Choosing the right drying cycle Modern tumble dryers offer various cycles to suit different fabric types and drying needs. 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.
Any setting you can select on a dryer is considered a tumble dry setting. Most dryers allow you to select a time, heat level or dryness level, and sometimes you can choose a cycle where settings are predetermined, like Normal, Delicate, Heavy Duty or Quick Dry.
As a rule high heat can be used for heavy cotton items, medium heat suits clothes like T-shirts, and delicates and sportswear needs low heat.
You can still dry your wet laundry without a tumble drier, though it may be more time consuming. To dry your clothes without a conventional dryer, you can use an extra spin cycle in your washer to wring out excess water, then hang your laundry on a clothing line or drying rack to air dry.
The square with a circle inside is the general symbol for tumble drying. If you see it on a laundry label, your item can be tumble-dried, and it's safe to put it in the dryer. If a laundry item should not be tumble-dried, you will see the same square with a circle, but it will be crossed out.
Some dryers can leave brown stains on clothes due to the clothes rubbing across or getting caught in loose felt drum seals. Use a white cloth or rag to rub the inside perimeter of the dryer drum at the front and back to see if you get brown marks on the cloth or rag.
If a tag says “do not tumble dry,” that means you should not put the item in the dryer, regardless of the setting. Instead, follow the manufacturer's instructions. If there aren't any explicit instructions for how to dry it, play it safe and hang it up to air-dry.
A square with a large circle inside that is crossed out means do not tumble dry. A square with circle inside symbol and a single dot indicates normal machine drying on a low setting. A square with three vertical lines inside indicates to drip dry, usually by hanging a dripping wet garment on a line.
Tumble dry is when you put your laundry items into the dryer instead of air-drying them. Every setting you choose when using your dryer is considered a tumble dry setting.
Extra Dry –The extra dry setting means a longer cycle time, to ensure bulkier items are completely dry. This setting is perfect for drying items like bedding and towels. Cupboard Dry– This setting ensures your laundry is dry enough to be put away immediately, once the cycle is complete.
Avoiding heavy duty cycles, fast spins and high-heat drying can also prevent shrinkage. Use delicate cycles instead, and place delicate clothes in a mesh laundry bag for added protection. When drying, consider a low-heat or air dry setting. When in doubt, always follow the instructions on your garment's care tag.
The “permanent press” or “wrinkle-resistant” setting is a great choice for many of your everyday clothing items — from slacks and dresses to outerwear and jackets. This setting generates a medium heat. It will dry your clothes without inflicting the damage high heat can cause.
You can put polyester in the dryer on a cool to medium setting. The dryer won't cause wrinkles, but polyester can be ironed on low or steamed. Air dry polyester or tumble dry at medium temperature. Polyester generally doesn't wrinkle.
Choose a dryer setting with low to medium heat, then quickly remove the sheets from the dryer to prevent wrinkles from forming.
The square with a circle inside is the general symbol for tumble drying. If you see it on a laundry label, your item can be tumble-dried, and it's safe to put it in the dryer. If a laundry item should not be tumble-dried, you will see the same square with a circle, but it will be crossed out.
The Sun: used for warm air or heat mode. The Snowflake: used for cold air or cool mode. The Raindrop: used for dry mode. This should be used when the conditions are humid, and temperatures are mild.
Dryers tend to shrink clothes, and coupled with the heat, it wears down the fabric. In fact, dryers have been found to shrink clothes twice as much as regular washing does, and tumble drying shrinks twice as much as normal air drying.
Different materials respond differently to tumble drying. High heat suits sturdy fabrics like cotton and towels, while low heat is recommended for delicate like wool or spandex. Adjusting settings based on material type ensures better care for your clothes.
Read the Tags
"First, check the tags. Anything that says 'line dry' or 'lay flat to dry' can't tolerate the heat or the tumbling action of the dryer—or both," she says.
All you have to do is to just transfer your washed clothes in the clothes dryer machine, run it on ideal setting. That's it. The entire process is easy, effortless and mess-free. And, don't worry tumbledry is good for clothes (if you do it in the right way).
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.
The first option is to dry your clothes indoors on airers, which makes the task completely free. Try drying them in the kitchen, which is often the warmest room in the house thanks to residual heat from cooking, or place your airer next to a radiator. If you have a dehumidifier, this will help to dry them faster.
Air drying is only to reduce the moisture content of laundry . Unlike heater dryers, they cannot completely dry your clothes . However, by letting the wind evaporate the water contained in the clothes, you can reduce the time it takes to dry the laundry compared to when you spin the clothes and dry them immediately.