The American Eagle boxers are half stretched underwear that provides the utmost comfort with long-lasting durability. In cases where they get loosed or overstretched you might want to consider shrinking them.
Shrinking the American Eagle boxer is a bit complicated to many people but in this article, I’ll tell you how you can shrink them with very simple procedures.
The use of hot water
One of the easiest ways to shrink your American Eagle boxers is by washing them with hot water.
- Fill a basin or a bowl big enough to contain the underwear with hot water.
- Submerge the boxers and allow the water to soak them for 2-5 minutes.
- Then you add a few drops of mild detergent to the water. You can use a rubber spatula to turn the boxers in the hot water.
- Do this for the next 5 minutes.
- Stop stirring and let the underwear soak for the next few minutes.
- You can gently remove the underwear from the basin and rinse the soap from the mild detergent by using warm water.
- After rinsing the boxers, you can air dry them by hanging the underwear in a closet by laying the items out on a drying rack.
- Allowing the boxers to Air-dry will allow you to know if it needs to be shrunk further. When you eventually put on the dry underwear after it must have been dried, the fit must be noticeably tighter.
- If the underwear is still a bit too loose, you can repeat the process of washing it in hot water again or consider using another alternative shrinking method.
The use of a dryer
You can shrink the American Eagle boxers by putting them in a dryer. The heat from the temperature of the dryer will help in the shrinking process.
- After washing the underwear, squeeze out the water with a dry towel to remove excess water before placing the boxers into the dryer.
- You must set the dryer to the hottest temperature to avoid taking much time. If you don’t know how to identify the temperature button on the dryer just look for where it is “cotton” on it and on most dryers, this is the hottest temperature setting.
- Then, push the button and allow it to tumble the boxers for approximately 20 minutes.
- With this process, a small to a medium load of underwear will completely dry and shrink without damaging or burning the fabrics.
- Endeavor to check and see if the underwear is completely dry after 20 minutes. If there are still some damp spots, you can either put the boxers back into the dryer to tumble for another 10 minutes or let the underwear air-
- To be sure it has shrunken you can try on the boxers to see if the fit has improved. The fabric of the underwear should have a tighter fitting, but can still be loosed enough to allow you to move around comfortably.
- If the American Eagle boxers still seem a bit too big, you can repeat the drying process 2 or 3 more times to shrink the fabric even more to give you that snug fit.
Use of the washing machine
- To do this you must first separate the American eagle boxers from your other clothes. Fill the machine with hot water and allow to soak for 10 minutes.
- Drain the water from the washer and squeeze out the clothes then put them back into the washing machine, pour liquid detergent into it and let the washer do its job.
- After washing, you can remove the underwear and place it in a dryer and allow it to dry.
Hand wash with detergent
- First, you turn the boxers inside out. Because it needs enough heat to shrink and enough heat can cause a color change in the American Eagle boxers. Start hand washing gently and do not wash it with other clothes.
- After washing for a long period of time in hot water. (Hot water is preferable for shrinking than cold water) You can add your detergent as it helps in the shrinking process and if you want to shrink the underwear with a wash.
- After you must have finished washing, you can keep the underwear in a dryer by setting the maximum amount of heat as the maximum heat will be perfect for the shrinkage of the underwear. When the underwear has dried completely you can take it out of the dryer and leave it at room temperature for a short time.
- To be sure it has shrunk, you can wear the boxers and see if it has shrunk enough.
Direct sunlight
The average dryer at home can generate up to 180F which is like a virtual oven to shrink your boxers.
Direct sunlight causes heat which makes the friction of fabrics or cotton start rubbing against each other and it also causes it to smell like burnt paper.
If you want to shrink your American Eagle boxers, this is a very good option for you although it takes a little time but is worth the wait.
Bleach and cotton/fabric softener
These compositions although it is part of a cleaning agent can help to shrink your American eagle boxers.
These agents weaken the fabric although it adds fragrance it also weakens the fabric and when applied on the boxers, it causes it to shrink especially if it is left to sun-dry.
Soak
If you don’t have an air dryer or if you want to conserve energy you can skip the air-drying process and soak the underwear with your hands instead.
- Fill a large bowl or basin with water and heat over the stove pot. Make sure it is big enough to take any amount of boxers you decide to shrink.
- Once the water starts boiling, turn off the stove. Add the boxers to a Luke warm water and use a utensil to make sure the boxers are truly submerged.
- Allow it to soak for 20 – 40 minutes although it all depends on how much you want the boxers to shrink.
- If it is a cotton American Eagle boxer, 10 to 15 minutes of soaking is enough but if it is made from silk, 5 to 10 minutes is enough. But if it is made from other materials, you can allow them to soak for 20 – 40 minutes.
- Once the time has elapsed, remove the boxers from the water, squeeze with towels and allow it to air dry.
Iron dry
If your American Eagle boxers are made from cotton then you have a very big advantage. This method is more useful in cases where you want to shrink just one part rather than the entire boxers.
- Fill a spray bottle with warm water and check the iron temperature to ensure it matches the fabric content of the boxers.
- Spray the boxers and pay special attention to areas that are saggy and loose.
- Run the iron slowly and gently on the boxers while spraying the warm water continuously till you’re certain it has gotten to the loosed areas, you can stop spraying and only iron gently.
- Keep ironing until the boxer is dry. When you try it on, you can observe the tight or snug fit. There you have it, your boxer is as good as new.
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