Ever found your favorite T-Shirt in a shrunk and unwearable condition suddenly? If so, then you know how frustrating it is. There are multiple reasons that shrink a cloth, which include washing in hot water and keeping it in the closet for a long time. However, there are some easy ways to stretch your T-shirt and make it wearable again. Below, we will discuss some most accessible ways of extending how to stretch a t shirt within a few minutes.
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How To Stretch a T Shirt – 3 Effective Ways
There are various ways of stretching a t-shirt. Some of the methods don’t even require any tools or things. Below, we will let you know about three different ways of stretching a shrunk t-shirt at your home.
Stretch a T Shirt with Hand-Stretching (The Easiest Way)
This procedure is considered as the easiest way to stretch a t-shirt. Below, we discussed how to hand-stretch a t-shirt in a step by step guideline.
Step-1
Start with washing your t-shirt. You should do this as the wet fabric will be much easier to stretch. Make sure that you are using cold water while washing. As we said earlier, the hot water can shrink your t-shirt more. You can either use the washing machine or just hand wash. If you are handwashing, then remove the excess water by squeezing the wet t-shirt.
Step-2
Now put the t-shirt on a clean towel. Make sure that the surface you chose is flat, and there is enough room on the towel. Put the t-shirt in a well-manner so that there are no folds or creases in it. Now, start pulling the edges of the t-shirt from both sides vertically. Put an equal amount of force while pulling. Your goal is to stretch the cloth an inch on both edges.
Step-3
Now stretch the t-shirt horizontally from both edges. After that, leave the t-shirt for a few hours to make it air dry completely. It might take multiple hours. Never use the dryer or something like that. Doing so will give you the opposite result.
Stretch a T Shirt with Iron Stretching
Iron stretching is a time-effective way of stretching your shrunk t-shirt. However, it may not work efficiently on some specific types of fabrics. Check out the following guide to know how to do it.
Step-1
At first, soak your t-shirt in a bowl of cold water, as mentioned earlier. Make sure that the whole cloth is evenly soaked. To ensure this, hold the t-shirt underwater for a few minutes.
Step-2
Put the t-shirt on a flat surface for ironing. Use a towel or countertop under the t-shirt to handle the heat properly. Before ironing, take a while to get rid of the excess water by dripping the cloth. Remove any crease or fold from the t-shirt using your hands.
Step-3
Now turn on the iron and put it in the intermediate heat. Hold the t-shirt in its position with one hand and operate the iron with the opposite hand. Start ironing with medium pressure. Turn the iron at different positions, including pulling up, down, and sides. Also, pull and press the t-shirt while ironing to increase stretching.
Step-4
Leave the t-shirt for a few hours after stretching. Let it dry naturally. Note that the method is not that powerful for stretching as it only stretches a little bit. Also, it will not be safe if you have no previous experience of ironing.
Stretch a T Shirt, Shrinking with Vinegar/Conditioner
It is one of the most practical ways of stretching a t-shirt. Keep reading the below guide to know how to do this.
Step-1
At first, take a bowl of moderately warm water. The water should not be much warmer as it can shrink the fabric. The lukewarm water will activate the fabric for stretching. Extremely hot or cold water can’t do so. Now wet the t-shirt in the water. Make sure that the whole fabrics of the t-shirt get wet. Keep it for a while in the water and then take it out.
Step-2
Now remove the water and refill the bowl with one litre of fresh cold water. The bowl needs to be adequately large to submerge the t-shirt fully. Then add one tablespoon equivalent of conditioner in the water. You can use any hair conditioner. More so, you can also use baby shampoo instead of the conditioner. Mix the solution properly so that the conditioner dissolves in the water entirely.
Step-3
You can add one or two tablespoon equivalent of vinegar with the solution for a better result. Vinegar works as a natural fabric softener. More so, it can protect the shirt from damaging while stretching. If you are willing to add vinegar, then do it before adding the conditioner.
Step-4
Now submerge the t-shirt in the solution. Make sure the whole fabric is submerged fully. Try to keep the t-shirt in a flat position while submerged so that the t-shirt can get wet evenly. Now, wait for 15 minutes.
Step-5
Remove the solution of conditioner and vinegar. Add fresh water in the bowl. Now rinse the t-shirt to get rid of excess conditioner in the fabric. Then keep the t-shirt in the freshwater for five more minutes. Once you are done, remove the t-shirt. Place the shirt between two towels to remove the excess water. Then leave it for a while to dry naturally.
Step-6
After drying the t-shirt, put it in a flat position and then pull it vertically and horizontally, as mentioned above. You will notice the t-shirt got stretched significantly. In the above, we discussed multiple guides for stretching a t-shirt. As per our research, they work effectively to unshrink a t-shirt. Hopefully, the mentioned ways will also wor
