How To Shrink Polyester Material

Learn about how to shrink polyester material to make that shirt or pants fit better. If you've lost weight and need to make some clothes made of polyester material smaller, it's easy enough to shrink polyester. Maybe someone gave you polyester material clothes that are just a bit too big and you want to shrink them. Polyester material is basically a plastic or resin type blend that creates a strong fabric that is resistant to shrinking but can be accomplished.

To shrink polyester material, you will need:

• Washing machine
• Clothes dryer

1. Turn your polyester material clothes inside out. To shrink your polyester items, turn them inside out. This will better protect any embellishments on the clothes like button, zippers or any other decorative items.
2. Turn on the washing machine. The best way to shrink polyester material is to wash it in hot water. Choose the hot water selection on the washing machine. If the clothes are soiled, add detergent, but if they are not dirty, it's not necessary to add detergent. Let the clothes go through a full wash cycle. Use the hottest water selection for the rinse cycle as well. This will help shrink the polyester material.
3. Dry the clothes. When the wash cycle is finished, remove the polyester clothes from the washing machine. Put the polyester material clothes in the dryer. Turn it to the hottest drying cycle. Usually the hottest setting on a dryer is Timed Dry. Look at your dryer for the words "High Heat" or "Hot" and select that setting. Dry the clothes until they are completely dry. The combination of washing and drying the polyester material in hot water and on high heat should shrink them.