Do you feel a bit uncomfortable while wearing your new shirts? Sometimes, the way they itch your skin makes you want to toss them out or give them away in exchange for some secondhand shirts from the flea market. Don’t throw them right away since, in this writing, we’ll show how to soften t-shirts at home.
After following the procedures outlined below, you will be able to soften a stiff shirt and make them feel much more comfortable to wear.
Why Are Your T-shirts Stiff And Scratchy?
Not every t-shirt is produced in the same way. So, even when you get a t-shirt with a tag saying “100% cotton”, it does not necessarily mean it will offer you the quality of the garment as great as you would want.
Scratchy, stiff t-shirts are frequently the result of the manufacturing process. There are 4 reasons why a new-made t-shirt is not soft:
- The t-shirt is improperly manufactured
- The Dyeing Process Isn’t Completed Properly
- The fabric blend isn’t quality
- The Thread Count is inaccurate
Then, how to soften cotton shirts? There are many methods to make shirts soft. And, the great thing is that they are all DIY hacks, which means you can do so with some simple technique and a few ingredients found at home.
Besides, to soften a new shirt, you can also use the techniques to age it.
Stop beating around the bush now, Here are some useful tips for you to make t-shirts softer.
How To Soften T-shirts?
Remember that t-shirts may be shrunk down to one size after being softened. As a result, when selecting a t-shirt, choose one that is at least one size larger than your normal size. If you often wear a tee size L, you can get one size XL or 2XL.
If you’re helping soften t-shirts for customers, make sure they’re aware of it.
Vinegar wash
How to soften t-shirts with vinegar? Vinegar is a common home ingredient that we usually use to clean stuff, but we can use it to soften a stiff shirt as well. This process works best with materials that are either 100 % cotton or cotton-blend clothes.
First, you should prepare pure vinegar. Red wine and apple cider may stain your t-shirt, so avoid them. Baking soda, as well as measuring spoons and cups, are required.
Add one tablespoon of baking soda to a big basin. Then carefully pour in one cup of vinegar, making sure that most of the fizz stays in the basin.
Once it’s stopped fizzing, stir the mix to dissolve the baking soda.
Next, pour your baking soda and vinegar mix into your washing machine along with your t-shirt, and then wash it as normal.
Afterward, dry your clothes as you often do, and enjoy your new softer t-shirt!
Salt Solution
Besides vinegar, salt is another good solution to soften cotton shirts.
How to soften clothes with salt? Prepare a lag pot, salt, and water. Then, fill the pot with water and one cup of salt. To ensure that it dissolves, give it a good stir.
Place the pot on the stove and boil the mixture. After that, damp your clothes under and then dip them in the solution. Be careful to make sure your hand doesn’t get burned by the hot water.
When your shirts are in place, set the stove to low heat/ fire. After 30 to 45 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and drain it in a strainer.
After the t-shirt has cooled, rinse it to remove any extra salt before washing it as usual. This procedure works well for polyester and pure cotton clothes.
Pumice Stone
This is a quick and easy method to soften your new tees.
This procedure, unlike the others aforementioned, does not need the use of liquids. You just need to use a pumice stone to rub over your clothes. After that, soak it into a mixture of fabric softener and water, then let it stay in overnight.
Then, the next morning, wash it as usual and done!
Why Do You Need To Soften Your T-Shirts?
As previously said, softening your t-shirt improves the level of comfort you have when wearing it.
Apart from comfort, there are a few more reasons to soften a stiff shirt, including the following:
- It will eliminate any chemicals used as t-shirt preservatives because these compounds may cause allergies or even irritation. So, softening it will protect you.
- Softening a new tee also opens up the fibers, creates more pores, enabling more air to move easily and making the t-shirt more breathable.
- And lastly, with breathable t-shirts, you will sweat less and keep cool and fresh during the hot summer days.
Our conclusion
Softening a shirt is not a hard task so everyone definitely can do it at home with very simple and easy-to-find material. Hopefully, after reading through the tips above, you can learn how to make shirts soft DIY.