Keeping flannel from shrinking...

[DitchPanda]

So lately I've been wearing lots of flannel. Today I washed one and when I pulled it from the dryer it had shrunk. I washed it in warm not hot water and also dried it on the lowest heat setting. No big deal because my girlfriend likes that particular color and it looks cute on her so I gifted it to her. That said I don't want to keep experiencing this. So for you flannel aficionados what's the trick to cleaning and drying flannel without downsizing it?

[gim]

I don't specifically wear flannel but I often have this issue with 100% cotton t-shirts, jeans, etc.  So now I either buy pre-shrunk, dry-fit/polyester, or just go one size bigger.  You could also hang it up to air dry but quite often whoever does the laundry fails to realize certain items should not go in the dryer, so eventually there will be shrinkage.

 

[volzfan59]

I wash, dry and fold/iron all of my clothes, always have since being in the Army. One of my many quirks.

Anyway, my wife taught me this one. Dry your flannel (or anything else you don't want to shrink) on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes just to get the wrinkles out. Immediately get the garment out of the dryer and on a hanger. Hang it to complete the drying process. Iron if needed. I do this with my flannel shirts, fishing shirts and printed t-shirts, works great.

[DitchPanda]

41 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I don't specifically wear flannel but I often have this issue with 100% cotton t-shirts, jeans, etc.  So now I either buy pre-shrunk, dry-fit/polyester, or just go one size bigger.  You could also hang it up to air dry but quite often whoever does the laundry fails to realize certain items should not go in the dryer, so eventually there will be shrinkage.

 

Coming into shrinkage season for us up here buddy...some of us already don't have much to lose!

 

29 minutes ago, volzfan59 said:

I wash, dry and fold/iron all of my clothes, always have since being in the Army. One of my many quirks.

Anyway, my wife taught me this one. Dry your flannel (or anything else you don't want to shrink) on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes just to get the wrinkles out. Immediately get the garment out of the dryer and on a hanger. Hang it to complete the drying process. Iron if needed. I do this with my flannel shirts, fishing shirts and printed t-shirts, works great.

Perfect...I was thinking hang drying was probably the ticket. I also read you should wash flannel with cold water instead of warm or hot.

[gim]

24 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Coming into shrinkage season for us up here buddy...some of us already don't have much to lose!

LOL good one

[volzfan59]

That's correct @DitchPanda, I wash everything except my white clothes in cold water. Whites go in hot water with a healthy dose of Oxy-Clean.

[Log Catcher]

Anything I have to worry about shrinking get washed then hung up in the basement for a day or two. Then put in the dryer with a dryer sheet for about 15 minutes. If it still needs ironing my wife takes care of that.

[slonezp]

Buy better quality clothing.

[DitchPanda]

2 hours ago, slonezp said:

Buy better quality clothing.

Man that's solid advice...thanks alot.

[slonezp]

9 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

Man that's solid advice...thanks alot.

There's a huge difference between Walmart quality and something you would get from Duluth Trading or Eddie Bauer or Field and Stream

[A-Jay]

17 minutes ago, slonezp said:

There's a huge difference between Walmart quality and something you would get from Duluth Trading or Eddie Bauer or Field and Stream

LL Bean offers a quality product as well. 

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/506874?page=mens-casual-button-down-shirts&csp=f&bc=12-26-589&start=1&viewCount=48&nav=ln-589

A-Jay

[DitchPanda]

1 hour ago, slonezp said:

There's a huge difference between Walmart quality and something you would get from Duluth Trading or Eddie Bauer or Field and Stream

I understand that and I'm not buying the walmart junk. I've got a buddy who loves flannel who has had problems with high dollar flannel shrinking from various brands. He pointed me to legendary white tails because hes had good luck with them. I'm pretty sure it was my washing and drying technique.

[volzfan59]

3 hours ago, slonezp said:

There's a huge difference between Walmart quality and something you would get from Duluth Trading or Eddie Bauer or Field and Stream

I couldn't agree more, you truly do get what you pay for. I don't purchase Walmart clothing or any cheaper brands. Due to my size, I've got flannel by different manufacturers that make XLT sizes. Some more expensive than others. They will all shrink if not dried properly.

 

[RB 77]

I wash everything on hot and dry everything on high. I want my clothes as clean and dry as possible. With that being said, I buy up one size knowing that this is going to lead to clothes shrinking. 

[JackstrawIII]

9 hours ago, slonezp said:

There's a huge difference between Walmart quality and something you would get from Duluth Trading or Eddie Bauer

I happen to wear a lot of Eddie Bauer and Duluth flannel. Unfortunately, they both shrink. 
 

The best solution I’ve found is to buy a size bigger and let them shrink. I don’t do my own laundry, and my wife has her hands full with the kids and just runs my flannels with everybody else’s clothes. They shrink. It’s a fact of life. So I just buy a size bigger and let nature run it’s course. 

[Koz]

23 hours ago, slonezp said:

Buy better quality clothing.

Yep - there's a difference between Walmart flannel and Eddie Bauer flannel.