Dryers usually shrink fabrics. I don’t ’hang dry’ sweaters, especially when the care tags say ‘lay flat to dry.” T-shirts and similar garments do stretch out at the neck and arms after years of washing and drying. Very few things are made to wear well these days ☹️

"Stretched out" is a vague description. Are they stretching in the width? Length? at the ribbing (neck, cuffs, hem)?

^^ Mostly stretching in the length and seem to be bagging out more towards the bottom.

Caused by hanging. Lay out the items flat.

I know the prevailing advice is to fold all knitwear, don’t hang, but I’ve hung all my sweaters and T’s for years, on nice curved hangers though, so the shoulders don’t get bumps or warp, and never had them stretch, particularly no bagging around the bottom. I could see a very heavy loose knit stretching though. ?

So I’m not sure what is going on.

"I usually wash my "good" shirts/sweaters/knits in washing bags, and most of them I hang dry ..."

Perhaps the advice to lay the item(s) flat is regards to drying them after washing, not storage after drying?

Not sure if it's the same as what you are asking about...

When I hang certain shirts, like Ts, henleys, some sweatshirts to dry, whether on a hanger or a drying rack indoors, those in question will be stretched out to exageratted proportions. When put the items in the dryer, they retain their normal size and shape. These are all older items. I don't recall if when newer if they did this as well. It could have started when we went back to a top loading washer, since I don't have memory of this happening prior to the TL washer.

Clothes are made in emerging country using cheap labor and materials. The HE washers spin super fast which causes materials to stretch and degrade. I have a 23 year old sweatshirt that I only wear to the barn, but it’s kept its shape and there are very few wear marks on it. I have newer clothes that don’t seem to hold their shape after even 10-15 washes. It’s just a ton of cheap crap out there.

I think my wording implied I hang them on hangers to drip-dry. What I should have said is I put them on a drying rack. Not flat, per se, but not hanging off a hanger. Maybe just the drip-dyring when they're not perfectly flat is causing problems? I didn't think about how I take my clothes off -- that could definitely be it with the sweatshirts, I pull those over my head from the bottom. My prior washer was a top loader but no agitator (whatever you call those types), I don't remember either about the stretching back then, the washer at this house has an agitator.

Well I accidentally washed a dry clean only Calvin Klein top today. I think this thread jinxed me.

ACK!

I have a top loader, and I put them all in the washer, and then in the dryer. Some (depends on fabric,) get a very low dry. I also do not use hot, nor warm water. I use cold water for all my t shirts and henleys and most of my other clothes as well. I have never had a stretching out problem, and these are pretty old shirts.

FWIW, I tumble dry knits for ten minutes, then put them on collapsible folding racks to finish drying. We have never had problems with stretched or misshapen clothes. The little bit of heat probably helps recovery of the knits.

"Why are my shirts stretching out?"

Too many cookies.

🤣 👆

I, too, dry my cotton clothes for just a few minutes in a hot dryer, before hanging to finish drying. That seems to help them keep their shape and pulls out wrinkles.