Sweatpants are one of the most comfortable clothes there is, and they do not disappoint when the need for comfit and a simple dressing arises.
Their plain design and skin-friendly textural feel, plus their multifunctional construction are just more than cool.
We are going to be considering sweatpants from a reputable brand, which has stayed at the top in producing super cool and quality material.
The Nike Sweatpants are quality sweatpants with elastic waistband, and a drawstring closure type and often come in full leg length.
The Nike sweatpants are mainly made with cotton and polyester, two-component materials which offers quality and durable sweatpants. The polyester aids elasticity, while the cotton provides a calming feel on the skin.
Finding your Nike sweatpants in the wardrobe shrunk, leaves you with a couple of questions bordering on how, why, and how do Nike sweatpants shrink? Your queries have surgical answers in this text, just read on.
Do Nike Sweatpants really shrink in the dryer?
Yes, Nike Sweatpants shrink in the dryer. Since these pants are majorly made up of about 80% of cotton and 10% polyester, they are prone to get shrunk.
Even though the polyester material supports elasticity, it is only used in a small quantity. While cotton is used in a more big quantity, and it is known to be highly responsive to heat and introduction it is liable to alter the length of the fiber present in the sweatpants.
This process can shrink the sweatpants leading to a shortage of length.
How does Nike Sweatpants shrink in the dryer?
Most clothing materials made with cotton will experience shrinkage at some point of using them. This is because of how sensitive cotton is to heat, whether from s dryer or sunlight.
However, the automatic spinning pattern operating in the dryer can shrink cotton. But due to the presence of polyester in most of the sweatpants from Nike, the shrinkage rate is not going to be pronounced.
The shrinkage could happen at about 3% of the sweatpant’s size.
Furthermore, the dryer has a norm of stretching the threads in cotton material to achieve a dried pant, but this method adds to the shrinkage, as the tensions built around the cotton fibers stretch and release, making them retract.
This retraction leads to a reduction in the size of the pants, hence shrinkage.
What Are The Other Ways That Nike Sweatpants Can Shrink? 4 That I Know!
You’ve probably stopped the use of dryers in drying your Nike sweatpants, yet it’s still going up that same hill. Of course, avoiding the use of a dryer is not the only factor leading to shrinkage.
Other unsafe washing practices can also cause your Nike sweatpants to shrink, and these other ways are stressed one after the other.
- Use of Regular Hand Washing
- Hot water laundry
- Use of harsh detergents
- Use of heated washing machine
Use of Regular Hand Washing
You may not have noticed, but the regular washing of your Nike sweatpants by hand can increase their chances of shrinking.
During hand washing, you wring, twist, and mangle the pants, and these processes can make the component fibers lose tension and start having a strong cohesion.
Once this happens, the size of the pants can start retracting, leading to shrinkage.
Use of hot water
The use of hot water to wash your Nike sweatpants, with the intent of removing stubborn stains can cause shrinkage. Whether the hot water is used in hand washing or washing machine, it still has the same outcome.
This is as the hot water exerts heat on the sweatpants and the cotton, in turn, reacts to the effect, making them withdraw in size and shrink.
Use of Harsh Detergents
Since using mild detergents to wash your sweatpants reduces shrinkage, then the use of harsh detergents doing your laundry can cause the fibers in the cotton to release their tension and drawback in shape.
Similarly, these detergents can also cause the polyester used alongside cotton in the production of sweatpants to stiffen.
Use of heated Washing Machine
If you make the mistake of washing your Nike sweatpants in a heated washing machine, then you might as well be an accomplice if it ends up shrinking.
Because the hot water wields its high temperature on the pant’s fabric, means that it will also shrink. This is another ignored way through which Nike sweatpants shrink.
4 Simple Ways On How to Stop Nike Sweatpants from Shrinking?
Getting brand new sweatpants from Nike, like the Nike Men’s Sportwear Open Hem Club Pants for men or having a classic Nike Women’s NSW Regular Pants Varsity, and then waking up to find them shrunk after a wash can be heartbreaking.
But what if you are told of a way that will prevent you from losing any of these pants? You will want to jump on that offer immediately but now you don’t have to jump, save yourself the stress and just read on.
These are 5 practical ways how to stop Nike sweatpants from shrinking:
- Wash with cold water.
- Use a no-heat dryer setting.
- Use mild detergent.
- Opt for air drying.
Wash with Cold Water
The use of cold water in washing your sweatpants does a lot of good, in ensuring that they do not shrink.
Instead of applying heat to the fabric, the cold water makes them o relax and maintain their current state, thus averting shrinkage.
Use a No-Heat Dryer Setting
If drying your sweatpants outside will be tiring, you can still use the dryer. But this time we are doing it in a different way from what you used to do. Now, due to much heat from the dryer can cause shrinkage, so why not reduce the heat?
Therefore, before you consider using your dryer for this job, make sure that you reduce the heat setting. To achieve this, set it at a low or no heat.
Use Mild Detergent
Using mild detergent has a way of maintaining the size and texture of a fabric, as against the use of harsh ones.
On that note, you must avoid harsh detergents and implement the use of mild ones to ensure that your Nike sweatpants stop shrinking.
Opt for Air Drying
To avoid risking shrinkage from the use of a dryer, you should opt for drying them by air. In air drying there’s no heat no pressure or spinning applied, just fine Nike sweatpants hanging on a liner on your lawn
Although, this process takes time to dry them when it does you will be sure that your pants are in order.
How to Unshrink Nike Sweatpants?
Having a shrunk pair of Nike sweatpants is not taboo its the work of nature taking its full course. But if it has happened and you feel bad about the issue, you can still undo the done. Sounds cozy right?
Well, yeah you can still unshrink your shrunk sweatpants and this is how it is done:
- Get a hair shampoo or conditioner.
- Fill a bathtub or sink, with warm water, and add about 3 tablespoons of the conditioner to the water.
- Put in the sweatpants and leave to get drenched for at least 20 mins.
- Remove the pants from the water and rinse using warm water.
- Roll up the pants in a dry towel and apply pressure to release excess water.
- Gently stretch the pants into their original size.
- Hang dry using clips to hold it in its stretched form.
- The pants will unshrink once it becomes dry.
How to Take Care of Your Nike Sweatpants
The Nike Sweatpants collection embodies convenience, comfort, and quality in one piece. All these qualities in one, with a design that supports fitness and sports. It is therefore pertinent to make sure that these pants are well taken care of. You can take care of these pants by doing any of these tips:
- Read Product Label.
- Use an Air-dry dryer.
- Wash with mild detergent.
- Wash after each use.
Read Product Label
Always reading the product label on sweatpants, especially the ones from Nike points out the accepted mode of maintenance that you must follow.
Do not do anything contrary to the washing guides on the label. This is the first step of taking care of them.
Use Air-dry Dryer
When using a dryer, make sure to set it on ‘air-dry’ or ‘tumble low’ for sweatpants. Subjecting them to high temperatures will ruin them, hence shrinkage.
Wash with Mild Detergent
Make sure you use a mild and less sensitive detergent in washing the sweatpants. It will help maintain its original size and avoid cases of shrinkage.
Wash Immediately After Use
Most cotton-based sweatpants are prone to accumulating dirt and developing an awkward smell if left unwashed.
To steer clear of that, it is needed that you wash them immediately after wearing them to either a workout session or for a quick run down the street.
This keeps their scent nice and healthy, and also saves you from getting rashes from wearing dirty pants.
Conclusion
The Nike brand which produces these sweatpants is a renowned name in the business of bringing quality products to the market.
Their products are sought after due to their convenience and comfit, but there are also complaints of shrinkage from customers.
Although shrinkage is not a terrible thing to happen to your cloth, it is still unpleasant. The emphasis on why and how this process happens has been treated in this article.
Plus, the ways to stop the occurrence were also tipped here. Now you also know how to unshrink your sweatpants and rock them like you used to.
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