# Can you shrink fleece?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-shrink-fleece/522925>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 29, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-shrink-fleece/522925 "2009-12-29T17:04:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-shrink-fleece/522925/1 "2009-12-29T17:04:07Z")

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My head tells me no, because it’s an artificial polymer

Gut says that if I wash it in really hot water and dry it in hot, it’s gonna get smaller  
So, can it be done?

If so, is it advisable to do this on clothes to obtain _uniform_ shrinkage? Basically, I’ve got a fleece shirt that’d I’d like a bit smaller, and I can’t find the smaller size

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**Author:** ![pan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@pan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pan1)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-shrink-fleece/522925/2 "2009-12-29T17:12:41Z")

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I assume we are talking Performance Fleece or Polar Fleece and not actual wool fleece.

You can melt the fleece down to a smaller size. Doing so evenly could be difficult. It would also make the fleece brittle.

The shorter answer to the OP is: No.

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**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-shrink-fleece/522925/3 "2009-12-29T17:13:44Z")

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Yes, like Polartec, not the stuff that the Argonauts sought after. (I figured that was assumable when I said “artificial polymer” 😉 )

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-shrink-fleece/522925/4 "2009-12-29T17:27:04Z")

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> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#):
>
> Yes, like Polartec, not the stuff that the Argonauts sought after.

I have decades old fleece that is essentially the same size as when purchased. It’s doesn’t shrink much if at all.

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**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-shrink-fleece/522925/5 "2009-12-29T19:10:46Z")

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I don’t know, but I’d like to fleece my shrink.

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**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\
**Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-shrink-fleece/522925/6 "2009-12-29T20:05:12Z")

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> [@Philster](#):
>
> I don’t know, but I’d like to fleece my shrink.

Don’t they do that in Russia? 😃