How to destroy Lycra

February 23, 2022 10:58 AM

How can I "relax" Lycra? I have some great wool+nylon+lycra (i.e. elastic polyurethane fiber) socks that are tight and restrict blood flow thus making my feet cold, so I want to "de-elasticize" the Lycra. Is this possible?

Soaking in fabric softener, and soaking in bleach, are the only ideas I've seen online. Can anyone chime in with knowledgeable suggestions?

Of course, it would be nice to kill the elastic without killing the wool, but I'm OK trying anything as failure and total destruction of the socks doesn't leave my feet worse off! Last resort will be to get some other socks following advice from 2014 post "Socks that may or may not exist"

posted by anadem to Grab Bag (15 answers total)

Best answer: I've put a book in a turtleneck to attempt stretching it; worth a try. Heat will kill elastic/ lycra, but kind of all at once, and forever.
posted by theora55 at 11:02 AM on February 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

So far research shows the following approaches:

* Wet the item, then put on the item (while wet) and walk around in it, thus stretching it

* Soak them in baby shampoo for 15-30 minutes, rinse, wear them while wet

* If neither worked, soak item in warm water, THEN put it on while wet and move around

However, these advice are all about clothing or leggings, not about socks. IMHO, your best bet is to locate socks with larger size, which may or may not exist.
posted by kschang at 12:03 PM on February 23, 2022

I’ve had Lycra socks stay too tight for years.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 12:21 PM on February 23, 2022

You could carefully knick a few fibers with a razor blade. This would definitely decrease the lifespan of the sock but ideally not by much if done right.

Turn the socks inside out, start at the tightest point, and cut at ~4 places around the circumference. A magnifying glass, heavy needle, and tweezers may help.
posted by SaltySalticid at 12:40 PM on February 23, 2022 [2 favorites]

I accidentally relaxed / destroyed Lycra yoga pants by washing them way too hot (90 Celsius, which european washing machines offer).

But this would ruin the wool.
posted by 15L06 at 12:43 PM on February 23, 2022

Best answer: Since heat destroys lycra, you could try ironing the cuffs. (Assuming it's only the cuffs that are a problem.)
posted by purple_bird at 12:52 PM on February 23, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Heat will do it. A hot dryer has destroyed a lot of my lycra over the years.
posted by quince at 1:10 PM on February 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

DEET mosquito repellent is famous for dissolving plastics, including lycra/spandex fibers. There are probably other industrial solvents that would do the same thing better, but DEET repellant has the advantage of being pretty easy to find. I'd try saturating them with a 25% aerosol formulation and letting it sit for a while, then washing a couple of times to get the DEET out. I suspect that you'll find that when you destroy the lyrca, the whole sock becomes unmanageably loose and will tend to slide off your feet, but hey, worth a shot.
posted by drlith at 1:12 PM on February 23, 2022

Best answer: Wool is ruined by heat + agitation. That's what makes it felt and shrink.

If you can provide just the heat (maybe by ironing, as purple_bird suggests) maybe you can kill the lycra and spare the wool.

I wouldn't just toss them in the dryer, though.
posted by BrashTech at 1:40 PM on February 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

The DEET idea reminded me--lemon oil dissolves those little rubber bands people use in their hair. It could be it would have a similar effect on Lycra.
posted by purple_bird at 1:48 PM on February 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

I wonder if wetting them and putting them in the microwave would work. It’s a kind of steam heat. You can control the timing. Put them back on as soon as they are cool enough to touch… Rinse, repeat.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 3:23 PM on February 23, 2022

hmm .. well .. i dont think heat will shrink dry wool, only wet wool .. but heat may destroy dry lycra .. so .. you could out them , dry, in a hot dryer , right?
posted by elgee at 9:19 PM on February 23, 2022

Nthing the idea to force stretch them until they are the size you want and leaving them like that for a couple of weeks to see if that helps. You can wet them before you stretch them if you like, but lycra doesn't absorb water so if the lycra is the problem that is unlikely to help a lot.
posted by Jane the Brown at 7:10 AM on February 24, 2022

Response by poster: Many thanks to all suggestions! Cutting the individual elastic threads was impractical because there are SO many. Dry heat did the trick. (I didn't try the other kind ideas).

This says "Spandex fiber is heat sensitive. Although spandex melting temperature is 230°C, Elastane properties may be affected or be damaged at a temperature above 180°"

The socks are successfully enlarged! The Lycra is de-lycra'd / de-elasticized. I stuffed them with mason jars and put them in a 360°F oven for ten minutes or so. Now, off to bed to use them as bed socks ..
posted by anadem at 8:46 PM on March 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

That's amazing! So glad I popped back into this thread hoping for a follow-up. I have some socks that might get this treatment as well.
posted by purple_bird at 4:28 PM on March 31, 2022