Jeans and Shrinkage

Jeans and a white belt
 
Q: Do jeans shrink?
 
A: They can, depending upon whether you have purchased 100% natural fiber garments, and whether they have been pre-washed.
 
Even so, in most cases, some shrinkage can generally be expected after the jeans are laundered and heat dried. If the jeans were pre-washed, this shrinkage will be minimal, and will probably not alter the size of the garment significantly.
 
Most jeans today are prewashed, but in the past – as little as 20 years ago - clothing buyers often found that choosing a pair of jeans that gave a “snug fit” in the store were unwearable after being washed.
 
Today’s garment manufacturers know what their customers want and will do their best to make sure that what the customer buys is what he gets once he’s home and the garment has been laundered. This means pre-washed fabrics or poly-cotton blends that may shrink a little when laundered, but relax into the kind of close fit most people find appealing when shopping for jeans.
 
If you’re concerned about whether or not the jeans you are planning to by will shrink when washed, be sure to read the manufacturer’s care label and follow the directions closely. Laundering fabrics that are recommended for cold water and warm tumble dry in hot water and dried in a high-heat dryer can cause shrinkage if the fabrics are natural and not prewashed. This is not recommended, unless you already have problems with the garment being a little large.
 
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See also:
 
Doing laundry
 
Choosing the right jeans for your body shape