How can I get a cotton shirt to shrink?

Question

I commonly receive t-shirts that are too big (from team sports to club groups) I have one that I would like to try shrinking. How do I go about doing that?

Answer 1

1. Wash the T-shirt in very hot water and add baking soda if you want to preserve writings or illustrations.

2. Iron the shirt with a hot iron while it is extremely damp.

Push the iron from the outer edges of the garment toward the inside so that the garment is not inadvertently stretched as you iron.

3. Dry the shirt in a tumble dryer set to maximum heat. This is when the majority of the shrinking will take place. Leave the shirt in the dryer for a few minutes after the dryer.

If it is still too big put it in the dryer again at a very hot temperature.

Answer 2

i do this for my husband all the time. wash in warm water and dry on high heat

be careful the cloths don't bleed, if its new i wash it twice normally but that's only if theres bright or black colors  

Answer 3

The only way I know of is to simply wash it and then put it in your dryer on medium to high heat. This is guaranteed to shrink the shirt - but depending on the type of shirt and how much cotton is in it the difference could be marginal. Big sports t-shirts sometimes have a tendency to shrink up instead of in as well.