How to Shrink Leggings

Using a Washing Machine and Dryer

Wash them in hot water. Choose a hot water wash and hot water rinse cycle. The hot water makes the fabric yarns and threads shorten up so they are not as relaxed out. Although most items these days come pre-shrunk, using a combination of heat, water, and friction will allow the fabric to bind back together and shrink your leggings. You can use detergent if you want to wash the leggings at the same time. Detergent won’t interfere with the shrinking process.

Choose the longest wash cycle setting available. Allowing the leggings to have as much heat, water, and friction as possible will result in the best possible shrinkage. Longer wash cycles generally have a pre-soak time which can allow for the hot water to soak into your fabric and start the shrinking process.

Dry your leggings on high heat. The combination of heat and friction is what allows your fabric to shrink back together as the water is removed from your leggings. If you are unsure how much you want to shrink them, and this is the first time you’ve tried to shrink this pair of leggings, check the leggings regularly to make sure they don’t shrink too much. Shrinking will make the leggings both tighter and smaller, so remember that the length and width will both change. Polyester is a synthetic material that requires higher heat to shrink and therefore might need several runs through the entire process. Polyester requires temperatures of 155 - 178°F to shrink. It can take 5-10 cycles to shrink an item sufficiently so don’t give up after the first try. If needed, lower the heat setting to make sure that the garment dries completely but doesn't shrink.

Using an Electric Iron

Wash your leggings in hot water. With the heat and hot water of both the wash and rinse cycles, the agitation of the washing machine will start the shrinking process in your leggings. Wash on the longest cycle available to give the hot water a chance to soak into the leggings. If you don’t have a washing machine, boil a large pot of water, add the leggings and boil for about ten minutes. Then, carefully remove the leggings and press out the water. Alternatively, you can soak your leggings in warm water overnight.

Preheat your iron. Set up your ironing board during the washing cycle. As the cycle gets closer to being finished, plugin and preheat your iron on low to medium heat. Don’t use high heat if your items have any polyester or nylon content because the heat can warp and melt the fabric. Be sure to stand the iron on its end while preheating. Never leave an iron laying face down on the ironing board as this can start a fire.

Remove the leggings from the washing machine. As soon as the cycle ends, smooth out your damp leggings on the ironing board and use a dish-drying towel to smoothly cover the first section you are about to iron. The towel will prevent the fabric from being damaged but is thin enough to allow the heat through. You can skip the dish-drying towel if your leggings are 100% cotton.

Iron your leggings. One section at a time, keep ironing, moving the iron around and applying pressure to the leggings until the water is all evaporated and the leggings feel almost dry. Once they are almost dry, you can leave the leggings to air dry. Make sure you keep moving the iron so your leggings don’t burn and so the friction works to shrink the leggings. Don’t use the steam setting on the iron, as this defeats the purpose. Don’t forget to unplug the iron and leave it standing on its end until it has fully cooled. If you don’t have an iron, you can follow this method using a hairdryer. You won’t need a dish-drying towel but still spread the leggings on an ironing board. The process will take a little longer but the heat from the hairdryer can still work.

Shrinking without Washing

Spritz your leggings. If you don’t have time or want to wash your leggings, use a spray bottle of clean water to lightly mist your leggings.

Dry your leggings with heat. Using either your clothes dryer, hairdryer, or iron, dry your leggings at the hottest setting possible.

Dampen the waistband. If you want to shrink the waistband separately, dampen the waistband, hang your leggings loosely around a clothes hanger, then use your hairdryer aimed specifically at the waistband to heat and shrink it.