When shopping for clothes, you probably check the tag frequently. After all, knowing what material is used to make the clothing; dictates how the garment will feel on your skin. The material will also tell you whether you can throw it in the washer or if it needs to be dry-cleaned.
Cotton and nylon are some of the most common textile materials, so you might be surprised to see rayon in the mix occasionally. If you’re unfamiliar with the material, you likely have questions about it, such as how it feels when worn and how to wash it. And most importantly: does rayon stretch?
Before we answer if there’s such a thing as rayon fabric stretch, we first need to know what rayon is.
Also known as a silk substitute, rayon is an artificial fiber made from leftover cellulose. It’s usually the leftover from making cotton, but manufacturers have also used leftover cellulose from the wood pulp after making paper. Recently, some manufacturers have started using bamboo to create rayon products.
Regardless of the cellulose source, one thing’s for sure: rayon can feel just as smooth and luxurious as silk but without the exorbitant price tag.
As mentioned earlier, rayon is made from plant cellulose, usual leftovers from cotton or paper-making. Other companies have even started using bamboo to create rayon threads.
Once the cellulose is collected, the factory treats it when various chemicals inside a large industrial drum. The chemical reaction produces fiber threads that are strong enough to hold their shape while maintaining absorbency and smoothness.
Though it may sound like rayon is an eco-friendly or sustainable fabric (after all, it’s from leftover plant materials), don’t be fooled. Turning cellulose into rayon takes a lot of energy, chemicals, and water.
Thanks to rayon’s manufacturing process, a few different types of rayons are perfect for specific applications. When asking the question, “Does rayon material stretch,” knowing these different rayon types will help you answer it correctly.
Let’s look at some of them in detail.
Modal rayon is the most expensive to create. That’s because it’s soft and flexible enough to feel comfortable on the skin. It’s specifically made from beechwood pulp treated with chemicals afterward and is usually turned into daily clothing or underwear. Modal rayon is typically combined with spandex to create a silk-like, luxurious feeling that hugs the body while stretching to conform to your figure.
If modal rayon feels nice and smooth like silk, then lyocell rayon feels closer to cotton than silk. It even mimics cotton’s softness, which can fool some people. And between modal and lyocell rayon, lyocell is the more absorbent of the two, just like cotton.
Believe it or not, lyocell rayon isn’t made from leftover cotton cellulose; it’s made from tree pulp. The bamboo pulp can also become lyocell rayon, which can be used to create hypoallergenic bedding.
Now that you know what rayon is and how it’s made, you might be wondering does rayon stretch or shrink. The short answer is yes, rayon does stretch, but to an extent and depending on the circumstances.
Rayon stretches just enough to cover your skin when worn as form-fitting clothing, such as gym clothes or leggings. Once you take them off, the garment will return to its original size and shape. Furthermore, you’ll typically see these garments mixed with spandex, where the clothing gets most of its stretchiness and flexibility.
On the other hand, if you’re wearing something made with modal rayon and it gets soaked in water or if the area’s humidity is relatively high, then there’s a chance the garment will stretch beyond its original size. That’s because rayon threads are absorbent and sensitive to moisture around them. If you wring out anything made of modal rayon, there’s a high chance it will stretch and not return to its original shape once it dries.
If you’re wearing something made with 100% rayon, it will not stretch at all. It won’t even attempt to conform to your body, so it won’t try to hug your figure. The rayon strands will sit there and resist all attempts of movement.
However, everything changes when water and humidity are involved. Because the rayon is highly absorbent, any humidity level above 40% will affect the rayon threads. It will continuously absorb water, affecting the thread’s strength and length. The effect is even worse if any stress is applied to the fabric, such as wringing the water out.
In other words: if you want to avoid finding out the answer to “Does 100 percent rayon stretch” in real-time, avoid areas with high humidity.
If you’re wondering does rayon stretch with wear, then we have good news for you. Clothing made with rayon will not stretch with regular wear – avoiding excess water or moisture. So if you work indoors and wonder does rayon stretch when worn, then you have nothing to worry about because it will not stretch.
On the flip side, you need to remember that rayon’s inability to stretch without water means what you see is what you get. If the clothing looks too small or too tight for you, then it will be. Unless it’s mixed with spandex or other flexible thread, any clothing made with rayon won’t conform to your figure.
You can’t wonder does rayon fabric stretch without wondering if it shrinks as well. As we already discussed, rayon stretches when exposed to water or moisture, so it’s only natural to wonder if rayon shrinks.
Unfortunately, rayon is also heat-sensitive, which means it will shrink when exposed to high heat. That’s because rayon fibers are absorbent Trusted Source How to Shrink Clothes the Right Way Here’s how to shrink cotton, denim, and polyester for clothes that fit closer to the way you want them. www.rd.com . Here’s how to shrink cotton, denim, and polyester for clothes that fit closer to the way you want them. and prone to changing shape. It stretches when exposed to moisture and shrinks when exposed to heat. When washing garments made with rayon (and ensure it’s machine-washable first!), your best option is to let them air dry to avoid shrinkage.
Did you buy a piece of clothing made with rayon, and you realize it doesn’t quite fit you as well as you expected? Or did you accidentally put something made of rayon in the dryer? Depending on your dilemma, you have a few options to try and stretch your rayon fabric.
This process takes advantage of the rayon’s absorbency but can be awkward. Here’s how you stretch your rayon fabric using the soak-and-wear method.
First, soak the shrunken garment in water for about five minutes. You don’t need to add soap or anything, just water. You want the rayon fibers to absorb as much water as they can.
After five minutes, take the garment out of the water and get the excess water out. Remember that you can’t wring rayon out without stretching it too much, so you need gentler techniques. One method is to sandwich it in a towel and pat it dries or roll it, so the towel soaks the water. You can also gently shake the garment, but try not to put too much stress on it. And whatever you do: do not wring out rayon.
Once the garment is no longer dripping with water, you might notice it starting to stretch. Now is the best time to wear the clothing, and gently pull it until it fits around your body perfectly again. Make gentle tugs so you don’t accidentally stretch it too far. Once it’s back to your desired length and shape, you’ll have to keep wearing the wet garment until it dries. While that may not sound comfortable, trying to take it off will add extra stress to the fibers, stretching them further than you intended.
Baby shampoos are known for their gentle formulation; they need to be baby-skin friendly. That makes it perfect for stretching shrunken rayon without having to wear it while wet.
The process starts similarly to the soak-and-wear method but with one distinct step: you add a tablespoon of baby shampoo into the water. You don’t need that much water, just enough to cover the garment while soaking.
Once you’ve added the baby shampoo, agitate enough water until you see suds. Soak your shrunken garment in soapy water and let it sit for five minutes. When that’s done, slowly take it out and rinse the garment under cold water so you can remove excess baby shampoo. Then roll the garment between towels to soak up extra water.
After rolling the garment between towels, spread it on a flat surface. Gently tug on the clothing as needed to stretch it to your desired size and shape. Let it sit on that surface until completely dry, pulling it periodically to keep it from shrinking back.
If you don’t have baby shampoo at home, you don’t need to go out and buy one. You can use any hair conditioner instead!
The idea is to have the hair conditioner’s effects do the same to rayon fibers: make them soft and manageable. For our hair, that means making it easier to comb; for rayon fabric, that means making it easier to stretch and manipulate.
To use a hair conditioner, follow the same steps as the baby shampoo method above. The only difference is that you’ll have to let the garment sit for longer; you want the conditioner to work its magic on the fibers. Once it’s done soaking, follow the same steps: rinse under cold water, spread on a flat surface, and tug periodically until dry.
You might get alarmed to see a steamer here as a method for stretching rayon clothing back to its original shape, but hear us out: using a steamer takes advantage of rayon’s stretchiness when damp and shrinkage when warmed. When done correctly, the result is a rayon garment gently stretched back to size.
To try this method, follow one of the soaking methods listed above. You want the clothing not to be dripping wet anymore, so let it air dry for about an hour before using your steamer. Once it’s ready, turn on your steamer and let it heat up until it starts producing steam.
From here, all you need to do is move the steamer up and down the garment as you pull the fabric along. The best way to do this is to hang the clothing on a clothes rack, so you have room to use the steamer and tug at the same time.
Using a steam iron can seem counterintuitive after learning does linen rayon blend stretch in water and shrink with heat. Believe it or not, using a steam iron can be feasible to stretch a shrunken garment, as long as you’re careful with how you use it.
This method starts very differently from the rest. First, spritz your garment with warm water. You want to wet the entire garment, but not soaking wet. Then, use the iron on the lowest setting and use its “steam” feature. You want the fabric to stay damp enough to be pliable but warm enough to stop excessive stretching. You only need to go through the entire garment once; when it’s warm enough, you can set aside the steam iron and start tugging the garment back to shape.
Instead of manually pulling on the garment, why not let something else do it for you over time? Clothespins are your best option if you want a “set it and forget it” approach to stretching your shrunken rayon garment. Ensure they won’t snag on the apparel, as rayon fibers are fragile when wet.
To start this process, first soak the garment using any of the other soaking methods mentioned above – baby shampoo, hair conditioner, or just water. Gently remove the excess water using towels, then spread the damp rayon garment over an ironing board.
Once the garment is ready for stretching, it’s time to grab your clothespins. Depending on how you want to stretch the garment, pull on the opposite ends and fasten the garment with a clothespin. You want it stretched but not exceedingly so. When you’re done securing the garment, move it somewhere else for air drying.
Wearing a rayon sweater reacts to stretching and shrinking differently than other rayon garments. That’s because sweaters are knit instead of woven. The knit naturally allows the sweater to stretch independently, so you won’t struggle much when trying to unshrink it. Keep this in mind when trying to mend a rayon sweater with a Baby Lock Jubilant Sewing Machine.
Most rayon sweaters should be dry-cleaned, but if you accidentally put it in the wash and it shrinks, don’t fret. Soak it in baby shampoo or hair conditioner, then hang it as it dries. Along with the knit’s flexibility, the water will weigh down the sweater and stretch it as it dries. If the natural stretching isn’t enough, don’t be afraid to tug at it as well.
Natural fibers are always flexible, meaning cotton is the stretchiest of the four. Fully synthetic fibers such as nylon and polyester will not stretch at all. So where does that leave rayon, a fiber made from natural materials but processed with synthetic materials?
Believe it or not, rayon isn’t usually stretchy – it only stretches when wet. That means 100 percent rayon garments won’t stretch, and the only way to force them to pull is to wet and tug on them. If you have any stretchy clothing yet it still has rayon; it’s likely to have other materials, too, such as spandex.
The easiest way to keep rayon from stretching is to avoid getting into contact with water. If you live in an area with high humidity, you might want to avoid rayon. Also, ensure you get rayon garments dry cleaned; if you really must use the washer Trusted Source How to Wash Drycleanable Clothes | Martha Stewart Can I wash dry clean only clothes? www.marthastewart.com , place it in a mesh bag, and air dry afterward.
Rayon is always a great addition to any wardrobe, whether it’s a dress or a gym top. Its softness and smoothness feel good on the skin, and it gives a good sheen that makes it look more luxurious than it costs. As long as you remember the answer to does rayon stretch, you can be sure to get a lot of value out of your rayon clothing.
So the next time you’re out shopping for clothes, give rayon a try. You might end up loving how it feels on your skin.
