My Attempt at Shrinking a Ralph Lauren Polo Hoodie

So i've had this hooded sweater by Ralph Lauren for about a year now. When i first bought it from TK Maxx it seemed to fit well but as time passed for some reason it has started to become frumpy and sleeves seemed to have miraculously got longer.
What probably happened was though that whilst i was trying it on, because i was too keen i probably didn't pay much attention and went with my impulse buying.
It's a rare coral colour for the Polo brand and it caught my attention straight away. With it being summer at the time and the colour suited it perfectly, i must have just rushed it.
So anyway, i really like this top and want it to be more fitted so i started performing a few searches on Google. I mainly looked at ways of shrinking cotton. Majority of sources indicated that cotton will shrink with extreme heat. This top is 80% cotton and 20% polyester and i found that polyester doesn't shrink as well.
I decided to test it.

Does A Ralph Lauren Polo Hoody Shrink?

Let's find out.
The most effective way is to apply constant heat to it by boiling it, tumble drying etc. My washing machine is out of the question and i don't have a pot large enough to put the top in with water for me to boil on the stove.
So my next option was to use my bath tub and soak it with boiling water. Here goes...

This is the hoody -

As you can see, it's a Large size. Damn it, i should have bought a Medium one.

My plan was to get the water boiling using my kettle, a few pots and pans so i can utilise the hot water as much as possible before it cools. I also ran the bath with hottest water from the tap - 

Please excuse the dirty bath sealants, i've cleaned it since that photo was taken. Anyway the kettle boiled a few times, water in pots on stove also boiled a few times and the water in the bath was ready.  In goes the hoodie.

I must have left it in there for a good 30 minutes whilst still topping up the bath with boiling water from the kettle.

So after drying, what was the result?

Nothing. Absolutely no skrinkage what so ever.

Luckily my girlfriend works in clothing and design. What i  ended up doing was begging her to take in the sleeves to make them shorter. That's the main issue really. Because the sleeves are so long i had to roll them up twice and it looked a bit daft.

So here's some advice - don't always trust impulse buying and take your time trying on clothes properly. Also shrinking your clothes in bath tubs with boiling water does not work!

However, just because my experiment didn't work, it doesn't mean that the hoody definitely won't shrink. I think with constant heat applied to it, it should work.

 

 

Looking To Buy Ralph Lauren Polo Hoodie?

If you're looking to buy a Polo hoodie online then check out these deals from Amazon available to order today!

Ralph Lauren Polo Fleece Hoodie Long Sleeve - Navy Blue

	- Full front zip - Draw string hood - Thermal lining - 84% polyester and 16% cotton £79.99 + Free UK Delivery

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Ralph Lauren Polo Fleece Hoodie Long Sleeve - Black

	- Full front zip - Draw string hood - Thermal lining - 84% polyester and 16% cotton £69.99

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Ralph Lauren Polo Fleece Hoodie Long Sleeve - Grey

	- Full front zip - Draw string hood - Thermal lining - 84% polyester and 16% cotton From £83.99

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Ralph Lauren Polo Fleece Hoodie Long Sleeve - Royal Blue

	- Full front zip - Draw string hood - Thermal lining - 84% polyester and 16% cotton £69.99