# Do Cotton Shirts Always Shrink in the Dryer, or Only After the First Couple of Washes?



## TheSkaFish (May 30, 2015)

Hello,

Recently, one of my favorite shirts was accidentally put in the dryer. Normally, it is hung up on the basement clothesline to dry. It's definitely not the first time I've washed the shirt, as I've owned it for years. But I was worried about shrinkage because it was 100% cotton.

What I'm wondering is, does the dryer always shrink cotton every time no matter what, or is it only a problem during the first couple of washes and after that, non-excessive drying has little to no effect on the shirt's size? The shirt looks normal, but I guess I was just worried since it's one of my favorites and I'd hate to see it ruined.



> *ASK ANDY UPDATE: *Be sure to check out our Why Does Cotton Shrink & How to Stop It article!


----------



## cegusa (Jul 17, 2014)

From one relatively new member to another I typically avoid the dryer as I don't want to run the risk of shrinkage and addional wear and tear. This being said, I have has some shirts that I attempted to get a tad better fit by drying them. Seems like when I want them to shrink a little they don't. As a former Chicago native, I am curious about your username. Sounds familiar from the airwaves.


----------



## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

It's amazing what one can find on the internet!

https://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/ir/bitstream/1840.16/3414/1/etd.pdf


----------



## TheSkaFish (May 30, 2015)

cegusa said:


> From one relatively new member to another I typically avoid the dryer as I don't want to run the risk of shrinkage and addional wear and tear. This being said, I have has some shirts that I attempted to get a tad better fit by drying them. Seems like when I want them to shrink a little they don't. As a former Chicago native, I am curious about your username. Sounds familiar from the airwaves.


I usually avoid it too, for the items I really care about, at least. But it wasn't me that mistakenly put the shirt in the to-dry pile.

About the name, it's just from something I made up with a friend a long time ago. No relation to the Chicago musician. I actually found out about him after the fact.

Btw, I like your avatar, looks like a pretty sweet Corvette. I am somewhat of a car fan, but I can't tell for sure because it's a small picture so pardon me if I'm wrong.


----------



## TheSkaFish (May 30, 2015)

SG_67 said:


> It's amazing what one can find on the internet!
> 
> https://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/ir/bitstream/1840.16/3414/1/etd.pdf


Sorry about that....I just thought I'd ask because I'd found so much conflicting information. Some sources said it would shrink every time while others said it's only a problem on the first couple of washes.


----------



## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

^ I didn't mean that post as a criticism of your question. 

Just out of curiosity I did a search and I came up with these findings. I was really amazed!


----------



## Searching_Best_Fit (Feb 11, 2015)

@TheSkaFish, the answer your question can be based on many factors, not just because it is in the dryer, or it has been washed several times already. It can also be based on the length it is in the dryer.

The convention wisdom of putting cotton shirts in dryer is that: higher temperature with longer time will cause more shrinkage. Based on my personal observation, on a knitted T-shirts or Polo shirts this seems to be the case. It may be also true for 100% cotton dress shirt, but I only have one case like that so I would not say that was a solid example. 

In the short paper that @SG_67 posted, it claims that the temperature on dryer *does not* affect the shrinkage. I just quickly peruse the paper without studying carefully so I may be wrong on that. But I am also amazed that SG_67 can simply google it quickly.

Now the question is: do you think or feel that the shirt is ruined or shrunk to be unusable? Is the sleeve becoming too short, collar to tight to choke you, chest to small to close or whatnot? If none happens, just note it and move on and be careful not to repeat the mistake. If something did shrink, try pulling the clothes a bit to see if you can stretch it. There are Youtube video that teaches you how to stretch cotton shirts (T-shirts mostly) after drying to prevent shrinkage. You can find that information for your own benefit.


----------



## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

The answer to your first yes or no question is, yes. But the answer to, does it shrink it every time, is no.

It's not a simple issue because different cotton shirts react differently, and those treated to be wrinkle resistant hardly shrink, if at all. And even those that aren't can shrink anywhere from unwearable to unnoticeable when subjected to the same treatment.

I've always laundered my shirts myself. I've done this for about the last 40 years, or so. I launder them in warm water, and machine dry them. All untreated shirts will shrink to some degree. If they shrink to the point where it's a problem, they were either too small to start with, or the cloth is, IMO, defective.

Most of the shrinkage occurs during the first cycle of laundering and drying, and sometimes continues for the next one or two, but to a much lesser degree. Most of this shrinkage occurs during the machine drying.

When I had a shirtmaker, he estimated an average shrinkage of 5% and cut his shirts accordingly, and I never had a problem. But of course, if shirts are purchased to resemble shrink-wrapping from the start, it could be a possible *big* problem.


----------



## godan (Feb 10, 2010)

Flanderian said:


> The answer to your first yes or no question is, yes. But the answer to, does it shrink it every time, is no.
> 
> It's not a simple issue because different cotton shirts react differently, and those treated to be wrinkle resistant hardly shrink, if at all. And even those that aren't can shrink anywhere from unwearable to unnoticeable when subjected to the same treatment.
> 
> ...


This agrees with the views and practices of my alterations tailor. She wants cotton chinos and shirts cycled once through hottest wash and hottest dry before she takes over. I have no experience with altering polos or anything else knit.


----------



## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

godan said:


> This agrees with the views and practices of my alterations tailor. She wants cotton chinos and shirts cycled once through hottest wash and hottest dry before she takes over. I have no experience with altering polos or anything else knit.


Knits can be scary. Depending on the fiber and how it's knit, some of them can shrink up into doll clothes, others don't have much of a problem.


----------

