To preserve the quality of your cotton garments, use low to medium heat settings when using a dryer. To further reduce wrinkles, add a few clean, dry towels or dryer balls to the dryer. This helps separate the cotton items and promotes even drying. Remove the cotton items promptly once the dryer cycle is complete.
Cotton Garments
Cotton clothes can generally survive being machine-dried, but pay close attention to their size and blend. Those made of 100% cotton may shrink in a dryer so it's better to air-dry them. Heavy items like beddings and towels can be tumble dried at medium to high heat to ease the process.
Choosing the right drying cycle
The cotton cycle uses high heat and is perfect for towels, bedding, and sturdy cotton items. For polyester and mixed fabrics, use the synthetics cycle, which operates at medium heat. Delicate items benefit from the low heat of the delicates cycle.
The chance of cotton shrinking increases the warmer you wash. At 90 degrees, the fabric will shrink more than at 60 degrees. Do you want to prevent shrinkage? Then preferably wash lower than 60 degrees.
Hang them out to dry – for minimal risk of shrinking, you should air dry your cotton fabrics. If you can machine dry them, use a low-to-moderate heat. Banish the wrinkles – one issue with cotton is that it can crease and wrinkle easily. If you choose to iron it, you should iron it while the fabric is somewhat damp.
On average, cotton can shrink anywhere from 3-5% after a first wash. Cotton can shrink up to one full size down. When in doubt, size up or stick to cold water and air drying.
Heat and agitation are the biggest offenders. Washing in hot water with a heavy cycle can lead to shrinkage, and drying on high heat only adds to the problem—especially if you tend to overdry your clothes. Opt for a gentler, cold-water wash and low drying heat to help keep your garments in better shape.
Clothes may shrink in the washer if they are washed in a hot water cycle with heavy agitation, as well as in a dryer in high-heat settings that may cause overdrying. As a rule of thumb, high temperatures increase the likelihood of clothes shrinking in your laundry routine.
A dryer Delicate cycle is typically a tumble dry cycle that uses low heat. Low heat helps protect heat-sensitive fabrics from fraying, fading, shrinking, stretching and warping. Depending on the make and model of your dryer, the cycle may be labeled Delicate, Gentle or Tumble Dry Low.
As a general rule, higher temperatures are best used for heavy items, like towels, jeans and jackets. Low to medium heat settings are ideal for sheets, blouses and undergarments, while no-heat settings are designed for heat-sensitive fabrics or garments containing rubber or plastic.
Cotton is a natural, breathable fibre and so can shrink when it is heated as the tension that is applied to the fabric during construction is released by heat from the washing machine, tumble dryer and even sunlight (yep!) which causes the fabric to shrink to its natural size.
According to the Spruce, the gentle cycle is best for materials like rayon or silk, permanent press is ideal for your everyday clothes, while the normal setting should be reserved for items like towels, sheets, and jeans.
To preserve the quality of your cotton garments, use low to medium heat settings when using a dryer. To further reduce wrinkles, add a few clean, dry towels or dryer balls to the dryer. This helps separate the cotton items and promotes even drying. Remove the cotton items promptly once the dryer cycle is complete.
Cotton is one of the coolest fabrics for summer and hot weather. Not only is it cheap and hugely available, but it is also great for the heat. Cotton is soft, lightweight, breathable, and soaks up sweat, allowing heat to escape the body and for you to stay cool.
Release Wrinkles in the Dryer
For items like shirts and pants that are wrinkled all over (as opposed to small areas, such as collars), putting them back in the dryer can get the job done. This trick works best for cotton clothing but can work for cotton blends as well. It can even smooth out wrinkles in bamboo sheets.
Vary the heat levels: Not every fabric should be dried using a hot setting. Excessively high heat contributes to shrinkage and over-drying clothing causes damage to fabrics. Never overload the dryer: Your clothes need room to tumble freely for efficient drying and to prevent wrinkles.
Can you put 100% cotton clothes in the dryer? You can, but you shouldn't unless you want to shrink them. Its much better to dry them in the sun hanging on a line. Please note that there is a limit to the shrinkage.
If the temperature of the water is above 130 Fahrenheit, the cotton fabric will shrink up to 20%, but this depends on the temperature of the water. On the other hand, if you use lukewarm water, the shrinkage percentage falls to 8-10%, which is a comparatively good washing technique than using hot water.
Start by saturating the cotton shirt with hot water, making sure that excess water is thoroughly saturated. Then, using both hands, gently tug the fabric until it's the desired size. You may need to do this a few times to get the desired effect.
Submerge the shirt in boiling water for a few minutes, then remove and rinse in cold water to set the shrinkage. This method is best suited for cotton shirts but should be approached with care to avoid fabric damage.
Sometimes the label will indicate whether the fabric has been preshrunk, but many times it doesn't. If you are purchasing an item online, check the product description. Many times it will indicate if it has been preshrunk. These days, however, higher quality t-shirts and cotton garments are assumed to be preshrunk.
Cotton can shrink from 1% to 20%, depending on the fabric and how the customer cares for it. Pre-shrunk cotton fabrics usually shrink about 2% to 5%. Most high-quality cotton fabrics will shrink between 1% and 3%.