Maybe your spouse did laundry and put something in the dryer that wasn’t supposed to go, or you simply got distracted and didn’t hear the timer go off. Accidents happen. If your favorite cashmere ends up looking like it belongs on your 6-year-old nephew, remain calm. There is a solution, and it’s fairly simple.
First of all, take a deep breath. There’s no reason to dump that knit in the donation pile—yet. Try this trick to bring your sweaters, cotton T-shirts, and jeans back to their original state:
Fill a sink with lukewarm water and a capful of baby or hair shampoo.
If you’re unshrinking a wool sweater, you may need more conditioner, about 1/3 of a cup. You can also use a gentle wool wash like Eucalan or Woolite for delicates.
Add the sweater and let it soak for 10 minutes.
This will relax the clothing’s fibers.
Getty ImagesEvgeniy Skripnichenko
Drain the sink of water.
Gently squeeze the garment, removing excess water. Do not rinse it with clean water.
Place a towel on a flat surface and lay the sweater over it.
Roll the towel up, with the clothing in it, to absorb more water. The garment should be damp but not wet.
Place the sweater on a fresh, dry towel.
Gently stretch the sweater while it’s still damp. Keep it flat until it dries.
See a step-by-step video on “unshrinking” from the folks at Howcast.com: