Dear Budget Fashionista:
Is there anyway to unshrink a pair of jeans?

A: It can be difficult, but no impossible, to “stretch” a pair of jeans. Most jeans are made with 1%-3% of stretchy spandex/lycra fabric to help the jeans retain their shape and cotton, both fabrics’ fibers can be broken (aka stretched) when wet. Below is a way to do this (try at your own risk).

How to Stretch a Pair of Jeans

Soak the jeans in lukewarm water for a few hours or, if you are brave, you can wear the wet jeans around for an hour or so (best way to try and stretch jeans that are too small width wise). After soaking, do not wring, but hang the dripping wet jeans up on a clothes line or over a drying rack. There’s a possibility that gravity (along with the additional weight added to the jeans by water), might stretch the jeans.