Introduction
Dryers are excellent at what they do. They dry clothes very quickly and efficiently. However, the intense heat wears down the components and the fabrics. If your dryer is broken, you can search for “dryer repair near me” and hire professionals to fix it for you. For now, let’s check out why putting delicates in the dryer is not the best option.
The Details
- Machine drying – Machine drying is the best and most effective way to dry your clothes within a short time. However, they are not great for your delicates. Those dryers use high heat and tumble the clothes at high speeds inside the drum. This puts a lot of wear and tear on the fabrics. Even regular cotton and synthetic fabrics lose a few fibers after coming out of the dryer. Delicates get the worst end of the deal. The damage is even more severe if the temperature set is higher and the drying cycle is longer.
When the dryer is set to the normal cycle, both temperature and tumble are high. That’s why this setting should only be reserved for durable fabrics like home linens and everyday clothes. On the other hand, if you have synthetics, they should be dried in the permanent-press cycle that uses low tumble and medium heat. Finally, there’s the delicate cycle that is designed for delicate fabrics and uses low heat and low tumble. While this setting works for wool and some durable synthetics, most delicates would get damaged even at this setting.
- Air Drying – To prevent your delicates from getting damaged, you should always air dry them. People have been air drying since the existence of fabrics. While it isn’t the most efficient way of drying your clothes, it does the least damage. Now there are two ways of air drying your clothesline drying and lying flat.
For line-drying items, they need to be hung from a high place. Whether you hang clothes on hangers, drape them on a line or attach them to a line with clothespins, it’s line drying. Line drying doesn’t damage your clothes in any way unless you put them under direct sunlight. When line-dried in the shade, your clothes don’t lose their color, shape, fibers, or elasticity. Moreover, this process is more environmentally friendly since it doesn’t use any power and saves you money on your utility bill.
However, some items like knits and sweaters that are heavier can’t tolerate the tensions and stress induced by line drying. Those fabrics soak up a lot of water after being washed and become highly volatile when wet. So, if they are draped over the line, they may get deformed. That’s where the method of lying flat comes in. You can lay those fabrics flat on a clean surface and secure the edges.
This one is even more inefficient and takes longer than line drying. However, its’ ideal for heavy delicates and sweaters. With that out of the way, let’s check out the types of delicates, that can’t be dried even in the washer’s delicate setting and need to be air-dried.
- Silk, and other silk-like delicate synthetics – Silk and other silk-like fabrics like sheet nets should never end up in the dryer. Even with the delicate setting, these fabrics may get stressed and damaged. In the best-case scenario, they develop wrinkles that are permanent and can’t be removed.
These fabrics should always be dried by hanging on the line or by lying flat. There are some silk-like synthetic fabrics that may be put in the dryer at the lowest setting. While it’s not recommended, you may have to resort to that in a pinch. In that case, make sure that you put those delicates in a wire mesh so that they stay put even while they are being thrown around by the spinning drum. The mesh prevents the delicates from getting stretched and intertwined with other fabrics and limits the damage.
- Lace – Lace is another eye-catching fabric that is often used for knitting, and cutwork and is a key material for making delicates. The threads are very delicate and blended with other synthetic or cotton fibers for making various patterns and designs.
When you put this material in the dryer, the intense heat instantly starts disintegrating those threads. In fact, lace is so sensitive to heat and stress, that you shouldn’t even put it inside the washer or in hot water. Make sure to wash lace fabrics by hand and the air dry them.
- Bras and underwear – Bras and underwear in general use elastic materials like spandex so that they can stretch adequately and provide enough support. When exposed to high temperatures, the fabrics will start losing shape and the elastic material would stretch out to completely deform the straps and make the underwear unusable.
While they can be dried in a delicate setting, you should wash them by hand and air dry them to make sure they last you for as long as possible. Unlike regular clothes that can be grabbed for quite cheap at a sale, delicates, bras, and underwear are always expensive. Make sure you make them last and get the most value out of them.
- Hosiery – While they aren’t technically delicate, they can be expensive and are equally prone to damage when exposed to high heat and physical stress. If you have socks made out of fine fabric, ballet tights, silk stockings, and other such items, make sure to keep them out of the dryer. Even a bit of piling and shrinkage can render them useless. You also need to wash them very carefully by hand instead of throwing them in the dryer.
Conclusion
As you can see, dryers are not great for your delicates. They may get damaged or become completely unusable. In worst situations, they can also disintegrate or melt and get into the sensitive components of your dryer. If your dryer gets broken, you can search for “dryer repair near me” and hire professionals for the job.