Not all yarn can be soft like cashmere, baby alpaca, or vicuña, nor would we want it to be. Answer: The easiest way to soften your t-shirt is by rubbing with a pumice stone all over the fabric. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. The olive oil will make them soft again. Cut the tag, then rub the remains with a steel wool pad to fray and soften it. If you need to soften a set of scratchy new cotton or linen sheets, put the sheets in a washing machine filled with warm water, then add a cup of baking soda. Scratchy hard towels - how to soften. Make a softening solution for your jeans by combining eight cups of hot tap water with one cup of regular, white household vinegar in a clean bucket or plastic tub. There's nothing worse than stiff, scratchy sheets which ruin your night's sleep. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. This article has been viewed 286,852 times. Wash the sheets one more time, this time using detergent -- but use half the amount you normally would. Only add fabric softener. Since 2005, we've been making exquisite hand-dyed knitting yarns and spinning fibres in passionate, relentless, and unapologetic colours to inspire, educate, and engage our world-wide community of knitters, spinners, weavers, and makers. Wash, rinse and dry as usual. Wash normally the next morning. It's effective for cleaning all kinds of surfaces and may even take the itchiness out of certain natural fabrics too. Who What Wear: How to Fix an Itchy Sweater, Shirt Space: DIY Guide on How to Soften a T-Shirt, Glamour: How to Make an Annoying Itchy Sweater Less Itchy, Who What Wear: #StyleHack: How to Make Your T-Shirts Insanely Soft. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. That’s not a judgment, it's just a statement of fact. A quicker variation on this method involves heating the water and salt mixture on the stove and soaking the shirt in the hot water for about half an hour before carefully rinsing and washing it. I used the same technique as shown above and it worked on the jean shorts. It is not a good idea. Hello, I made a linen top the other day and discovered a great shortcut to making the fabric soft. If you want to soften new jeans without washing them, try wearing them while riding your bike or doing several deep lunges to loosen up the fabric! Preventing Scratchy Fleece The key to preserving your soft, smooth fleece is to clean it as little as possible. Place jeans into the solution, fully immersing the fabric, and soak for several hours or overnight. At the end of three days, rinse the shirt and machine wash it with a little bit of gentle detergent. I’ve been guilty of using scratchy yarn for sweaters and shawls even though I know better. They're usually found near the manicure and pedicure supplies. Then, carefully massage high-quality conditioner into the fibers and let the garment sit for about half an hour. Most Levi jeans are already sanforized (pre-shrunk), so they will not shrink much after the first wash. Tennis balls are a cheap alternative which accomplish the same effect. Ow! Last Updated: September 3, 2020 If the yarn doesn’t feel too scratchy to knit with, but the finished project feels scratchy, there are several techniques you can try. Though it may sound a bit outlandish, using simple kosher salt may be useful in softening itchy T-shirts and other casual wear. Why Is My T-Shirt Scratchy? Choose a medium heat or permanent press setting to prevent overdrying the fibers. Jul 10, 2016 - Scratchy or itchy clothes make for an annoyance that can absolutely ruin your mood all day. Try adding a little bit of olive oil to the load next time you wash. You can soften your towels with baking soda by mixing roughly a cup of baking soda in with your detergent before running the washing machine. To maximize results, follow by soaking the clothes in a vinegar solution before rinsing.