There’s nothing worse than putting your favorite shirt in the laundry only to find that it shrunk to about half its size once cleaned. Heat is the enemy of delicate fabrics and the reason why your clothes are shrinking. Although most shrinking happens during the drying process it can also be affected in the wash. LaundroXpress offers full service dry cleaning and top of the line equipment with our washers and dryers. But there are other ways of avoiding your clothes from shrinking. Read on below to learn how to keep your clothes looking like new.

Fabrics shrink because when they are woven originally they are under tension. Heat is the enemy of this tension and when applied to the fabric reduces the tension and causes shrinkage. This can happen during washing, drying, steaming, as well as just being out in the sun! Natural fabrics such as cotton, wool, and cashmere are the most at risk for potentially shrinking. You should never wash delicate fabrics in your laundry; the best option is to use a dry cleaning service.

At home there are ways of reducing shrinking of your clothing. Not over washing your clothes will diminish the amount of shrinking and allows the fabric tension to settle. Although avoiding the dryer is the best way to keep your clothes from shrinking and looking like new. Washing your clothes in hot water can also cause clothes to shrink! The best way to avoid this is by washing your clothing in cold water as well as on the delicate cycle.

When it comes to keeping your clothes looking like new the worst thing for your clothes is the dryer. The average dryer temperature is around 135°. The dyer works by generating high temperatures as well as roughly tossing around the clothes in the bin for about an hour. This is what really deteriorates fabrics and causes the most shrinkage as well as discoloration.

The best way to keep clothes looking new is to avoid the dryer all together. Investing in a clothesline or drying rack is your best option. This will not only cut costs on your energy bill, but actually helps keep your clothes smelling fresher and reduces discoloration. Allowing your clothes to air dry is very delicate on the fabrics and allows the fabrics to breathe which greatly reduces shrinkage.

LaundroXpress has a variety of top of the line washers and dryers with multiple options that allows you to select the proper setting for your fabric. On top of that, our full service dry cleaning can help you with your more delicate fabrics. Our staff is fully trained on working with certain delicate fabrics, and our goal is to keep your clothes looking and feeling like the first time your wore them. So stop by and leave your laundry needs to us!