Acrylic is a fabric found mostly in sweaters we love so much. At least I do! Anyways, acrylic is a man-made material that is made of acrylonitrile, which is an organic compound.
Without starting to get deeper into chemistry, I would like to share the reason why I am writing this article! Whenever mentioning any type of material or trying to buy anything, a quite famous question is asked, and it is completely related to shrinking. Have you ever thought about whether acrylic shrinks? Yeah, same! I wondered as well.
In this article, I will tell you the answer to the question asked above. Besides that, I would like to include some important information, all related to acrylic as a material. Let’s see what’s the deal with acrylic!
Key Takeaways
- When manufactured, acrylic yarn and fabrics are stabilized by a heat-setting process. If the process is done incorrectly, however, the acrylic sweater will stretch due to heat and tension during normal wear and common cleaning processes.
- The fibers that this acrylic yarn has are the primary cause of the shrinkage of clothing made of acrylic.
- You will want a stocking bag, rubber gloves, a dryer, and a large pot of boiling water, in order to mend a shrunk acrylic fabric.
- Taking precautions is important because the acrylic fabric is a substance that can melt easily.
Does Acrylic Shrink?
A super short answer to the question of whether acrylic shrinks is yes! Acrylic does shrink! Still, I won’t leave it like that since it is an important issue many people deal with. I will mention to you some main reasons why this type of fabric can shrink.
Reasons Why Acrylic Shrinks
The first reason that clothes made of acrylic shrink are the fibers that this material owns. They are really not strong to handle whatever you may want to do with it. It is a type of material that is known as plastic fabric, and basically, if you think how plastic, in general, can be destroyed, acrylic can quickly do as well.
Now, I am supposing everything that I mentioned above is understandable. In that case, another super-important reason that makes acrylic shrink is the heat, specifically the hot water that you might use in order to wash acrylic. I love to use hot water when washing my clothes, but acrylic doesn’t. Acrylic prefers cool water, and it is the safest one to use, so yeah always make sure you check the washing and drying temperatures.
Do You Want to Shrink Acrylic Garments? – Things to Do!
Just imagine one thing! Around Christmas, someone, a family member, has bought you an acrylic sweater, but its size is one or two times more than the actual size you constantly wear. What can you do? Well, funny enough, here comes a pro about acrylic yarn shrinking, as it can become the perfect number for you.
By the way, it is not something I am making up, as many people do this and are super happy with the results. I have done it, too, though!
Before mentioning how you can do it, there are some things that you will need, and they include boiling water in a big pot, a stocking bag, rubber gloves, and a dryer. If you are ready with the materials, follow these four steps:
1. Boil water and put it on the biggest pot that you may own. If you don’t have a big one, make sure to use a pot that is big enough so that you can add your acrylic sweaters within.
2. Here goes in use the bag that I mentioned above. Put your acrylic cloth in that bag and leave it there for about 40-45 minutes.
3. The rubber gloves come in hand so that you can remove the clothes from the water without taking them off from the bag that you have used.
4. Now that the clothes are already out of the pot, you should put them in a dryer while they are in their bag. The temperature of the driver should be at its highest.
If you follow these steps that are mentioned, you will have your acrylic clothes shrunk and ready to be used.
If you see that the clothes aren’t looking as they are supposed to, do not repeat the steps I mentioned! You will destroy your clothes in minutes, as acrylic can be melted!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is acrylic a good material for clothes?
Yes, it is! Especially if you are a person that hates the harsh cold of the winter season. It is a rugged material, and besides everything, it is super warm. Personally, I love acrylic sweaters and I hate cold.
Is acrylic similar to wool?
Generally, acrylic is known as the mimic of wool, which assures you that it is super similar to wool-made garments that you may already own. Also, acrylic garments feel like wool whenever touched or worn.
Can I iron acrylic clothes?
Just as I mentioned above, acrylic is a type of material that can melt easily. That concludes the fact that you should never iron acrylic clothes as you will destroy them immediately, especially with a super-hot iron.
If you want to straighten acrylic clothes somehow, use the coolest setting your iron has, put a damped cloth, and gently press the iron on the place that you want to straighten. Still, this process should be done very carefully!
Final Thoughts
My dear readers, we came to the last part of this article which concludes everything that you needed to know about acrylic as a material that is mostly used in winter clothes.
Basically, acrylic can shrink, but that comes in handy for those people that have accidentally purchased big-sized clothes or if they have lost some weight since the last winter.
I really hope that in this article I have covered everything that you want to know!
Further Reading
Giving advice is basically the thing I do best, and as we come here, at this part, I will advise you to check out some other articles that I have already written.
If you are caught up in the shrinking part, let me tell you whether polyester can shrink or if rayon material shrinks.
Also, you can find out if viscose can shrink or if you just bought something made of linen; you can check does gym clothes shrink!
If you have some general questions about tailors, I can tell you if a tailor can make a dress bigger if he/she can taper your pants, and whether tailors can shorten super long sleeves.
Well, there is nothing left to say besides the fact that I hope you check the articles mentioned out, and stay tuned for even more! Enjoy!
I am a proud mother of two amazing daughters, and i run our sewing & embroidery business full time. I am also a part-time writer for this blog, because i love sharing my findings and experiences!
