How to shrink jeans - half the people on here say HOT water, the other half say COLD water???

Question

I've bough a pair of Lip Service "Stretch F****** Jeans" and although they are pretty tight brand new, I want them to be SKIN tight - I haven't washed them at all yet. All the posts at the moment are divided - half say HOT water then HOT drier, the other half say COLD water and leave to dry. CONFUSED!!!! HELP!!!!

Answer 1

okay here it is- jeans will stretch out as u wear them especially 100% cotton- you can not shrink them to another size but can u can get them tighter if you put them in a hot dryer although they might not shrink in all the places you want them to, if they have stretch in them you have a better chance of them fitting tighter and staying that way , think of an elastic it streches and shrinks back to the size that it wrapped around now go put them in that dryer! tip becareful of hot water it will fade them

Answer 2

As long as it has a material like cotton in it (which real jeans do), it will shrink in HOT water with a HOT drying cycle. Cold water and air drying prevents shrinking and fading. Also, wash them inside out if you are going to use hot water to preserve the colour.

Answer 3

In a warm wash:
The waist will shrink up to 0.5 inches.
The length will shrink up to 0.5 inches.
The dye will slowly fade in a hot or cold wash.

While most brands use a variety of denim throughout each collection, the vintage Indigo and unwashed denim is the most traditional , and these tips will ensure their longevity.

WASH YOUR JEANS FIRST
When you buy your jeans, there will be starch on the denim, making it feel very hard. Turn your jeans inside out and wash them in cold or luke-warm water. This will get rid of the starch in/on the denim and (in the case of non-shrunk denim) cause it to shrink so that you can cut the length. Your jeans will shrink even more if you use a dryer.

CUTTING THE LENGTH
If you wish to cut your jeans to length, do so AFTER washing and drying them. A good tailor or jeans shop will cut and sew them to length for you. We suggest the following style: “Just little gap between floor an socks. When you wear shoes it will be just right. If it is too long, damage fabric easily”. You can also choose to turn the jeans up – showing off your marvelous selvedge.

TO WASH – OR NOT TO WASH
Many people choose not to wash their denim – fearing it will damage the fabric – even when they are quite dirty. We advise you to “buy few pairs of jeans and wash sometimes”.

Answer 4

To shrink the jeans you want to wash them in HOT water, and dry them HOT as well. Also, you will probably want to wash them inside out to help preserve the color of the jeans as well, especially if you throw them into the washer / dryer multiple times.

Answer 5

Hot water and a Hot Dryer right after will shrink just about anything

Answer 6

Ok. I can help with this question. I do all the laundry in my house.
If you WANT to shrink them then wash them in hot water and machine dry. If you dont, then wash in cold water and hang dry.

Answer 7

If you want to shrink something you would wash it in hot water and dry it on high heat, as you typically wash clothes in cold water anyway so they DON'T shrink you wouldn't wash it in cold water to shrink it...

Answer 8

I agree with Dixie's suggestion to try warm water and hot dryer before trying hot water and hot dryer. If you also want to try to keep them from fading, turn them inside-out first -- it especially helps in the dryer.

Answer 9

Cold water and take them to a good tailor to make them skin tight.

Answer 10

Hot water and hot dryer will definitely get them shrunk for you...my suggestion...just try warm water and the hot dryer first...if that doesn't get them small enough...then try hot water and the hot dryer right after...