Are you looking to shrink jeans waist so that it fits you better? Whether your waist stretched out overtime, you lost weight or you bought jeans with a big waistband, sagging jeans with a gap at the core can be frustrating.
Shrinking jeans can be a simple way of reducing the size of stretched-out pants, but coming up with a trick to only shrink the waist only can be challenging. It will require you to focus all the shrinking to the waistline without addressing the hips or legs.
How do you shrink jeans waist? To shrink the waist of jeans, boil clean water in a large pot and only soak the waistband of the jeans in the hot water for 10 minutes. Allow the legs of the jeans to hang outside of the pot.
Roll the jeans on a dried towel to remove any excess water, then put the jeans in the dryer with highest heat setting for 15 minutes until the waistband is fully dried.
It is much easier to shrink jeans entirely, but reducing only on the jeans waistband can be a bit tricky.
If your jeans are fit well but only need to shrink the waist, consider to tailor the jeans waist by inputting the proper body measurement and sewing to get it right. However, you can apply this simple method to acquire a perfect waistband at home without visiting the tailor for alterations.
In this article, you will learn the easiest and fastest way to shrink jeans waist. Answered below are frequently asked questions about shrinking the waistline on your jeans without affecting the rest of the pants.
Can you shrink the waist of jeans?
Yes, you can shrink the waistband of your jeans with high heat. A combination of wet and dry heat work well to shrink denim quickly.
Make sure to check the care label before proceeding with shrinking. Pre-shrunk jeans will not shrink, or may only shrink a tiny bit when using the hot water method.
Additionally, the waist of jeans gets worn out easily and loosens up over multiple wears as time goes by. That means it can generally recover its elasticity through a simple wash and dryer method.
However, you may wonder what are the correlation to the temperature, time, and the amount of shrinkage.
How much do jeans shrink in the waist?
Preshrunk denim jeans will not shrink very much, and may not shrink at all because it has been applied during the production process. In contrast, 100% cotton denim that has not been pretreated can shrink as much as 20% with the wet and dry heating method.
Jeans tend to shrink in hot water combined with a high heat clothes dryer. However, this depends on the manufacturer’s type of fabric and steps taken to prevent shrinkage during the production process.
For example, the waist of preshrunk jeans only shrinks a little after washing and drying, while those that are not preshrunk tend to shrink quickly every time you wash and dry them.
In general, not every denim jeans will shrink the same amount. Among all denim varieties, cotton has the most potential for shrinkage, and generally speaking 100% cotton denim jeans can shrink by 20% of its original measurements.
On the other hand, cotton blends shrink less. Such as 80% cotton and 20% polyester denim jeans shrink only 3% of their original size. Spandex and cotton respond well to the shrinking method, however they shrink less compared to 100% cotton since the spandex does not shrink at all.
Tips to Shrink Jeans Waist Permanently
Shrinking jeans waist in the wash is an easy way to fight stretched out waistband on denim. Other than setting highest temperature on washer and dryer, here are shrinking tips to permanently shrink jeans waist:
- When drying jeans, let them dry completely. You can allow jeans to stay in the dryer for 5-10 minutes after drying to shrink the waistband permanently.
- Keep checking to ensure the waistband is completely submerged in the water. If not, you can use tongs to push it inside the water, but don’t expose any other areas unless you want them to shrink as well.
- Avoid air-drying jeans during the waist-shrinking process, this can cause your waist to stretch out instead. Stick with high heat to maximize shrinkage.
- Soak waistband with any homemade laundry detergent and fabric softener. Detergent won’t affect your jeans, but fabric softener helps reduce the stiffness of the fabric during the shrinking process.
- Always put wet jeans back on before they dry thoroughly. Trying them on while they are slightly damp will help the pants adjust perfectly to your body figure, especially the waist, when they dry completely.
Jeans naturally stretch with time and movement, but using a hot air dryer will benefit to permanently shrink the waist. As the fabric dries, the fibers will create a shrinking effect.
Best Way to Shrink Jeans Waist Permanently
Depend on the content of the denim, it may shrink permanently or temporarily. The higher percentage of cotton will more likely to shrink for an extended time period, always check the care label to apply the best way to shrink jeans waist.
- Start by filling a teakettle with water and turn on the burner on high heat. When the steam becomes visible from the mouth of the teapot, take the kettle out of the stove.
- Put a 15-quart bucket or large clean kitchen pot on a kitchen counter or a sturdy table. Pour the water into the container.
- Place only the waistband of the denim jeans into the hot water, wait for 10 minutes while allowing the legs of the jeans to hang outside the vessel. Ensure to place it slowly to avoid splashing as the scalding hot water can be very dangerous.
- Take a big towel and tongs, use them to remove the pants from the bucket. To get rid of most water, roll your jeans in the towel by placing the waistband flat on the towel and folding it over gently.
- Put the jeans into the dryer, and dry on the highest heat setting for about 15 minutes. Let the jeans stay in the dryer until piping hot and fully dried. The denim fibers tend to contract as the waistband dries resulting in a shrinking effect.
If the waist of your jeans doesn’t permanently shrink to your desired size, repeat the process to acquire the correct size for your waist. Taking care of your jeans and finding time to shrink the waistband will make you enjoy a sag-free waistband, comfort, and even build your confidence.
Shrinking Jeans Waistband: Conclusion
From taking a bath with denim jeans to spraying solution around the waistband, there are various methods to shrink jeans waist so they fit you snuggly. In my experience, soaking and drying at max temperature works the best, it is quick and easy solution to slim down ½” to 1” of the waistband opening without tailoring.
Double check if the jeans have been already preshrunk or not. If it is pretreated during the manufacturing process, then lengthen the soaking and drying time a bit longer than usual to get the maximum shrinkage available.
Turn your denim inside out before washing and drying to prevent color from fading.
Also, treat any stains out before throwing in the dryer. The hot air can easily set-in the stain to make it permanent, and once the stain is stuck on fabric, it is very difficult to remove.
Boil clean water and pour in a clean bucket or kitchen pot. Once the water is boiling turn off the heat and only soak the jeans waistband.
Leave the legs of the jeans hanging or on top of lid so it does not fall into the hot water. If other parts of the jeans enter the hot water, then they are also susceptible to shrinkage as well.
Place your pants in the dryer and use the highest heat setting to dry. The heat will make the soaked areas with fabric softener solution shrink as it dries.
Let it dry completely before removing from the dryer. Repeat the process if the waist didn’t shrink as much as you would like or stretches again after some time.
Shrink the waistband of your jeans by focusing the wet and dry heat only on the area of the pants. If other parts of the denim get wet, they will also shrink when exposed to high heat.