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Parenting

29th Sep 2019

Laundry hack: How to un-shrink clothes using baby shampoo

Miracles can happen.

HerFamily

You’ve just taken a load of laundry out of the tumble dryer when you realise that your favourite pair of trousers are now half their original size.

We’ve all been there.

When your washing machine and tumble dryer are constantly going (like mine), the chances of SOMEONE (not you, of course) regularly shrinking items of clothing are pretty high. No amount of breathing in, or trying to persuade the husband to stretch your trousers, is going to fix the problem (trust me, I’ve tried), which is why I usually end up donating the teeny tiny items of clothing to charity.

That is until I discovered a way to unshrink the clothes. Yes, unshrink. Here’s how baby shampoo can help save the day:

1. Fill a sink with lukewarm water and add a cap of baby shampoo.

2. Let the item soak in the baby shampoo water and gently work it through. This will relax the fibres in the clothing.

3. Remove the clothing and gently squeeze out the water. Do not rinse.

4. Take a large towel and lay the clothing flat on it.

5. Roll the towel up with the clothing inside. This absorbs the moisture so the clothing is damp but not wet.

6. Gently stretch the clothing as it lays out to dry.

7. Continue to do this until the clothing returns to its original size.

unshrink

Image via One Good Thing by Jillee

Topics:

life hack