Avoid using delicate or hand-wash settings. Instead, use a permanent press or heavy duty setting. The combination of hot water and heavy churning will cause the fibers in your jeans to contract. Use detergent and liquid fabric softener as usual. Detergent will not reduce the effectiveness of this technique, and fabric softener can actually help to prevent the jeans from becoming too stiff as they shrink.
The heat of the dryer will cause the fibers to contract even more than they did in the washer. Let your jeans dry completely. In fact, if you can leave the jeans in your dryer for 5 to 10 minutes longer after they finish drying, you may have even better results. Do not air dry. Air drying your jeans following this method can actually cause some of the shrinkage to stretch out. Do not air dry or hang your jeans, just fold and store them in the closet.
Try a professional dry cleaner if you cannot get your jeans to shrink sufficiently in your own washer and dryer. The machines at a dry cleaner have higher heat settings.
Put the top on the bottle and shake vigorously to combine. You need to use a combination of water and fabric softener. This technique will not work correctly if you only use plain water. Do not use detergent, however, since you will not be rinsing the detergent out.
The dry portions of your jeans will not be affected. This method is especially helpful if the waistband has begun to stretch out. If this is the case, spray the solution on the waistband of your jeans, saturating the fabric completely around the entire band.
The high heat should cause the fibers of the wet fabric to constrict. Air drying the jeans will not have the same effect.
This is the only method in which you must wear your jeans as you shrink them. Since you will be shrinking your jeans as you wear them, the jeans will shrink around your legs, create a perfect, snug fit. You should begin this process on the same day you plan to wear your jeans. If this is not possible, then use this method to shrink your jeans a day or two before you wear them. Do not wash the jeans after shrinking them, though, since doing so could cause the fibers to relax and ease back into their original, loose position.
Make the water as hot as you can tolerate. Obviously, you want to avoid burning yourself with water that is too hot to handle, but lukewarm water will not be able to cause the fibers to contract enough for sufficient shrinkage. Test the temperature of the water with your hand to gauge how hot it is.
If you made the water sufficiently hot, it should take at least 20 minutes for the water to cool. Make sure that your jeans are completely submerged under the water. If your legs or part of your waistband remain above water, add more hot water to the bathtub until these exposed portions are submerged, as well.
If possible, sit outside in a sunny location to do this. Make sure to choose a hot day to prevent yourself from getting sick and to help the jean fibers continue to contract. Sit in a plastic or metal chair. Avoid absorbent surfaces that may soak up the water from your jeans. You may need to turn yourself as you sit or lie out in the sun. Otherwise, the tops of your legs will dry while the back will remain wet. It can take several hours for your jeans to dry.
Turning your jeans inside-out will lessen the amount of fading that will occur. Your jeans should still shrink the same way without any problems, even if turned inside-out. This step is especially necessary if shrinking new jeans with a fairly dark wash. If working with a pair of light wash jeans or an old pair of jeans that area already faded, you might be able to skip this step without causing much if any damage.
The water is at a full boil when large, rolling waves of bubbles violently break the surface of the water. You need to make sure that you use enough water and a large enough stockpot so for the jeans to be completely submerged.
Do not cover the stockpot as your jeans soak. Check periodically to make sure that the fabric stays submerged in the water. If needed, push the jeans under from time to time using your tongs.
The intense heat of the dryer will further tighten the fibers already tightened by the hot, turbulent water. Make sure that you use tongs as you hand the jeans since they will be very hot. Do not air-dry the jeans. Make sure that the jeans are completely dry when you remove them from the drying machine.
The boiling method is also slightly more flexible. If you only wanted to shrink a portion of your jeans, like the legs or waistband, you could submerge that portion only under the boiling water. Hold it in place using tongs. If using the washing machine method, add detergent and liquid fabric softener as usual. Make sure that the water is as hot as possible for either method.
This is especially important if you used boiling water or if your washing machine did not put your jeans through a spin cycle. Your jeans should still be wet, but not dripping wet.
Use a moderate heat setting. Note that this may not shrink the jeans as much as some of the other methods described, but it can be effective if you only need a slight adjustment.
