Although modern machines such as washers and dryers make modern chores like laundry much easier, nothing beats the smell or feel of freshly washed clothes that are dried outside on the line. The fresh air and sunshine leave clothes with a clean, crisp scent and feel that’s unmistakable.
However drying your clothes outside isn’t always possible. Whether it’s because of lack of space, housing association restrictions, or even climate, air drying in the great outdoors is simply not an option in some circumstances. In these cases, using your dryer’s tumbling drum is an excellent alternative.
Tumble drying leaves your clothes soft, free of wrinkles, and smelling fresh. But before you use your dryer’s tumbler, it’s important to understand what garments can be tumbled dried and at what temperature. For example, items such as bras, wool sweaters, and silk blouses can be damaged during the drying process and should be air dried on a clothes horse or indoor drying rack, or on a thick, absorbent towel. Always check a garment’s tag for care instructions before tumble drying.
If you’re new to tumble drying or just want step up your game, here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your dryer’s tumbler:
Not too wet
Before tossing your clothes into the dryer, make sure they’re dry enough to tumble dry. Although that may sound a bit strange, it makes perfect sense. Clothes are still dripping wet will have a hard time drying properly, which can leave them wrinkled. Likewise, drying soaking wet clothing in a dryer is a huge energy waster! If your clothes are still dripping wet, run them through a another spin cycle to remove excess water.
Rules of the load
Tumble drying is only effective when the dryer is loaded properly. A dryer that is overloaded won’t be able to thoroughly dry every garment in the entire load. Similarly, a dryer loaded with too little garments can lead to wrinkled clothing. Be sure to carefully read your dryer’s instructions for load sizes before loading it up. Similarly, it’s important to double and even triple check temperature settings for certain garments.
Clean the lint filter
Your dryer’s lint filter plays an important role in its ability to function effectively, efficiently, and perhaps most importantly, safely. Be sure to clean your dryer’s lint filter regularly, ideally after after load to remove troublesome buildup. Doing so ensures your clothes dry evenly and allows your dryer to use less power. Similarly, a clogged dryer filter may cause your damage to dryer by allowing it to overheat.
Using your dryer’s air tumbler feature is a great way to make laundry even easier! As an alternative to air drying outside, tumble drying allows you to have more control over temperature, time, and other important settings. For more information about tumble drying, refer to your dryer’s user or instruction manual.
