My Curtains shrunk in the wash!

[classiccaprice]

So, I decided to try and start cleaning house. I'm trying to get it clean enough to be able to take some pictures (once I locate my digital camera). I figure if my house is going to be posted for everyone to see I want it June Cleaver clean, not 25 year old bacholor clean... Anyway, I took the curtains down in the kitchen and washed them for the second time in their life, except this time I lost my mind and threw them in the dryer and the title tells the rest. Now aren't long enough to cover the window and look it looks bad. Is their anyway to stretch them back to size or do I have to spend the cash for more? Thanks so much!

 

[vulcanchef]

try re washing them in warm water to relax them and then hang them up damp , I always rehang my curtains damp

 

[launderess]

Generally shrinking of items by tumble drying with heat is difficut to impossible to reverse, much will depend upon what the curtains were made of (linen, cotton, polyester...) and the weave (lace, net, barkcloth....).

If the curtains were of lace, you can try soaking them in warm water, then stretching back to original size. A vintage curtain stretcher will be useful, or some other item that will work. Tighter weaves such as barkcloth probably aren't going to respond well to stretching. You may be able to get back some length and width, but nothing like they were before.

L.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Funny how heat makes some kinds of curtains shrink up and cold can have the same effect on other kinds.

You can always lower the curtain rods and come up with a valence or something. Does anyone remember those curtain stretcher frames with the pins? Another thing that might work is to stretch them while they are wet and then iron them in the lengthwise direction only, strictly top to bottom strokes. You also could abandon the rod pocket, if there is one, and put rings at the top of each panel.

 

[oxydolfan1]

Rumor has it that soaking in salt water can help.

If you have to toss them anyway, it can't hurt, no?

You could also soak them again, spin out the water, crank up the iron to "nuclear", and try stretching them out that way (work quickly, though).

 

[washerboy]

did the same

I did the samething back in the early spring..I knew better just was'nt thinking... just ran them through the rise and spin..streghted them good before going back on the rod to dry...ran a very hot iron over them after they dried...still a little shrinkage...but noticalbe only to me.

 

[oldhouseman]

I had that happen

with a shower curtain, the outside decorative curtain. There was no way I could get it to work again so I trimmed it up with fringe and turned it into a tablecloth. Be creative in what you try.