# Screw cotton and the ugly plant it rode in on. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 14, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-cotton-and-the-ugly-plant-it-rode-in-on/335582 "2005-12-14T14:14:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-cotton-and-the-ugly-plant-it-rode-in-on/335582/21 "2005-12-15T21:18:07Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I wonder why they don’t sell cotton garments pre-shrunk so one doesn’t have to deal with this. Unfortunately for me opportunities for air-drying are slim because I must use a laundromat and it’s pretty damn cold outside these days anyway. I wear a lot of cotton. It’s lovely, except for the ironing. I hate ironing. Anyway, I don’t like to put any of my good clothes in the dryer, so I put them on plastic hangers and hang them on my shower rod to dry. If it’s humid, I use a fan to dry them a little faster. So my clothes don’t shrink or fade, and I’m happy. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-cotton-and-the-ugly-plant-it-rode-in-on/335582/22 "2005-12-15T21:25:55Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > I wear a lot of cotton. It’s lovely, except for the ironing. I hate ironing. Anyway, I don’t like to put any of my good clothes in the dryer, so I put them on plastic hangers and hang them on my shower rod to dry. If it’s humid, I use a fan to dry them a little faster. So my clothes don’t shrink or fade, and I’m happy. Don’t you ever feel guilty about the huge waste of energy that ironing represents – all for the sake of vanity? I say just wear it right out of the dryer. The wrinkles will sort themselves out eventually. When do all you people have time for all this laundry related activity anyhow? Couldn’t you be doing something more constructive with your time? ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-cotton-and-the-ugly-plant-it-rode-in-on/335582/23 "2005-12-15T21:35:38Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I wonder why they don’t sell cotton garments pre-shrunk so one doesn’t have to deal with this. ☹ Dude, most cotton shirts _are_ preshrunk. Sounds like you’re gettin yourself some cheapie shirts. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-cotton-and-the-ugly-plant-it-rode-in-on/335582/24 "2005-12-15T21:35:41Z")
Now, when you say you refuse to wear polyester, do you mean any percentage of polyester? Cause those polycotton blends are absolutely the cat’s ass for having the softness of cotton with the easy care of polyester. I think everything I own is polycotton, and I throw them in the washer and dryer and onto a hanger - I don’t need to iron, and they don’t shrink much. And I think some of it is the brand of cotton you’re wearing. I bought a very nice teal turtleneck at Wal\*mart, and it shrunk like like a sonofagun the first time I washed it. Ptooey. Not like I was hugely surprised or anything, just disappointed. I have other cotton shirts I’ve washed and dried for years without shrinking. The shirts, that is, not me. I’m not old enough to start shrinking yet. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-cotton-and-the-ugly-plant-it-rode-in-on/335582/25 "2005-12-15T21:37:29Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > Don’t you ever feel guilty about the huge waste of energy that ironing represents – all for the sake of vanity? I say just wear it right out of the dryer. The wrinkles will sort themselves out eventually. When do all you people have time for all this laundry related activity anyhow? Couldn’t you be doing something more constructive with your time? Do you ever feel guilty about all the energy drying laundry wastes? Why don’t you just wear it wet and do something constructive with your time. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-cotton-and-the-ugly-plant-it-rode-in-on/335582/26 "2005-12-15T22:13:49Z")
You guys may be right about the cheapness of the shirts I’m buying. I will try some more reputable suppliers. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-cotton-and-the-ugly-plant-it-rode-in-on/335582/27 "2005-12-15T22:21:01Z")
I thought this thread was going to be about masturbating with a sock. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-cotton-and-the-ugly-plant-it-rode-in-on/335582/28 "2005-12-15T22:31:47Z")
> [@](#): > > …I’ve noticed that clothing bought from discount-style places shrinks way more… - - This was my suggestion as well: the higher-quality stuff does wear better than the cheap stuff. And “most cotton clothes are pre-shrunk”??? Now that’s a laugh. I fully expect any cotton shirt to lose one whole size in the first wash & dry, and am rarely disappointed. - Socks are another matter entirely: I don’t bother with cotton socks anymore, now that I have found online sources of synthetics. ~ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-cotton-and-the-ugly-plant-it-rode-in-on/335582.md?page=1)