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No matter how careful you are in caring for your clothes, eventually each item in your wardrobe will wear out. Comfortable and often-worn items such as velvet lounge pants or track suit pants can become stretched out over time. With a few cycles in your washing machine, you can bring new life to those pouchy pants and avoid having to buy new ones.
1.
Examine the manufacturer's tag on your velvet pants to determine the material content of the velvet. Velvet made from synthetic materials can be washed. Velvet made from natural materials must be dry-cleaned and, therefore, cannot shrink.
2.
Run the pants through a regular cold-water wash cycle in your washing machine, using detergent. Make sure there are no stains left on the pants.
3.
Turn the washing machine to a medium heat setting, and wash the pants again without detergent. Do not use a high heat setting on velvet pants.
4.
Turn the dryer to a high heat setting, and run the pants through a drying cycle. When the pants are dry, put the pants on to examine the fit.
5.
You can repeat the washing and drying cycles until the velvet pants fit you the way you like.
Things You'll Need
1.Velvet pants
3.Detergent
2.Washing machine
4.Dryer
Tips & Tricks
Velvet stretch pants, which are common in loungewear, are usually made from acetate or rayon and are therefore safe to wash.
Do not attempt to shrink silk velvet, as washing will destroy the fabric. Consider taking pants made from this material to a tailor for resizing.
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References
"Laundry: The Home Comforts Book of Caring for Clothes;" Cheryl Mendelson; 2005 "Sew Any Fabric: A Quick Reference Guide to Fabrics from A to Z;" Claire Shaeffer; 2003
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