Investing In High-End Accessories

Six Laundry Mistakes That Make Your Tie Dye T-Shirts Shrink

8 July 2016 by Maas Roelvink

There's nothing worse than ruining that vintage tie dye shirt (from an outlet such as ByKiy) that fits and looks absolutely perfect. Tie dye t-shirts and accessories are often made of cotton, and cotton is prone to shirking if it is not handled properly.

The following are six mistakes you need to avoid making if you want to keep your cotton tie dye accessories at the perfect size:   

Neglecting to read labels

T-shirt labels will tell you whether or not a shirt is pre-shrunk. You can be a little more careless with a pre-shrunk cotton t-shirt and be fairly sure that it won't shrink too much. However, if you have a tie dye cotton shirt that hasn't been pre-shrunk, you need to treat it with extra care by avoiding the other mistakes listed below. 

Machine drying

If you're worried about shrinking, you should always hang dry a shirt rather than putting it in a machine dryer. Machine dryers subject clothing to heat, and this heat can release the tension that builds up in the fabric when cotton garments are manufactured. The loss of this tension is the reason why shrinkage occurs. 

Using a washing machine with a central agitator

Washing machines with central agitators are harder on clothing than high-efficiency top loaders or machines that load in the front. While a front loading washer will move clothing around simply by rotating, a top loader with a central agitator will roughly yank the clothing around in the middle of the machine. This could damage the fabric and make it more likely that the fabric will become warped while it is being washed. 

Washing with hot water

Again, exposing cotton clothing to heat is the major cause of shrinkage. Cotton clothing can shrink even if you use cold or warm water, but shrinkage is guaranteed to be worse if you use hotter water. 

Washing with cooler water is not only good for cotton tie dye t-shirts because it prevents shrinkage. It's also good for this type of garment because colors are less likely to run and fade in colder water. Therefore, your tie dyes will stay as bright as possible over time if you always wash them on cold. 

Using a harsher cycle

Putting your cotton t-shirts in on a gentle cycle will ensure that they are being washed for a shorter amount of time. It will also ensure that their fabric will be minimally impacted by the agitation of the washer's cycle. 

Washing too often

The less frequently you wash a tie-dye garment, the less it will be subject to situations that encourage both shrinkage and fading of colors. Only wash your tie dyes when absolutely necessary to keep them looking and fitting great as long as possible.    

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