Doing laundry is annoying, but what’s even more annoying is shrinking the clothes.
There are various ways to prevent clothes from shrinking circulating on the Internet, such as adding vinegar, adding borax, etc., but there is no scientific and rigorous explanation. So today I will explain it to you in a scientific and rigorous manner:
Why do clothes shrink and what to do if they shrink.
The shrinkage of the clothes is due to the expansion of the yarn:
Top: before expansion due to water absorption Bottom: after expansion due to water absorption[ 1]
Yes, shrinkage is due to water absorption and expansion!
Fabric is generally made of interwoven warp and weft yarns. When the yarns absorb water, they will expand to varying degrees. Resulting in an increase in fiber diameter. The warp and weft yarns wrap around each other, and the intersection points between each other are fixed to each other. If the diameter of the weft yarn increases, the warp yarn must increase in length to maintain the state of wrapping the weft yarn. After natural drying, the fabric still maintains its shrinking shape due to the friction block between fiber yarns, which restricts the free movement of the yarns. Fabrics often shrink in area, increase in thickness and have an uneven surface after being dried in water.
We can see from the picture above that the yarn diameter becomes larger after expansion compared with before expansion, the yarns are closer to each other, and the fiber tortuosity increases. Part of the yarn length is consumed in the bend, which causes the fiber to shrink and become smaller. After the clothes are dried, it is difficult to restore them to their original shape under natural conditions due to the presence of friction.
Table of water absorption properties of different fibers
Shrinkage is a condition that occurs in most fibers. It is just the degree of shrinkage. Difference:
Generally speaking, natural fibers (cotton, wool, silk) shrink to a higher degree than chemical fibers (polyester, nylon, acrylic). Because the structure and water absorption of natural fibers are different from chemical fibers. For example: pure cotton T-shirts that are often bought in summer often shrink (low-quality cotton fabrics are more likely to shrink, and high-quality cotton fabrics have been treated with anti-shrinkage). It is difficult to observe shrinkage in jackets made of nylon fabrics.
Methods to prevent shrinkage:
The performance of high-quality fabrics is different from that of low-end fabrics. In order to prevent the fabric from shrinking, the dyeing and finishing factory will perform anti-shrink treatment in the finishing part.
Styling method: mercerizing (using concentrated sodium hydroxide solution to force the cotton fiber to expand under tension conditions to shape it)
Resin finishing method (forming bonds with the fiber to increase the size of the fiber) It reduces the chain segment diffusion and movement barrier, and at the same time blocks the -OH hydroxyl group and reduces the water absorption capacity.)
Pre-shrinking method: Through water washing and mechanical force, the fabric is forced to shrink, thereby reducing shrinkage in the hands of consumers. .
It is difficult for us consumers to perform anti-shrink treatment after buying clothes (iron ironing will have a certain anti-shrink function.)
Clothes that have shrunk What to do:
I regret to tell you that fabric shrinkage is irreversible, and it is difficult to reverse the shrinkage. (Because of the frictional resistance between fibers and the interweaving resistance between yarns.)
As introduced online, let the clothes be washed in wet water again, and then fixed and stretched with external force. This method is prone to uneven stress, resulting in different size specifications than before washing. At the same time, it cannot fundamentally solve the shrinkage of clothes, and they will still shrink after washing again.
I have some suggestions for clothing shrinkage:
If you want to fundamentally solve the problem of shrinkage, please choose high-quality fabrics. Low-end fabrics will save on shrinkage finishing due to cost reasons.
Dry cleaning is recommended for clothes that are sensitive to shrinkage. Dry cleaning solvents will not easily cause the fibers to swell.
Don’t easily try to add vinegar, soy sauce and other folk remedies online, as they will cause irreversible staining and damage to some fibers.
