I've had a few laundry fails in my life. The worst is when something shrinks. Ugh. It's part of the reason I hang dry so many things.

Well, according to Lifehacker, there is a way to unshrink the shrunken.

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Their method in a nutshell is as follows:

  •  Fill a bucket or big sink with lukewarm water.  Then add a few big squirts of hair conditioner, and mix it in.
  • Toss the piece of clothing in for 15 to 30 minutes and let it soak.  The conditioner should help the fibers loosen up.
  • Take the garment out and gently squeeze the water out of it, but don't twist or wring it out.  If it's full of conditioner, you can rinse it.
  • Gently stretch it out then lay it out on a clean, dry towel and roll it up.  Rolling it should keep it in place, so it won't shrink back down.
  • Wait until it's mostly dry, and gently stretch the fabric again to get it back to its original shape.
  • Lay it out on another towel until it's fully dry.  You might need to roll it up or weigh it down with something again, just to make sure it doesn't shrink.

If the garment isn't cotton, they suggest taking it to a dry cleaner. They may be able to help you.

This got me thinking, I bet people have a ton of little hacks and secrets for cleaning and chores around the house. Here is what the people of Sioux Falls had to say:

  • Rather than doing dishes by hand. Put them in the dishwasher! (Hardy har har)
  • If you soak a piece of clothing in boiling water it'll shrink!! Had to do it many times with T-shirts that were only available in men's large
  • Windex gets paint out of the carpet just in case you have a happy little accident!
  • Instead of vacuuming a rug, I'll take the bottom of a flip flop and brush the rug. Best hack to get the hair out it
  • If you have burnt on crusty stuff on your glass stovetop.. a product called cream clean gets everything off with little effort
  • Rubbing a little bit of Murphy's oil will help get blood stains out of clothes
  • Use off bug spray to clean your cars headlights
  • I dust my baseboards with a dryer sheet. Rags seem to just push dust around and the dryer sheet actually traps it.
  • Clothes that I thought were ruined by grease spots after multiple washes and drying them and attempts with Shout - recently discovered dipping a toothbrush in dish soap will get them right out in the next wash!

So there you have it! I hope some of these can you help you out and making your housework a bit easier.

Happy cleaning!

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