best way to shrink jeans

[jermzkill]

just like the title says what is the best way to shrink jeans.. i know hot water.. but does anyone have any extra tips on how to get maximum shrinkage.. ie. time, drying technique, etc.

[minya]

What's going to affect shrinkage is the denim itself, not the method of washing.

If your jeans are unsanforized and untreated, they'll shrink a lot -- about 10% -- in hot water.

If they're sanforized, or resin-treated, or otherwise pre-shrunk or somehow chemically treated, shrinkage will be minimal to nonexistent.

[sonick]

and if they indeed have been pre-shrunk using the methods minya stated, the jeans will likely stretch to (and perhaps beyond) their original size when you wear them again.

[poly800rock]

hot dryer dude.

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZtriggerkid

[justbrowsing]

in general then, is a hot soak for 4 hours the best way to acheive maximum shrinkage without resorting to using a dryer? this is what i have interpreted from my searches, i just wanted to throw this method out to see if there is a consensus re: hot vs. cold, and number of hours beyond with no more shrinkage will occur. if it matters, i'm going to be shrinking some unwashed sc1947s

[digital_denim]

if you want max shrinkage, i saw hot wash inside out and throw them in the dryer.

Some here may cringe at that, but people who have done this has noticed very little indigo loss. How much more they will shrink than just a hot soak? Dunno, it'd be a great control experiment though. Anyone want to give me a grant and I can try and find out.

[nairb49]

4h in Hot water should get a pretty decent amount of shrinkage for your canes.

Barring the difficulties of uneveness, I wonder if turning them inside out and using a hairdryer would circumvent the dryer problem...?

[justbrowsing]

basically, i think i have short legs. a 33" inseam is too long for me. i'm really trying to get a 31.5 or 32" inseam out of these canes, which theoretically should be possible since they are 34" unwashed. now, to clarify, i'm talking about a hot soak, no agitation, for 4 hours. anyone care to comment on agitation vs. no agitation (i can't see how this would affect shrinkage) and length of time. i'd rather not put the jeans in the dryer, i've had some bad experiences with jeans coming out of the dryer looking pretty aweful, even on low settings.

[nairb49]

The hot soak is meant to get rid of the factory starch. It might be a good idea to add a "bit" of detergent to break up the starch so that the water can soak into the fibres, so a little bit of agitation (stir it around with your hand for a few minutes until the detergent dissolves) would help that.

[justbrowsing]

you're saying a hot and a cold soak provide the same amount of shrinkage, just that a hot soak is better for removing the factory starch?

[sneakeraddict]

I do agree with what others have said, but be careful with the Japanese definition and application of the word 'sanforized' here. (i.e. if you are buying Japanese jeans which claim to be 'sanforized').

I dont know about Sugar CAnes, but all the Lee vintgae replicas that are made in Japan are allegedly 'sanforized', as is stated on both the inside label and both the paper tag, and apparently they STILL shrink just as much as any other raw jeans would.

So someone is lying. Either sanforized is a definitive process which means they genuinely DONT shrink past 1%.

Or: Lee Japan is simply bullshitting and they are NOT sanforized at all.

Not sure if this is the same for other J. jeans makes who use the term 'sanforzied' but definitely worth considering.

[nairb49]

It seems to me that this only applies to Lees, and only the japanese Lees, since I have a pair of european 101bs that are sanforized and definitely didn't shrink much even after a hot soak and dry.

Most other jeans I've tried that claim to be sanforized, edwins, nudies, don't shrink much except for the initial bit post-wash that stretches back out with wear.

And about the hot soak, thats what I believe to be true, I may be wrong but I think the amount of shrinkage depends on how thoroughly soaked the fibres get, and the heat of the water will also cause alteration of the fibres.

[justbrowsing]

well if it's only a function of how thoroughly they are soaked, then a 4 hour soak would be no different than a 10 minute soak, correct?

[dk7m]

I do agree with what others have said, but be careful with the Japanese definition and application of the word 'sanforized' here. (i.e. if you are buying Japanese jeans which claim to be 'sanforized').

I dont know about Sugar CAnes, but all the Lee vintgae replicas that are made in Japan are allegedly 'sanforized', as is stated on both the inside label and both the paper tag, and apparently they STILL shrink just as much as any other raw jeans would.

So someone is lying. Either sanforized is a definitive process which means they genuinely DONT shrink past 1%.

Or: Lee Japan is simply bullshitting and they are NOT sanforized at all.

Not sure if this is the same for other J. jeans makes who use the term 'sanforzied' but definitely worth considering.

That's odd because I just soaked my Lee 101B raw selvage jeans that I got at the Edwin store in Harajuku the day before yesterday for a couple hours and didn't notice much shrinking at all after they dried

[sneakeraddict]

who knows...

that is one of the things I find so frustrating about premium denim.

I dont understand why they dont just sanforize them ALL in the modern method, regardless of how 'in-authentic' it would be.

authenticity is sometimes overrated if it is at the expense of real progress (which I think proper sanforizing is)

[jialormee]

say i want to try to shrink pre-shrunk denim, is there any way to go about doing it? or is the only option bringing them to a tailor and have them taken in?

[justbrowsing]

say i want to try to shrink pre-shrunk denim, is there any way to go about doing it? or is the only option bringing them to a tailor and have them taken in?

they'll maybe shrink a quarter to half inch going from new off the rack to first time in your washing machine on a hot setting... beyond that, you're out of luck.

[jialormee]

would taking them in at a tailors be a wise choice? cause i have a pair that is 2 inches too big.

[justbrowsing]

depends on how much the jeans cost you, how much the tailor wants for the hemming.

[cookiecook]

Superquick:

Will the indigo from my RR stain my white bathtub???

Thanks

[02///M3]

Dont know if this has been covered. If you wear raw denim for a while without washing (several months lets say) and they stretch a lot, if washed in warm water will they shrink to original size, will they end up bigger, or will they still shrink to smaller than they were originally?

[nnkd]

i just bought a pair of sugarcane 1955 (30x34) one wash.

the waist fits just right but the length is a bit too long.

can i still soak them and get some shrinkage in them or is that just for the raw jeans.

[386]

1) Those are Sugar Cane, not Samurai.

2) No.

[paadekooper]

simliar question to the poster above - I have 5 month old Nudie RRs dry greycast that have streched in the waist, seat and thighs and I want to shrink em but I don't want to "wash" them cause they got a long way to go wear wise - just developing some nice combs and creases. Will soaking in hot water for 3-4 hours set me back in breaking these in nicely?

[cheapmuthafukr]

who knows...

that is one of the things I find so frustrating about premium denim.

I dont understand why they dont just sanforize them ALL in the modern method, regardless of how 'in-authentic' it would be.

authenticity is sometimes overrated if it is at the expense of real progress (which I think proper sanforizing is)

but what about leg twist???????? i cant live without my leg twist.

[JesseJB]

Just make sure you dont shrink them too much...or they'll kill you with crushing force. See the link! haha

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/vanities/shrink.asp

[LeicaLad]

Superquick:

Will the indigo from my RR stain my white bathtub???

Thanks

Rinse the tube quickly. OTOH, the inside of my dryer is now quite blue!

[plaidfad]

would taking them in at a tailors be a wise choice? cause i have a pair that is 2 inches too big.

most fabric shrinks up (length) instead of in (width) and even if they feel a little tighter after washing, they will stretch with wearing... quickly.

if your jeans are 2 inches too big; congratulations it's time to go jean shopping and you can pick the perfect new pair for your size.

a tailor is really only going to be able to take a dress pant type construction in and have it look/fit well after. the construction of a jean can get messy when altered because you have to cut the waistband. plus i've never seen a really good job of re-stitching the denim. sorry.

i've seen some people 'dart' in the waist and it's turned out alright. it's also cheaper and will not mess with original stitching of the jean. unfortunately, it only helps the waist about an inch and the butt is still the same.

hope that helps.

...look at it this way, you may fit into those big jeans in a few years. or just ebay them.

happy jean shopping.

[__3xL]

I have seen a great job taking in the waist on jeans .. non -visible from outside as belt loop covered it .. Very clean and strong stitches

[plaidfad]

if they are in nyc hook us up. i've either seen bad finishes or it messes with fit.