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You are here: Home / Science / Why Do Clothes Shrink and Why Does Cotton and Wool Fabric Shrink More Than Synthetic Fibers?

Why Do Clothes Shrink and Why Does Cotton and Wool Fabric Shrink More Than Synthetic Fibers?

May 4, 2020 by Karen Hill

Clothes shrink because of the chemical and physical properties of fibers from natural sources, especially cotton, wool and linen.

The individual fibers in yarns are made of long polymer chains, or strands of giant molecules.

In their natural state, the chains are scrolled up or crinkled.

In preparing them for spinning and weaving, the first step is usually a straightening of the fibers by processes like carding wool.

However, the fibers try to go back to their natural state.

Moving from one state to another requires crossing an energy barrier. It even takes energy to get back to the lowest-energy, most disordered state.

Hot temperatures in laundering give the fibers the energy that allows them to change state so that the long polymer chains scroll back up again.

There is little shrinkage in synthetic fibers, because their polymers can be designed the way the makers want, and they start off in a straightened state.

Related Facts

  • Why is Wool Warmer Than Cotton and What Else is Wool Used For Besides Clothes, Carpets, and Furniture?
  • Why Do Clothes Get Wrinkled, and How Does Ironing Get the Wrinkles Out?
  • What are the Benefits of Wool as a Fabric and Why is Wool Better Than Cotton?
  • When Were Fabric Softeners Invented and How Do Fabric Softeners Reduce Static Electricity In Clothes?
  • How Does a Fabric Softener Sheet Work To Make Clothes Softer and What Is Fabric Softener Made Of?
  • Who Invented Nylon, What Is Nylon Used For, and Why Did Synthetic Fibers Replace Silk?

Filed Under: Science

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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