What water temperature should I wash khakis in if I need them to shrink?

Question

I bought new khakis and they're a little big... i need them to shrink about half a size so what should I wash them in? They were ordered online and quite expensive so I don't want to get new ones....

Answer 1

100 percent cotton fabrics shrink about 1 to 2 percent. This is not enough to make your khakis half a size. You will have to get a seamstress to do some alterations for you if you want them to fit better.

As you say they were quite expensive, I would find an alterations seamstress to do this.

Answer 2

hot water will shrink them the most

Answer 3

Hot water and a hot dryer will shrink them if they have cotton content; however, it will be hard on the fabric. If you choose to launder them once, to shrink, I would then take them to the dry cleaners when they need to be cleaned again, to preserve the fabric. Check the care label in the pants.