Does 100% Polyester Shrink?

By Marketing Team

Does 100% Polyester Shrink?

When it comes to clothing, polyester is one of the easiest clothing to maintain. Polyester rarely requires ironing if you spread the moment it is washed. Polyester also shows less sign of color fading when compared to cotton. It also shows greater resistance to molds and insect attacks and it also does not shrink.

One good thing about polyester is that it is easily affordable and appears very attractive. However, you need to stick to the care instructions if you want to enjoy using polyester for long.

 100% polyester care

Does 100% Polyester Shrink?

Yes, 100% polyester shrinks but in some circumstances because it resists shrinkage by nature. Polyester is resistant to shrinkage but if you wash polyester with hot water or if you iron polyester with excessive heat iron, it can cause shrinkage as it is a man-made fabric that is made with polymer. Avoid soaking polyester fabrics for too long and drying in a hot dryer. 140°F water can cause shrinkage so avoid soaking polyester in hot water for too long. Hand wash is best but if you want to use a washing machine use a gentle cycle and give a dry it in open naturally. If you don't want to shrink your 100% polyester fabric, use normal water and gentle detergent and also read the washing instructions given in the next paragraph.

Caring for the Polyester - Washing Instruction

No doubt polyester is a fabric and if you use a fabric you have to wash it on time. Yes, of course, you can wash 100% polyester following some instructions. Start the washing procedure by reading the user manual. Normal water and gentle detergent are good to wash polyester fabric. Imposing wrong washing techniques can damage the fabric because polyester is a synthetic fabric that resists shrinkage and heat can damage polyester. 

  • Most people fail to read the instructions on clothing before dumping it into the washing machine. Always ensure to read your polyester garment label for proper care instructions.
  • When washing polyester in the dry cleaner, don’t forget to set the machine to the normal cycle. It remains in the best interest to hand wash your polyester with cold or lukewarm water. Also, it is important to avoid the use of harsh detergents when washing your polyester.
  • The best way to wash and dry your polyester is inside out. While you can machine dry as normal, hanging the polyester to dry in the open is best.
  • The good thing is, the fabric dries out fast very fast. Even at this, you rarely find wrinkles on it after drying.
  • Avoid using hot water to wash or excessive heat to iron the fabric. This can cause the material to harden up and begin to shrink. Excessive heat can also cause the colors to fade off gradually.
  • One thing you need to know about polyester is that it absorbs oil. It is, therefore, advisable not to wash your polyester with grease or oil-stained clothes. If possible, always wash polyester fabrics alone.
  • Avoid soaking polyester fabrics for too long in washing solutions. This will affect the appearance of the fabric and cause it to age faster.
  • Polyester may shrink if left in the dryer for too long. Therefore, it is important to remove them from the dryer as soon as possible to prevent them from wrinkling. This will save you the time of trying to iron your polyester fabrics.
  • When you hang the polyester in the shower after washing, this will help the wrinkles to straighten out.
  • Nevertheless, where wrinkles remain after drying, you can steam press the polyester to get rid of wrinkles. When ironing the polyester it is important to stick to the mildest setting, use a pressing cloth underneath. You may also consider pressing your polyester inside out. This will prevent direct contact with the iron plate and also reduce shine.
  • While some iron comes with a polyester setting, others do not. In this case, you can use the nylon setting. This will prevent too much heat from melting the fabric or cause it to harden and shrink.

How to shrink 100% Polyester?

What if you purchased your polyester and figured out it’s a little too big and wish to shrink it? What if you are not a fan of complicated sewing adjustments process like me? There are a few things you can do to shrink your polyester, however, there is no guarantee that it will work as we already have discussed that it is a synthetic fabric that resists shrinkage.

  1. Soak the polyester in hot water for a while. Avoid keeping it in the water for too long to avoid damaging the fabric. Contact with hot water can shrink the fabric to some degrees. You can do the same in your washing machine by setting the machine to hot.
  2. Hot drying can also shrink polyester. You can also try to shrink the fabric further by using the heat setting in the dryer.
  3. In hot Ironing, you can shrink polyester. You can use a temperately hot iron to attempt further shrinking. Don’t forget to always use a pressing cloth. 
All these methods are, however, at your own risk as there is no guarantee that they will not cause damage to your fabric because using too hot or too cold water while washing can harm your fabric and fabric color. 

    80% Cotton and 20% Polyester Will Shrink?

    This type of combination is known as a cotton blend. 80% Cotton and 20% Polyester, which means the fabric contains more cotton. Polyester may resist shrinkage but cotton that is 80% in the blend has flexibility to shrink up to 5%. Adding heat and moisture can cause shrinkage to this type of blend. Blends are made to increase properties but they also get some bad things from blending. This is also to reduce the cost of fabric and get desired fabric. Our latest blog December colors contains all the information about what are december colors?, what are december birthstones? etc.

    Some of the Problems Associated with Polyester

    • There are quite a number of problems associated with polyester and polyester fabric blends. It is more difficult to press the polyester fabric than other fabrics. After a while, you figure out that the edges begin to curl.
    • Polyester is also difficult to sew. The needle plate finds it difficult to drag the thread through the thin fabric. The needle only succeeds in snagging thread across the surface of the fabric.
    • Polyester fabrics are not breathable and therefore, make it difficult to wear in hot climates. It also retains oil and stains which are difficult to wash off.

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    1 comment

    • We generally love to buy cotton for beddings from all fabrics available. I think even if you are not an expert in this field then also you should have enough knowledge about bedding after all you will maintain it all the time. I love reading I always visit websites that provide information that is related to our daily life. It was nice to be here and get great knowledge about the property of cotton. I learned so much about cotton and polyester shrinkage. Thank You Aanya Linen for this precious knowledge. I will love to visit you again whenever I will time to be here.

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