Sometimes jeans stretch during wear. Many buyers are then upset and immediately put the thing away. But do not immediately fall into despair. After all, having learned why this happens, you can understand what to do if the jeans are stretched.
Why jeans can stretch
Classic 100% cotton twill jeans, due to their fiber structure, stretch very quickly in places that often cause the fabric to stretch (on the buttocks and knees). Manufacturers are aware of this, and in an effort to avoid customer dissatisfaction, they add some special fibers of synthetic lycra (or elastane) to the fabric. Only 2-5% elastane in jeans will make them soft and slightly stretchy.
But in budget models, most often the percentage of lycra content is much higher than the permissible one. This allows you to significantly save on natural ingredients, but makes jeans fragile - elastane threads, left without the support of cotton counterparts,they simply burst, a small bubble forms at the site of the mini-accident. What to do if the jeans are stretched for this reason? Solving such a problem is almost impossible. Jeans can also stretch from gentle washing in a delicate mode - due to the influence of washing powder and cold water, if the fabric is of insufficient quality. And if such jeans are dried without spinning on an ordinary rope, then you should not be surprised at the stretched thing.
Types of denim and its ability to stretch
The first jeans were made of dense, hard and coarse canvas called denim, so fashionistas of that time did not even think about stretching things. Over the years, the denim industry has switched to using cotton, which, as you know, also comes in different varieties. First of all, jeans fabric is divided into several types depending on the manufacturing method. The best method is considered to be a special twisting of the fibers using ring-spinning machines. This weaving is called twill and is of the highest quality.
The second manufacturing method is faster: the threads are simply intertwined with each other using rotary pneumomechanical machines. Of course, this fabric is inferior in density and quality to standard twisted denim.
The quality of the material is also easy to determine depending on its origin. The following manufacturers are mainly known:
- Barbados - cotton from this country is soft and shiny. Rarely seen due to very high price.sale.
- Mexico - Cotton is made from long fibers, which allows the material to remain smooth and rib-free.
- India and Asian countries are the most common and affordable type of cotton, which is why it is much more common than others.
Machine wash
The easiest way to make jeans a size smaller is to wash them in a washing machine in water with a temperature of 90 degrees and at the maximum spin speed. But before you put your favorite thing in the drum, you need to make sure of its quality: such an experiment can only withstand a fabric in which the cotton content is at least 70%. Jeans decorated with beads, lace and other accessories will not survive extreme washing. In any case, it is better to play it safe and wash without using powder - the color will not deteriorate, the jeans will not shed. This method of returning the shape of a stretched thing, like washing, is simple and convenient for most people, however, the effect of it is temporary. But if you repeat the procedure a couple of times a month, then jeans can be worn for a very long time.
Hand wash in hot water
If there is no washing machine, jeans can be washed by hand. To do this, a sufficient amount of water is poured into two basins: in the first - very hot, in the second - cold. Then the jeans are soaked for 20-30 minutes in hot water, and then alternately moved to cold and back. Contrast rinse allows you to fix the effect of this procedure.
"Varenki" - boiling to reduce the size of jeansthings
What to do if the jeans are very stretched, and you need to reduce the thing not by one, but by two or three sizes? This will help the old grandfather's way - boiling. In the 70s of the XX century, boiling with the use of washing powder allowed fashionistas and fashionistas to bleach jeans in different places and adjust them if necessary. The method is simple and straightforward: jeans are placed in a large pot of boiling water (it is better to use wooden tongs, which are very convenient to evenly immerse the jeans in water, stir during the cooking process and pull the thing out into the air) and allow them to boil for 20-30 minutes, depending on desired effect. The precautions for this method are the same as for washing in hot water. The quality of the material must be high, because there is a risk of damaging the color and fittings of the product.
Things to remember when shrinking jeans with hot water
- Unknown what to do if stretch jeans are stretched - hot water is useless in this case.
- Do not forget that the effect of this procedure is temporary, and the jeans will stretch again during wear. In order to save fabric, it is better to buy several pairs at once and not wear one thing every day.
- If there is a Shrinktofit mark on the label of jeans, this means that the jeans will only shrink after the first wash, and what to do if the jeans are stretched some time after wearing, remains unknown.
- After washing in hot water, jeans should never be ironed wet, thiswill negate all efforts to reduce the size of things.
- "Jeans stretched after washing, what should I do?" people often ask. The answer is simple: do not wash in cold water and do not air dry.
- It is important to remember that the described methods for reducing a stretched item using hot water are applicable to the entire product as a whole - the item will equally decrease in length and width.
Hot dry and shrink jeans
If the jeans are stretched after washing, then what to do in this case is not so difficult to understand: you can help the jeans to sit down with the help of proper drying. The first way is the most banal: squeeze the jeans as hard as possible so that not a single drop remains on them that would drain and pull the fabric down, and hang them on a dryer or even on a hot radiator. The item is guaranteed to be reduced by at least one size. The second method is more suitable for thin and delicate fabrics: a piece of a well-absorbing fabric is laid out on a horizontal surface, jeans are placed on top in an expanded form, and another piece of the same moisture-absorbing fabric is placed in the third layer. Jeans sandwiched between two layers cannot stretch under the weight of flowing water, and therefore shrink slightly, or at least do not stretch. The third method is as simple as impossible: you need to put the jeans in a washing machine equipped with a hot-drying function and set the desired program. The effect will be the same as in the previous two methods.
Jeans stretched knees - whatdo?
It often happens that jeans do not stretch along the entire length, but only in places that are constantly subject to stretching when moving (knee caps or belt). If there is no time for a full wash, and it is not clear what to do if your knees are stretched on your jeans, you can use the following method and correct only certain places of your favorite thing. This requires a spray bottle, fabric softener and water. A mixture of conditioner and water is poured into a spray bottle and generously sprayed onto stretched places, then the jeans are sent to dry on a battery or in a hot dryer. This requirement is mandatory, drying at room temperature will not achieve the desired effect.
If all else fails, jeans can simply be altered
Reducing the size of jeans using a needle and thread is a universal way, the fabric will not be damaged. And you can use it even if stretch jeans are stretched out, and it’s not clear what to do, because it’s very difficult to give them the desired shape with the help of water. Jeans can be taken to a sewing workshop or follow the video tutorial below and sew the denim trousers in the right places.
In fact, there are many more ways to give the desired shape to a stretched denim product, but the material provides only the simplest and most effective answers to the question: "What to do if the jeans are stretched?". But it is better to always remember that this problem can be avoided by buying quality items of the right kind.size.
