This Viral Money-Saving Hack Stretches Out Your Too-Tight Clothes

The next time you find your favorite top getting a bit snug, don't throw it in the donation pile right away. Instead, try out this viral hack that can stretch out clothes that are too tight. This process can not only help you salvage clothes that you thought you'd never be able to wear again, it can also save you time and money because you won't have to shop for a new wardrobe.

The hack went viral thanks to TikTok user @sir_tyler_wright_the_1st who demonstrated the process in a TikTok video and swore it "has saved [him] hundreds of dollars."

To start, take a snug article of clothing (Wright uses a t-shirt). Mix a tablespoon of hair conditioner in a bucket of warm water, soak the shirt for half an hour, and then rinse it. While the article of clothing is still wet, stretch it out to the desired size, then hang it up and let it dry.

The hack worked perfectly on TikTok, with the shirt coming out a couple sizes larger. Other TikTok users chimed in the comments to confirm that it works. "I did this to my entire shirt wardrobe back in high school," wrote one user (via Yahoo! Life).

If you want to try this at home, keep in mind that some fabrics will stretch better than others. Laundromat chain Clean Laundry noted that "knitted cloths like cotton, wool, and cashmere will respond to this treatment better than fabrics with tighter weaves like silk, polyester or rayon."

While the TikTok video advises rinsing out the conditioner after soaking, Clean Laundry said that it's best to simply wring out excess water as "the soapy water needs to continue the process of relaxing the fibers as you work on stretching and re-shaping the garment." You can also use baby shampoo instead of conditioner — both of them will help relax the fibers in your clothes.