Shrinking shorts can be a bit tricky since many modern shorts are made from materials that are designed not to shrink. However, if your shorts are made from natural fibers like cotton or linen, you might be able to achieve some shrinkage using these methods:
How to Shrink Shorts
Follow these 5 methods to shrink your shorts down to the perfect fit. I have lost weight before and needed to shrink my shorts to fit better. I have tried quite a few methods over the years, and shrinking shorts can be done quite easily with all the methods I will talk about. Sometimes shrinking your shorts at home may not be the best option, say if you want to shorten your inseam. Then we need the help of a tailor, but otherwise it’s pretty easy, so lets get into it.
1.How to shrink shorts in the washing machine
You can shrink shorts with hot water, just follow these easy steps.
- Check the label of your shorts to be sure the fabric can withstand hot water.
- Turn your washing machine to the hottest setting, or the limit to what the fabric can handle.
- Add your shorts to the washing machine and let it complete the full cycle.
- Put the shorts in a dryer on the hottest setting, and dry the shorts in short bursts. Some fabrics may get damaged if left in there for too long, so it’s better to dry the shorts in stages.
- Once the shorts are completely dry, fold them and let them cool down in an airy space.
You can repeat this process as many times as you need until you have the perfect fit. Depending on how often you wear the shorts, and the fabric, you can repeat this process whenever you need to. Washing clothes in hot water too often can make the fabric age quicker though, so only do this when necessary.
2.How to shrink shorts by boiling
One of the most common ways to shrink clothes is to wash them in hot water, and a second option is to simply boil your shorts in a pot.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil
- Once the water is boiling, add a little softener to the water and drop in the shorts.
- Lower the heat, and let the shorts simmer for about half an hour.
- Take the shorts out of the hot water, and rinse or dunk them in cold water to stop the shrinking process. You can always shrink your shorts a little more by repeating the process.
- Put the shorts in the dryer on a high heat, and checking on them every 10 minutes wait until they are completely dry.
- Fold the shorts, and let them cool down before wearing
- Repeat the process as necessary.
3.How to shrink shorts in the dryer
Boiling your shorts, or washing them on a hot cycle is for when you want to stretch your shorts down a size or two. There is a way to shrink your shorts a little bit as well. Here’s what to do to if you just want to bring the shape back to your shorts.
- Wash your shorts on a normal wash cycle as you normally would
- Put the shorts in the dryer, and set it to the hottest cycle.
- Allow to shorts to go through the whole cycle, check on them every so often and when completely dry take them out.
- Allow the shorts to cool, and you will have a nice sleek fit.
- Repeat as needed.
4.How to shrink athletic shorts
If you are thinking about how to shrink gym shorts, heat is what you need. Gym shorts tend to be made of of more synthetic fibers to aid in comfort and sweat wicking. To shrink synthetic fibers:
- Turn your shorts inside out to protect the outer surface, set your dryer to the highest heat setting and let the shorts heat up for 10 minutes at a time. Synthetic fibers can get damaged if you let them get too hot, so just keep taking them out and checking how much they have shrunk until you have the desired size.
- You can boil, steam or wash the shorts on a hot cycle, and use the dryer method above to dry the shorts, but you can check on them less often at the start as they will be wet and it will take longer to dry.
5.How to spot shrink shorts
Sometimes you only want to shrink a particular part of your shorts, like the waist or the crotch. We simply want to wet an areas that needs shrinking and expose it to high heat to dry it out as quick as possible so the fibers retract.
- Mix appx 1 cup of water and put a small cap of fabric conditioner if you have it to hand, it helps soften the fibers so when its drying they contract more.
- Turn your shorts inside out, and wet the areas you want to shrink. You can use a sponge or a spray bottle.
- Once the area is saturated you now need to apply heat.
- You can use the dryer, an iron, a hair dryer, any of these will do the trick, but a tumble dryer is always best.
It can take a few times before you get the desired shrinkage, so using something like a hairdryer can really speed the process up.
6.Tailoring your shorts
If you have tried all of these methods and you still cannot get the desired fit, then it may be time for a trip to the tailors. You may have lost a lot of weight recently, or were given a gift and you lost the receipt so you need to adjust your shorts.
A tailor will take all of your measurements, ask you the type of fit you find the most comfortable and amend the shorts accordingly. A tailor fitted pair of shorts really does give you the perfect fit, and if the shorts are worth it then well worth the investment.
How to shrink shorts Faq
These are the best methods to shrink your shorts, and with a little trial and error you get used to how much shorts shrink and you can just repeat the process once in a while to get the fit back in your shorts.
There are many nuances though, so I want to go over some frequently asked questions about shrinking shorts.
How to shrink shorts in the waist? You are going to want to use the spot shrinking method and an iron. Wet the waist band of your shorts, put the iron on the hottest setting the fabric can iron.
Go over the waistband back and forth until completely dry. You need to wave the shorts around to help the moisture evaporate every 10-15 passes with the iron.
How to shrink cotton shorts?
This is the easiest one to do, but the easiest to mess up. Go too hard on the boiling and you can end up with some new baby shorts.
Using the washing machine or boiling technique, you don’t want the hottest setting, or boiling water.
Heat the water up so its uncomfortable to the touch, submerge the shorts for a few minutes, then blast them in the dryer. Checking on them often.
How to shrink shorts down a size?
It’s hard to give an exact measurement to how much your shorts shrink. This is why I suggest you dry the shorts in stages so you can stop the shrinking process at any moment.
How to shrink basketball shorts?
Basketball shorts are going to mostly be made up of synthetic fibers like polyester. You want to use a high heat method with this type of fabric. It will be the same if you are asking yourself how to shrink mesh shorts too.
How to shrink shorts that are too big?
Check out the above methods, and choose the best one for the type of shorts you want to shrink. If you need to shrink the shorts down a lot though, you may want to see a tailor.
How much will cotton shorts shrink?
A lot if you are not careful. Never use water that is too hot, and always dry the shorts in stages checking on how much they have shrunk.