What is going on with my laundry?!

princesslizzie

Hi guys,

I have a problem and I hope this is the correct forum to put it in! Last year in my student house I was washing tops in the washing machine and sometimes they'd come out very very weird. Like they've been shrunk from the waist upwards and expanded out across the shoulders and chest. So if I was to wear these tops again I'd be showing my mid-drift up past my belly button and have a very baggy chest & shoulders!

This has happened again now I'm back on campus and it's costing me a fortune as I don't have that many clothes anyways and I'm just throwing them away because they are un-wearable! They are just normal cotton type tops and they're going on a medium wash (30/40 last year, but this year we just have a high, med or low temp - they go on med) and I don't use the tumble dryer!

Any help would be gladly appreciated! :T

RockyRobin_3

May sound silly but try putting your tops into a pillowcase first and then into the washing machine, obviously tying up the top of the pillowcase so they dont come out during the wash - this should prevent them from being pulled and stretched out of shape.

Hope it helps.

boredofbeingathome

It sounds like other garments pulling it out of shape on too fast a spin..i would do as Rocky Robin suggests and keep your tops washed in a pillow case and check the spin speed on the machine.

princesslizzie

It's only got 3 settings as it's a general uni machine - hot, medium or cold. I'll try the pillow case thing though. Thank you

belfastgirl23

Is it happening in different machines or the same machine? I'm wondering if the temperature of the water is too hot? Might be worth asking to see if others have had the same problem. The machine might be overheating the water?

papalaz

or the machine might be plumbed in wrong. i.e if cold fill only the inlet pipe may be on the hot water supply. if hot and cold fill the pipes may be reversed.

ema_o

Are they particularly cheap tops? I used to buy tops from Primark and had just the same problem, have switched to buying better quality (in the sales when I can) and has been worth it just because of how much longer they last.
I use the pillowcase idea for washing delicates (too much effort to handwash everything)