Drying. The average load of laundry takes between 30 and 45 minutes. While there are some items that take longer to dry — towels, jeans, etc. — most items are dry in about 40 minutes.
Generally, it takes about 30 to 40 minutes to dry an average load of laundry on a medium setting.
A typical drying cycle takes about 45 minutes, but this time can vary depending on the cycle, heat setting and size of your load. Delicate cycles take roughly 15 minutes, while heavy cycles, like bedding, can take up to three hours to fully dry.
The average load of clothes takes about 60 minutes to dry in both gas and electric dryer models. If you've set your dryer's timer for a full drying cycle and pressed the start button only to find the clothes still damp when you open the dryer door an hour later, the dryer is taking too long to dry.
Clogged Dryer Vents
If your dryer takes two cycles to dry your clothes (or more!), it's possible that the vent between your home and the dryer is clogged. When the dryer vent gets clogged with lint and dust, it can't expel hot air properly, which will cause the clothes to take longer to dry.
To try out even more ways of drying clothes more quickly, consider adding a dry towel to the dryer for about five minutes, or try using dryer balls with your next load. Tossing a towel in with your laundry may help absorb moisture and can possibly help speed up drying times.
A single bath towel put in the tumble dryer on its own should dry within 10-30 minutes, depending on the model of dryer and the heat settings. A full load of towels is likely to take at least an hour to dry in a tumble dryer.
A dryer should never run when you are not home or while you are sleeping in case of a fire. More than 15,000 dryer fires break out each year. For more dryer tips consult our blog on how failure to clean your dryer could cause a house fire.
A small load on the hottest dryer setting will only take 15 to 20 minutes to dry completely. Check the label on your clothing and make sure they can handle the heat, then crank that knob to the highest setting before starting your dryer.
Electric dryers are less efficient than gas dryers because they take longer to heat up and don't get as hot. That means it takes more time and electricity to dry clothes. This will increase your energy bills in the long run, even if the electric dryer costs less upfront than a comparable gas dryer.
Adding a dry towel to wet clothes in the dryer can help to absorb excess moisture and speed up the drying time. This is because the dry towel acts as a wick, pulling moisture out of the wet clothes and into the dry towel. Furthermore, adding a dry towel can also help to fluff up and soften clothes!
The regular cycle is your go-to cycle for towels, sheets, sweats, and jeans. Whether you choose automatic dry, which uses a moisture sensor to determine if your clothes are dry, or select the amount of time you feel the clothes need, the regular cycle is going to use the highest heat setting available on your dryer.
Most dryers will take about an hour, give or take 15 minutes, to dry an average load. If your dryer is taking too long, the most common reason is that the ventilation is clogged with lint. Simply cleaning out the lint filters will often resolve the issue.
Regular/Heavy: Fastest and hottest setting of your dryer. It's best to use this setting when you're drying white or light-colored clothing.
Lint in debris buildup inside exhaust vents is a common cause of a dryer taking too long to dry. Clogged dryer vents can also restrict airflow in the dryer and lengthen drying times, not to mention cause dangerous dryer fires.
But if there are bad stains, or very dirty patches, on these items a 30-minute wash won't clean these clothes effectively. To clean these kinds of clothes you'd need to pick a normal washing cycle that is more intense, is longer, and uses a hotter water temperature.
Don't stop the dryer mid cycle. It is possible that heat can continue to build in the drum and lead the clothes to ignite.
Never leave a dryer running when you're away from home, and never leave it running while you're sleeping.
1. Don't overload your tumble dryer. You may be tempted to fit as much laundry as you can in your dryer to avoid putting on more than one load. In reality, dryers work by circulating hot air so filling it up too tightly will make it take longer and use up more energy.
Energy prices are at their lowest between 10pm and 5am, but make sure you never leave it on over night as this could be a fire risk. Other ways to keep costs low include washing clothes less (save a pile of laundry rather than running a half-empty cycle) and washing with cooler water.
A good airflow is the key for a dryer to work properly. If your clothes are still wet after a drying cycle it could mean that the Air Vent is clogged. To fix this problem, you will have to unplug the dryer and disconnect it from the vent. Once everything is disconnected, it's time to vacuum the vent.
So, if you place overly soggy clothes in your dryer, the water could leak from the drum and lead to more problems. First, the water could mess with the electronics of the dryer. Water and wiring don't mix well. Second, repeated water exposure could cause rust to develop, eventually ruining your dryer.