’ve lost weight, or my favorite denim shorts have stretched out... But I didn’t expect to wear them this summer. After reading the article I decided to take a risk. I washed it in the machine at 90 degrees 3 times in a row. and they actually sat down!! They've definitely shrunk in size. Thank you!

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