Washing does not shrink shirts -- drying does. I wash my MTM (and OTR too) shirts but never dry them. Take them out of the wash, put them on plastic hangers and let them air dry. When dry, spray with a mister and hand iron. Your MTM shirts should not shrink after the first washing and ironing.

AD

 

Washing does not shrink shirts -- drying does. I wash my MTM (and OTR too) shirts but never dry them. Take them out of the wash, put them on plastic hangers and let them air dry. When dry, spray with a mister and hand iron. Your MTM shirts should not shrink after the first washing and ironing.

AD

OK, well, if we're going to get specific, drying doesn't shrink shirts either, otherwise you'd have to constantly be wearing a wet shirt. So, if its your position that hanging them to let them dry does not result in shrinkage, is it an issue of how quickly it dries or a matter of heat?

Either way, I'm going to keep drying my shirts, though I do so on the lowest heat setting possible. Wet things in my home have a tendancy to mildew.

 

From my experience it's been the intensity of the heat that shrinks the wet/just washed shirt. MTM shirts tend to allow for shrinkage in the dryer. The neck is larger and sleeves and body are longer. If your intentions are to wash and dry (on high heat) into its final size, after 2 you probably won't notice any shrinkage. I've washed MTM's to get the initial shrinkage. After that, I wash, dry on very low (to remove excess wrinkling) then hang to dry. I can also relate to mildew in more humid climates. Being from New Orleans there's no way I'd want to trust that hanging a wet shirt up will insure complete dryness in a short time. Being that I'm now in Vegas I just let those babies hang and walk away.

 

From my experience it's been the intensity of the heat that shrinks the wet/just washed shirt. MTM shirts tend to allow for shrinkage in the dryer. The neck is larger and sleeves and body are longer. If your intentions are to wash and dry (on high heat) into its final size, after 2 you probably won't notice any shrinkage. I've washed MTM's to get the initial shrinkage. After that, I wash, dry on very low (to remove excess wrinkling) then hang to dry. I can also relate to mildew in more humid climates. Being from New Orleans there's no way I'd want to trust that hanging a wet shirt up will insure complete dryness in a short time. Being that I'm now in Vegas I just let those babies hang and walk away.

Hi Joe,
Well, that's the problem. I used to do exactly this but eventually found too much variety between different shirt's rate of shrinkage to keep it up. I now wash in cold and dry on low heat, but there's still SOME shrinkage. (which also makes me wonder if the heat from ironing causes it too) Essentially, I'm trying to figure out how long to wait before ordering more shirts. I don't want to wash the shirt once and then say "OK, the sleeve needs to be a half inch longer" only to find out that it will continue shrinking after that.
When measuring myself for the shirt, it was difficult to determine the feel of the tape versus a shirt being worn in regards to how snug the collar is, etc. so I acknowledged that this first shirt was going to have to be a starting point and probably wouldn't be just right, which it wasn't.

 

I don't know the answer but in my MyTailor shirts I do three complete cold wash and hot dry cycles to alleviate all shrinkage and then forever put them into a cold wash, hang dry routine to maximize life expectancy.

 

Washing definitely shrinks a shirt. Take a brand new shirt and measure the collar, then wash it in warm water and measure it again before drying. You'll see what I mean.

 

All new cotton garments go once through the hottest wash and hottest dry before alterations. This has always worked for me.

 

Hi Joe,
Well, that's the problem. I used to do exactly this but eventually found too much variety between different shirt's rate of shrinkage to keep it up. I now wash in cold and dry on low heat, but there's still SOME shrinkage. (which also makes me wonder if the heat from ironing causes it too) Essentially, I'm trying to figure out how long to wait before ordering more shirts. I don't want to wash the shirt once and then say "OK, the sleeve needs to be a half inch longer" only to find out that it will continue shrinking after that.
When measuring myself for the shirt, it was difficult to determine the feel of the tape versus a shirt being worn in regards to how snug the collar is, etc. so I acknowledged that this first shirt was going to have to be a starting point and probably wouldn't be just right, which it wasn't.




Hmmmm.... In that case I'd say 3 washings/hot dryings (5 if you wish) would be your best out. Dealing with difference shirtmakers is another issue. The equations change from maker to maker, and also fabrics. But if you're still experiencing shrinkage and sizing issues after 8 and 10 washings it might not be the shirt but rather (in my case especially) that extra slice of pie. :icon_smile: