How to Stretch Your Jeans

The more cotton denim contains the more jeans shrink during washing. In order to prevent it, you should follow certain rules.

First, don't wash your jeans too long. It's not recommended to presoak them. Second, water temperature should not be higher than 100 °F. Third, try not to wash your jeans in the washing machine. If you are not eager to hand wash, at least don't use the dryer. Fourth, don't use too many detergents.

However, even if you follow all the recommendations, you won't be able to avoid shrinkage completely. That's why you should know how to stretch your jeans at home. The most popular way is to put your jeans on when they are still wet and let them dry. You can also put on your jeans and sit in a bathtub full of water for some time. Stretch your jeans with your hands while sitting in the bathtub. Wear them for at least half an hour, take off and leave to dry. Thus, they won't tighten and will fit you.

However it's not recommended to use the above-described method to stretch denim. First, jeans color is washed out and you can have blue or black stains on your skin. Second, wearing wet jeans can lead to genitourinary disorders.

It's better to use less dangerous ways to stretch your jeans. Another method to stretch denim is to iron it. Let your jeans dry a little after washing, put them on the ironing table and start steam iron slowly and thoroughly. The heat will make denim more elastic and soft. Put on the jeans before they get cold.

If your jeans are still a little tight after ironing, lie down and try to put them on. Then get up, walk, sit down, bend your knees. Jeans will “get used” to your body and fit you perfectly.

By the way, it's possible to stretch only your jeans' waistline or thighs. You can't stretch jeans to make them longer. High quality jeans shrink only in width. If your jeans have become shorter after washing, be attentive when you choose jeans the next time.