What to do if viscose shrinks after washing?

What to do if viscose shrinks after washing Viscose is a soft and delicate fabric that can “shrink” if the rules of care are not followed. Clothes made from such material are so pleasant to the body that no one focuses on this drawback. What should you do if your viscose item shrinks after washing? Is it possible to return your favorite clothes to their former appearance, or will you have to part with them forever? Let's take a closer look.

The simplest recovery methods

If after washing and drying you notice that your favorite viscose blouse has shrunk, you need to act quickly to save it. To help housewives, there are three elementary methods that have been proven over the years. So, you can return the shape to clothes made of viscose material:

generously moisten the item from a spray bottle. After this, the item of clothing should be put on and worn until the fabric dries. In most cases, this helps correct the situation - your favorite viscose T-shirt or blouse takes its previous shape;
Having prepared the iron, setting the silk ironing program. The product must be thoroughly ironed, moistened with water. It is advisable to use the steam generator mode. When ironing, be sure to stretch the fabric with your palms to the sides, this will help restore the original appearance of the clothing;
completely immersing the viscose item in a container with clean water. Afterwards, the product should be wrung out and hung on a rope for further drying. The sleeves of a shirt or dress need to be stretched in length and secured with clothespins on a linen thread. After two hours, you need to remove the clothespins and leave the laundry to dry naturally.

If you don't know what to do, you can try any of the suggested methods. Usually, returning the shape of a shrunken item is not so difficult; just wet it again and dry it, following all the recommendations.

Let's act tougher

If following the simplest tips you cannot save a viscose item, you will have to resort to “improved” methods. Experienced housewives advise not to get upset, but to adopt backup options.

A solution of soda, table vinegar, a hair dryer, or a weight suspended from the hem can help return the shape of a shrunken viscose item.

You can try to return the product to its original appearance.

Prepare a solution of soda (in proportions of 1 tsp per glass of water), moisten a piece of gauze in it. Then you should put a gauze cloth on your clothes and run an iron over it with a steam generator setting.
Moisten the item in clean water, then treat it with a similar soda solution. Next, you need to roll a viscose blouse or dress into a tube and carefully pull its edges. Then the thing unfolds and twists again, but in the opposite direction. The stretching procedure is repeated. At the end of the manipulations, the product should be rinsed and dried.
Take a cotton sheet and wet it with a soda solution (one teaspoon of soda per 300 ml of water). The sheet is placed on a horizontal surface and straightened out. The shrunken viscose item should be placed on the canvas and covered with the free edge of the sheet. Wait two hours, then rinse the clothes and dry them.
Stretch the completely dampened viscose sweater over the back of a chair, box, and dry with a hairdryer.
Use a weight. This method is suitable when the item has decreased in length. If the hem is shortened, the bottom of the underwear is “grabbed” with an elastic band, where a light weight (400 grams) is then hung.Similar actions can be performed with shrunken sleeves or shorter trousers. In this position, the item can hang for a maximum of an hour, otherwise the bottom will stretch too much and be uneven.
Moisten viscose with vinegar solution (100 ml vinegar and half a liter of water). The item should be stretched out on a hard surface and secured on four sides with heavy objects. After 30 minutes, you need to rinse the product.

If you don’t want to “tinker” with a shrunken item, it is better to take the item to a trusted dry cleaner. Competent specialists can stretch clothes to the desired size, while maintaining their shape and brightness.

From now on, wash according to the instructions.

Washing in hot water causes viscose material to shrink. It is the heating temperature that determines whether the item will “shrink” or not. Before washing, carefully read the care instructions on the label to avoid problems with deformation.

The water temperature when cleaning viscose clothing should be no more than 50°C.

It is important to use high-quality detergents. For washing it is allowed to use:

liquid gels;
special capsules for SMA;
powders, but always for delicate fabrics.

Optical brighteners and aggressive stain removers should be avoided when washing. Boiling is strictly prohibited, otherwise it will be impossible to restore your favorite item by any means.