How to fix wavy zipper

I washed a brand-new hoodie today and without thinking, threw it in the hot dryer with my other clothes. Now the zipper is completely warped and wavy. I put some water on it and tried stretching it vertically along the zipper tape, which helped a little but not much. Any ideas on how to fix this? I'll even get the zipper replaced if I have to.

Originally Posted by bluemax

If it's not too expensive then I would buy a new one if you could. Maybe a new, slightly shorter zipper would fix the warping, but I've never seen that done. I don't think zipper warping is a big deal though.

Thanks I'll give that a try. I was just wetting and stretching the zipper part and now it's looking much better but not normal yet. If it doesn't work out I might just buy another one like Doc said. The thing is that it was on sale dirt cheap and doubt there'd be any left in my size at the store.

I've never seen a cotton zip-up hoodie not do this. It's basically the inevitable result of cotton shrinkage. You could try the hand-stretch method now and handwash the thing thereafter, but there will be a moment when the only solution will be to embrace the wave.

literally all my sweatshirts do this, this is why i don't throw down mad cash on them

It's just the nature of the beast. Embrace the wave. All of my sweatshirts are like this too.

i wouldn't really call that a disaster at all

just wear it

Trust me, it was bad. I know a wavy zipper is normal for a sweatshirt, but this one looked like a fvcking DNA helix when I pulled it out of the dryer. Anyway after getting it wet again it looks a lot better, so no worries.

I'll say that Wings+Horns hoodies do not do this. The material they use simply does not shrink enough to warp the zipper. That said, I don't mind the warped zipper. I mean, it's a hoodie, right? It should look a little abused. My opinion is that casual clothes should look worn in and only suits and tuxedos should look pristine.

This is why I hate things with zippers