I tried a T-shirt hack to fix overstretched necklines and it works... sort of

Never fear that your favourite tee will be relegated to rag status with this nifty hack.

As T-shirt wearers are all too familiar with, the first sign of wear and tear arrives when the garment's neckline gets all scruffy and warped, rendering the piece of clothing unwearable. In public, at least.

What if we told you there's a way to fix that?

According to Taiwanese portal TEEPR, a laundry expert interviewed by Japanese variety show ZIP! revealed how we can all breathe new life into your treasured (but warped) tee.

Here's what you'll need:

1. A bowl of ice cubes in water

2. An iron

3. A table or flat surface

First, fold the neckline in a wave-like or accordion pattern like so:

Next, dunk the collar in a bowl of ice water to stiffen the cotton fibres, keeping the folds in their place. 

There isn't a specific duration of time that you have to hold the material underwater, but several seconds should do the trick (or at least before your fingers freeze off).

Next, squeeze excess water out from the material while still maintaining the folds.

Lay the T-shirt on a flat surface and move your fingers vertically from bottom up to smoothen out the lines on the collar. Then iron the neckline to flatten it further, in an upwards direction.

Don't iron it till it's completely dry though, but leave it out on a flat surface.

Give it a few hours to dry on its own and ta-dah! Your scroungy old tee should be looking as good as new with a refreshed collar.

When I tried the hack for myself on my son's old T-shirt, it did work as described — although I suspect that it may only be a temporary fix.

I didn't try washing it again to see if the collar would stay but reasoned that even if the effect is temporal, it's a small price to pay for a chance to wear your favourite (not to mention expensive) T-shirt out again. 

DRY IT FLAT

According to the laundry expert interviewed, the key to maintaining the neckline of a T-shirt is to avoid hanging it when it's wet.

What actually causes the neckline to distend is the drag of the water from a garment being hung out to dry. As such, it's best to always dry your T-shirts on a flat surface (hard to do, I know).

The result should be a creaseless, warp-free neckline that'll last more than a couple of washes.

Tried this hack? Let us know if it worked for you!

candicecai@asiaone.com