How to Reshape Stretched Jeans
While many of us have lived in a variety of trousers with elasticated waistbands for the past seven months, there is always room for jeans in our hearts and closets. And while a lot of jeans now have a built-in stretch, if you’re a fan of more traditional denim – you know, the type that you have to work on to fit in – you’re probably in a situation where some of your jeans starts to sag. But instead of ditching the denim that you’ve invested all this time and money in, here are some ways to get them back in shape, thanks to Hedy Phillips’ advice in an article for In Style .
Put them in the dryer
As you probably already know from episodes of the 1980s sitcoms, some items of clothing can sit in the dryer. In real life, the results are usually less dramatic, but it does happen. To shrink jeans, Phillips recommends the following washing and drying process:
Take the jeans you want to shrink and put them in the washing machine at the highest temperature. You can also add detergent to make them wash off in the process. But the main thing is the dryer. Place these jeans in a heat-treated dryer. Run a full cycle to allow the heat to pull off the fabric and shrink the denim.
Take a bath in them
Of all the damp fabrics, wet denim should be one of the most uncomfortable, such as when caught in the rain or accidentally dropped into water. This trick doesn’t have to be so bad, because you are wearing jeans in a bathtub full of warm water. Again, the idea is to use heat to shrink the jeans. Ideally, Phillips says, after you get out of the tub, you should keep wearing your jeans until they’re dry, but that’s a big request. So, air dry the rest of the way.
Iron jeans
The iron does not change shape as effectively as hot water, but it can help. It also allows you to target the areas of the jeans that you want to squeeze the most, such as the waistband or knees. Here are some instructions from Phillips :
Turn on the iron really hot and do it with jeans … You can apply heat directly to the fabric you want to squeeze without affecting all the clothes.
If none of these methods work at home, you can always take your jeans to a tailor to make the necessary changes.