How to Shrink Jeans??
82As asked in Requests: This MUST be a trick question!!??
To shrink jeans, first wash them in very hot water and then dry them in a very hot dryer.
To avoid shrinking jeans, first wash them in cold water, lightly tumble them on warm in the dryer, and then finish drying by hanging overnight.
To stretch jeans, first wash them in cold water, lightly tumble them on warm in the dryer, put them on slightly damp and dance around until they stretch to where you want them.
To dye jeans (or freshen their faded color), first wash them in cold water with no soap, then use a commercial dye like ProcionMx or Jacquard and soda ash, soak and aggitate for several hours, rince well in vinegar, hang in the shade to dry.
To fade jeans (or remove their new color) first wash them in cold water with extra soap, rinse them several times, hang in the sun for a couple of days.
To recycle jeans, companies like Liz Claiborne offer a $10 credit toward a new pair for retiring the old pair.
To donate jeans, most battered women's shelters will gratefully accept women's, men's and children's jeans.
And for an absolutely PERFECT fit, take jeans to the tailor!
Jeans, jeans, what would we do without our jeans??
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Seven 7 for mankind jeans Dojo Ellis Women All sizes
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I live in my Lands End wide legs
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Levi's Men's 514 Slim Straight Jean
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Vanilla Star Junior's 5 Pocket Skinny Jean With Back Flap Pocket
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Vanilla Star Junior's 5 Pocket Skinny Jean
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Vanilla Star Girls 7-16 Basic 5 Pocket Flare Jean
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Comments
Thank you again Angela for your comments!! Me neither!! I am more of the "wear them wet and dance around" or "buy them a size too big and take them to the tailor" kinda gal!! Blessings on your day!! Earth Angel!!
Back in my teens when I cared about such things, I used to have a really hot bath with my jeans on for a shrink fit! :)
That's a GREAT idea Ink!! Thanks for sharing!! Yes, I must admit I thought the question must be a "trick!!" Alas, it was not but posted by a young and skinny!! My "jean" issue is a tiny waist and endowed bootie!! So I buy jean BIG, shrink them as much as I can, and then take my jeans to the tailor for a custom fit!! I get a perfect fit that will not shrink again!! Ahhhhh, what would we do without our jeans!! Blessings on your day!! Earth Angel!!
Yes earth angel I am with you I need to buy the stretch ones more now so they grow with me.... its amazing how much better they fit like that. give and take a bit at least. Thanks
Great hub Earth Angel! May I link it to my 'Tips for How to shorten Jeans' hub? zs
That is such a nice comment Zsuzsy Bee!!
This was one of my first Hubs, and no, I don't think it is great by any stretch!! Having said that, however, it has been viewed by an astonishing number of viewers according to the HubStats!! Alas, the lack of comments supports my realization of how much work is needed to bring it up to Hublicious like yours!!
Sure you can link to this Hub!! I would be honored!! I actually put the link in my comments to you on your GREAT Hub about hemming!! You are a jewel for asking!!
Here's linking to your Hub kid!! http://hubpages.com/hub/Tips-For-How-To-Shorten-Je
Blessings always, Earth Angel!!
when you put hte jeans in hot water do they fade...
Hello Jose!!
Yes, you are correct!! Thanks for dropping by!!
Blessings always, Earth Angel!!
This is a late comment, but I have a question.
Is there any way to tell what jeans are likely to stretch and what jeans are likely to shrink? When I buy jeans, some stretch throughout the day, some don't. And sometimes they shrink through time. What material breakdowns (100% cotton, 98/2%spandex) are likely to do what? Haha a lot of questions, I know.
Great hub!
Hello Lena M!!
Thanks for dropping by!! I did really think "How to Shrink Jeans" was a trick joke question long ago when I answered the request!! Alas, many many people seem to have questions regarding jeans!! Ahhhhhhhhhh, our favorite wardrobe piece!!
Yes, there are some guidelines to look for to "get an idea" prior to purchasing a pair of jeans!!
First of all, some jeans come "pre-shrunk!!" Again, this is just a guideline!! Sometimes this means the material alone is pre-shrunk prior to being sewn into jeans; other times it means once the jeans have been stiched together they are washed and shrunk!! The way you can tell is to look carefully at the seams of "pre-shrunk" labeled jeans!! If the seams are very flat, the material was washed ahead of time; if there are tiny buckles, they were washed after!!
In either case, jeans are never/rarely washed completely in hot water and dried on high heat - so even pre-washed or pre-shrunk are going to still tighten up a bit!!
Shrinking/stretching also depends on the weight of the fabric!! The heavier the fabric, the more shrinkage!!
Most shrinking happens in the length!! It's approximately a 60/40 ratio!!
Yes, jeans can shrink even more over time!! Again, this is usually the 100% cotton ones, like Levi's!! The continued heat from washing and drying is what shrinks them!! (I refuse to think it might be the chocolate cake I ate!!)
Secondly, 100% cotton jeans will shrink the most and stretch out the most!! This drives me crazy!! I love to wear all natural fabrics!! And 100% jeans ususally look GREAT when you first put them on!!
On me, within a few hours, the knees in 100% cotton jeans stretch out and so does the butt/thighs!! I can think I look really good in a full-length mirror when I leave the house - yet within a short period of time, even just by sitting in the car driving to where ever I am going, can grossly change the look/profile of my jeans!!
Thirdly, you can get away from "some" of the stretching by purchasing/wearing jeans with spandex or other man-made fibers woven in!! The higher the percentage of spandex, the less likely to loose their shape!! And the less they will shrink porportionately because spandex does not shrink!! (2% pspandex will reduce shrinkage by 2%!!)
There are over 300,000 suppliers of jean material on Google!! Each manufacture/weaver puts their own spin on their product!! Some add more weight to the material - but this is expensive!! Some add more chemicals to the fabric to make it "feel" heavier because this is cheaper!!
Some manufacturers weave the fabric more loosely to get more pairs of jeans per yard!! Some use lightweight fabric on the body of the jeans but heavyweight fabric on the waistband to make the jeans feel more substantial!!
Spend some time looking at the construction and feel of jeans and you will quickly see there are vast differences!!
Alas, 30 years of wearing jeans and hundreds of pairs later I realize it's my "tailor" that makes all the difference!! Not really the jeans themselves!!
I have a 24" waist and 36" hips!! In real life this means that although I am petite, I have ample booty for my size!! Rocky Mountain Jeans are the only jeans I know that cater to huge hips and tiny waists!! Still, I need to have them altered a bit!!
When purchasing jeans, fit the largest part of your lower body, and have the rest taken in by a tailor!! It's much less expensive in the long run!! I think we would all feel better about purchasing a pair and spending $20-30 to have them altered, than purchasing ten pairs looking for that perfect fit!!
A note on length of jeans!! Once you find a pair you truly like, and have them altered, there is the length issue!! Do you wear heels, boots or flats?? On me, that can be a 3-4 inch difference!!?? I have been able to skirt the issue a bit by wearing Dansko clogs!! They are high enough to be equal to heels, but comfortable enough to be flats!!
I hope some of that helps answer your questions Lena M.!!
Again, thank you for dropping by!! Keep me posted as to how the search for the perfect jeans goes!!
Blessings to you always, Earth Angel!!
i wanna know how to shrink jeans without fading them???? can anyone please help
Hello J>R!!
Good question!! Shrinking involves "heat" and heat fades all colors!! The darker the jean-color to begin with, the more fading will occur in the first shrink-wash!!
White vinegar is used to set a lot of dye colors!! From Easter Eggs to hand-painted silk scarves!! Soda ash and salt are also used to make colors more permanent and require hot water!!
With a brand new pair of dark jeans, I would fill the washing machine to its lowest level (about 3 gallons) with hot water and add 1/2 to 1 cup of soda ash and 1-2 cups of table salt!! Let dissolve and then add the jeans!! Let soak, agitating every ten minutes or so for the first hour!! Leave overnight!!
Rinse with cold water!! Let hang to air dry until approx. 80% dry; then put into dryer while still damp and let dry all the way!!
For jeans that have already faded, re-dye them with a professional grade fabric dye: Jacquard or Procion!! Available on-line or in most fine craft stores! (I re-dye many of my jeans and other clothing items at the end of summer heading into fall!!)
Hope that helps!! Keep me posted!! I would love to see a photo of you in your jeans!!
Blessings always, Earth Angel!!
How much will this shrink the jeans?
and also will it be uneven or will the colour be patchy?
Hello Liam!!
Thank you for dropping by!! What specific jeans are you asking about??
As a rule of thumb, not-prewashed jeans will shrink 1+ inches in the waist/seat and 1 1/2+ inches in the length!!
To keep the color not patchy relies on lots of attention, lots of hot water, lots of dye/salt/soda ash, and lots of agitation!!
Hope that helps!!
Blessings always, Earth Angel!!
Angela Harris says:
2 years ago
I like the added information, as I haven't been concerned with how to shrink my jeans in years! ;-)