Does dry cleaning get stains out? Yes! Dry cleaning is considered one of the best and most effective options when it comes to cleaning clothes of high quality. Some clothes and garments even come with a label stating “Dry Clean Only” because of their fabrics and reactive properties.
Where dry cleaning can bring a new shine into your clothes and make them look perfect, there are some side effects as well which are often not mentioned by dry cleaning agents. People, who dry clean their clothes of different types too regularly, usually ask the same question, does dry cleaning shrink your clothes?
Well, they have all the right to ask this question as they should have experienced some issues. This shrinking factor can become even worse if you gave your most favorite shit for dry cleaning and when it came back, you were not even able to wear it at all. Below is the guide that will clear up all your confusion by telling you what is reality with a lot of useful information about related aspects.
Does dry cleaning make clothes shrink?
As long as efficient dry cleaning is concerned, clothes should never shrink just because you get them dry cleaned but it can happen due to some external reasons. As the name suggests dry cleaning is the process of taking out stains without using a single drop of water.
Water is the only factor that can become a cause of shrinkage. Dry cleaners use machines in which a liquid dry cleaning agent is used for cleaning purposes while heat is the main source used to dry clothes.
If your dry cleaner is doing his best but still you are getting shrunk clothes, the dry cleaning machines are probably to blame. Any leakage in the machine or any external disturbance in terms of water could lead to clothes shrinkage. Although it is very rare, it can cause some serious issues with some fabrics. So, it’s better to watch out.
Does viscose shrink if dry cleaned
Viscose is one of the few garments that are considered highly prone to shrinkage as long as it is labeled as “washable”. Washable viscose is passed through some extra procedures to make them less or minimum prone to shrinkage.
Apart from just shrinkage, viscose can lose its color and may break some of its threads as well. The best thing you can do is simply air dry viscose clothes as they will come to their original form without any shrinkage or wrinkles. Putting it in the dryer should be avoided at all costs especially if it is 100% viscose.
Can dry cleaning shrink suits?
Cotton, linen, and wool are the three fabrics widely used in the manufacturing of suits and all of these are prone to shrinkage. If you have a suit made up of any of the above-mentioned fabric, keep it away from getting dry cleaned by an inexperienced person.
Make sure you take a thorough look and get all the necessary information before deciding because some synthetic fabric suits also include cotton threads in them as suits are created while utilizing various kinds of fabrics.
Apart from this, most professional experts suggest avoiding dry cleaning as much as possible because constant or frequent use of chemicals can affect the suits’ fabrics or at least their colors.
Will dry cleaning shrink wool?
Wool is one of the best and most common fabric materials when it comes to manufacturing clothes for winter or cold seasons. The fabrics for wool clothes are solely taken from hairy animals which mainly include goats and sheep.
As said earlier, proper dry cleaning will not have any effect on wool garments but if they are washed or come in contact with warm water, they will show visible shrinkage. Dry cleaning is probably the best and the only method suggested for wool garments but make sure you take care of all precautions while tackling such fabrics.
Why do dry cleaners shrink my clothes?
The only way a clothing garment shrinks is if it is exposed to water which can only happen if dry cleaning machines are malfunctioning. Water is poured in dry cleaning machines in a separate container without having any direct connection to the cloth of the washing area.
Due to some reasons, if dry cleaning machines tend to leak water and it gets mixed with the liquid cleaning agent, then there are possibilities of clothes shrinkage. This can also happen if dry cleaners show ignorance and water gets mixed from any external sources such as a bucket, etc.
You may ask why clothes don’t shrink while washing directly with water but have issues if dry cleaned and get mixed with water. The answer is simple: heat. As said earlier, heat is used to dry the dry cleaned clothes.
Heat has the sole purpose of initiating the evaporation process which allows water to get out of the clothes but during this process, evaporating molecules make space between fabrics. The threads tend to cover this space and come closer to each other while heat is being exposed continuously. This factor can directly result in shrinkage to a minor or sometimes great extent.
What materials shrink the most during the dry cleaning process?
In simple words, all the cloth or garments which are made up of natural fibers are considered the most prone and highly affected by the dry cleaning process. The reason behind this factor is often regarded as natural fabrics allow more water to get absorbed and take place between their threads.
Also, natural fibers are a lot more flexible as compared to synthetic fibers which shrink to a great extent when exposed to direct heat. By keeping this factor in mind, cotton, linen, hemp, silk, and wool are some of the most prominent in the list of prone materials that will shrink a lot.
Spandex is another garment that doesn’t shrink in the dry cleaning process but can be affected while in the dryer. Do keep this fact in mind that where the fibers of fabric play an important role in making a cloth prone to shrinkage, the procedure utilized to manufacture the product also has a great impact.
What fabric doesn’t shrink when dry cleaned?
Synthetic fabrics are the least prone garments to shrinkage or it can be said that there are almost zero chances of having shrinkage with such fabrics which mainly include acrylic, spandex, nylon, acetate, and polyester ( If you want to learn how to dry clean polyester, please read our previous guide )
Apart from this, some garments and clothes come with a label attached to them stating “Pre-Shrunk”, such kinds of fabrics don’t shrink no matter what you do or which procedure you choose to clean them. The reason behind the label is that companies do all the laundry and pass the cloth from procedures that make them protected from further shrinkage.
Synthetic fabrics are extremely great in avoiding water-based stains which mitigate the frequency of dry cleaning as well. Make sure you dry it while keeping the heat at a bit low level because sometimes or some synthetic fabrics can show minor wrinkles while drying.
How to avoid shrinking clothes when dry clean?
The relieving factor is that you can avoid shrinking clothes by working on a few aspects. Below are some most effective ways to get your favorite clothes back in their original shape.
- The first thing you should do is read the “Care Label ” carefully which is attached to the garment. This will give you a lot of instructions on how to handle this cloth.
- Garments that are prone to shrinkage should be dried at the minimum heating temperature available on the dryer.
- Don’t let your cloth remain inside the dryer for multiple rounds. Experts suggest drying clothes in a single round and letting them air dry if there is still some moisture.
- It is best to hang clothes on a hanger or a rod and let them air dry. This thing can mitigate the chances of shrinkage to almost zero.
- As soon as clothes are dried in the dryer, take them out and fold them in an appropriate manner.
- Make a stack of clothes and try to keep shrinkage-prone clothes in the middle while putting them in clothing cabinets.
- For delicate and extremely soft garments, it is better to use the “Tumble ” setting in the dryer. (Make sure you read instructions before going for this option as some clothes may not like this setting.)
- If you had to wash your clothes with water at any point, make sure you use cold water as it will make the cloth a lot less prone to shrinkage when dry cleaning.
Curious to learn does dry cleaning remove wrinkles or does sanitize cycle shrink clothes too?
