If you lost weight, bought the wrong size, or stretched out the material, you may want to shrink your bathing suit rather than buy a new one.The materials used in bathing suits can make it harder to shrink the fibers, but it is not impossible.Try using boiling hot water to soak your suit and then put it through a hot cycle in the dryer, or try ironing a damp suit on low heat to shrink it.It may take a few tries, but you should be able to shrink your suit to the size you want.
Step 1: The suit should be turned inside out to protect the pigments.
Make sure your suit is turned inside out before you wash, boil, and dry it.Your suit should retain its original colors if you keep doing that.If there are bra inserts, remove them at this time.
Step 2: The suit should be washed by hand in cool water.
Use a mild laundry detergent that doesn't have bleach or dyes in it, and fill the sink with cool water.After washing the bathing suit, drain the sink and use fresh water to rinse it off.It is important to clean your suit before you put it in the dryer because it could get baked into the material and make it hard and inflexible.If you put your suit in the washing machine it will stretch out the fibers in it.
Step 3: Take the suit out of the boiling water and put it in the room.
Make sure to use a large pot or dish that won't break from the heat to boil water.It will take about 15 to 20 minutes for the suit to sit in the boiling water.Once it goes into the dryer, the heat from the boiling water should shrink the fibers in the suit.
Step 4: The suit should be placed in the dryer on the highest setting.
For optimum shrinkage, use the highest setting and the longest time that you can choose.If you want the suit to shrink as much as possible, don't dry it with a full load of laundry.The dryers can run for up to 70 minutes before shutting off.
Step 5: Once the dry cycle is done, cool the garment to room temperature.
Set the hot garment to the side to let it cool off, instead of taking it out of the machine and putting it on.If you were to put it on immediately, the elastic could burn you.It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes for the suit to cool off.
Step 6: To shrink the suit, repeat the process 2 to 3 times.
After the suit has dried completely, try it on to see if it is the right size.You are ready to enjoy your improved suit if that is the case.There is no need to wash the suit again if you repeat the boiling and drying process a few more times.It may be time to invest in a new suit if the suit doesn't shrink enough after 3 washes.
Step 7: You should wash your suit, rinse it and wring out the excess water.
If your suit isn't already clean, use cool water and mild laundry detergent that's free of bleach and added dyes to wash it.Put cool water in the sink and apply soap to your suit.If you want to create suds, massage the material in the water.Use fresh water to rinse the suit after draining the sink.The suit should be squeezed by hand until it is just damp.If you iron a dirty suit, you are essentially baking in any residual salt, sand, sweat, sunscreen, or lotion you may have come into contact with the last time it was worn.
Step 8: Once on the ironing board, cover the suit with a cotton cloth.
If you don't have a cotton cloth for ironing, you can use a handkerchief or some other kind of scrap fabric, just as long as it is clean and made of cotton.If you put the iron on the bathing suit, it will damage it.
Step 9: The iron should be turned on to a low- or medium-heat setting.
Don't use high heat to avoid damaging the swimsuit.It will take a little longer to iron and dry the suit, but in the end it will be in better shape.You don't have to put the steamer basket in the iron.The suit is already wet and won't need to be humid.
Step 10: Press down on the suit with slow, firm movements.
If you use a low-heat setting, you should be able to iron your suit for 10 minutes.Use long, even strokes to work from the top to the bottom of the suit.If you press down, the heat of the iron will penetrate through the protective cloth and hit the swimsuit.Even though the iron doesn't have a lot of heat, be careful not to grab the bottom of it with your bare hands.It will be hot enough to burn you.
Step 11: To evenly iron both sides of the suit, flip it over from time to time.
Make sure to work both sides of the suit so that you don't end up with one side that is smaller than the other.After going from top to bottom, try flipping the suit over.When you flip the suit over, you should wipe the ironing board with a dry towel.If there is excess water on the board, you don't want it to get absorbed into the side you were working on.
Step 12: Continue ironing until all of the water has evaporated.
It may take 10 minutes or more, so settle in at the ironing board.Continue using pressure and alternating sides so that the suit dries quickly.You can stop once the majority of the water is gone and the suit is almost completely dry.It will help the time pass more quickly if you watch a show or listen to music while you work.
Step 13: The suit should be dry by the time you wear it again.
If you put your suit in the sun, the heat could cause the elastic to weaken.It's best to leave it on the ironing board or hang it up on a clothesline.Go ahead and try it on once it is completely dry.If it is small, you can repeat the ironing method 1 to 2 times.It may be time to take it in by hand or invest in a new suit if it isn't shrunken enough after those efforts.You could put the suit in the dryer for 20 minutes to dry it.Allowing the material to air dry will help it shrink even more.
Step 14: If your swimsuit got wet, wash it after every use.
To keep your suit in tiptop condition, sunscreen, oils, sand, and sweat need to be washed away on a regular basis.If you don't wash your suit after you go into the water, the fibers and elastics will be in worse shape than if you do.The elasticity of the elastic fibers can be affected by the build-up of dirt.
Step 15: You can wash your suits with mild detergent.
The tumbling motion of the washing machine can stretch your suit and cause damage to the elastic fibers.A mild laundry detergent is free of bleach and dyes and can be used to scrub your suit.Use clean water to rinse the suit after it has been washed.
Step 16: If possible, hang your suit to dry.
Put your suit out to dry after it has been washed.If you put it over a metal pole, the metal could react with the material and stain it.Clothespins and a clothesline can be used to hang the suit.A dryer can shrink a suit, but it can also weaken it because of the high heat and tumbling.It should not be used a lot so that your suit stays in the best condition possible.
Step 17: If you want to avoid damaging the fibers, keep your drying suit out of the sun.
If you can, don't lay your suit out in the sun to let it dry naturally.The sun weakens the elastic of your suit and makes it less durable over time.If you have to use the sun to dry your suit, that is fine.Don't do it every time.
Step 18: Keep your suit away from rough surfaces.
Concrete, pool chairs, and other materials that are often around swimming areas can cause your suit to weaken over time.If you want to avoid this, lay a towel down before you sit.Pull on a coverup or something similar before you sit down if you don't have a towel available.