If you want to avoid the hassle of buying a shirt that’s too big and shrinking it yourself, look for pre-shrunk garments when you shop. Pre-shrunk shirts are increasingly common.
If you want your shirt to shrink roughly 1-2 sizes, put your shirt in immediately after you remove the pot from the burner. If you want your shirt to shrink roughly 1/2-1 size, wait 5 minutes before placing the shirt in the water. If you want your shirt to shrink roughly 1/4-1/2 size, wait 10-15 minutes before placing the shirt in the water. [2] X Research source
The movement of the garments inside your washing machine also affects how much the fabric shrinks. Washing machines that are front-loaders, meaning the machines’ loading and unloading doors are in the front, produce less agitation, and therefore less shrinkage, than top-loaded washing machines. [1] X Research source
