Re: question on 100% cotton

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

I buy almost everything that is 100% cotton. I hate polyester and man made fabrics.

I roll my 100% cotton sweaters and t-shirts and put them into a pillowcase. I make sure the pillowcase is very tight fitting and secure with a rubberband. I don't want the roll to open up

I wash them in cold water with coldwater soap in my machine on gentle. When I remove, I unroll the sweater reshape and lay flat to dry. I never had a problem with shrinking or twisting out of shape.

Katcat1 · ‎07-21-2011

Normally, you would wash in cold and dry flat or tumble dry on low so you won't have shrinkage. This sweater looks a little over sized to begin with, so I would order my normal size.

kindness is strength

Madisson · ‎10-13-2011

I wash all my cotton sweaters and other tops in a zipped washing machine bag on cold and on delicate cycle. Be sure to use a detergent for washing in cold water. Then I lay flat to dry on a folding drying rack that I store between the washer and dryer. Absolutely no shrinkage!

Despite what I have heard others mention on this board, my 100% cotton sweaters do not stretch and bag out of shape. There is cheap cotton, and there is high quality cotton. That makes a huge difference. You usually get what you pay for.

Some people do drugs. I do shoes....Celine Dion

ical · ‎03-26-2010

On 10/1/2014 lulu2 said:
I've read that it is the spinning that causes items to shrink.

I've never had much luck washing 100% cotton sweaters. They either shrink or grow. They just never are the same for me.

I've never had much luck either. I get so discouraged and blame whatever I did. One day I finally realized that it wasn't what I was doing (and I tried it all, I think).

It's not what you do, it's the cotton. It just is a puffy fiber and you try to tame it, you try to baby it, you know it wants to puff, but you want to control the puff. It wants to stretch and hang casually, and you don't want it to. You baby it, you scold it, you toss it in cold water carefully wringing it and gently twisting it, all while you demand it, in sweet whispers, "Obey me cotton fibers!". Sure, it sounds all good. But in the end, you'll have a cotton sweater which will shrink or stretch or puff up and blur the lines of knitting or crocheting or weaving. Or you'll have a sweater flattened out, in attempts to keep said puff "in line". And cotton, that nonconformist fiber, will give you a bowl where your elbows or bum goes, and will grow long as it dances in gravity. Cotton just wants to be cotton.

violann · ‎03-10-2010

To me, purchasing 100% cotton is a cr*pshoot every individual time. The old qvc t-shirts washed beautifully and were wrinkle free after being properly dried, but many cotton knits require cool ironing. No good way to be sure unless you've tried the garment.

brii · ‎06-20-2010

I stay away from 100% cotton. You never know if it's going to shrink or going to grow. Plus, it's just too bulky for me.

NickNack · ‎03-10-2010

On 10/2/2014 Madisson said:
Despite what I have heard others mention on this board, my 100% cotton sweaters do not stretch and bag out of shape. There is cheap cotton, and there is high quality cotton. That makes a huge difference. You usually get what you pay for.

I completely agree with this statement. My cotton sweaters don't stretch or bag out of shape either.

The Bluebird Carries The Sky On His Back"
-Henry David Thoreau

Trix · ‎03-16-2010

Regardless of the country of manufacture, unless you're using much too hot water, it's not the washer which shrinks cotton, but rather heat from the dryer. For clothing, cold-to-slightly warm water is fine. It's best to line dry. I can't ever recall shrinking a cotton garment washing it this way.