Tumble Dryer. What am I doing wrong?

[OhWifey]

I keep seeing on here that people chuck everything into the tumble dryer / couldn't live without it / would sooner give up the dishwasher etc.
I didn't have a tumble dryer growing up and only bought one two years ago after the birth of my second child. At first I loved it but then I realised it was shrinking and / or fading a lot of stuff. I always run it on the lowest heat and on the correct setting for the garments. What am I doing wrong? Is this just a fact of tumble dryer life that stuff will fade or shrink? Or am I doing something wrong?
It's a Hotpoint, but not a recalled one.

I don't use them for the same reason.

We got one a year ago when we had a new kitchen fitted. I’m with you on this. I don’t dry everything in it now, I find it’s especially rubbish with jersey stuff, eg my daughters leggings were always coming out too short!!! I use the baby protect cycle now for everything.
Great for sheets, towels etc but nothing stretchy!

I use mine for towels, bedding and not much else. I find that stuff shrinks, stuff with a print gets ruined, gym gear / lycra can't go in nor my bras / tights. I could live without it happily.

I have this issue too. We have a tumble drier but I only really use it for bedding and towels...clothes just shrink! Last time I accidentally put one of DH's T-shirts in the it came out a good inch shorter

There’s an awful lot of stuff that can’t go in when you check labels so yes, I do get annoyed at people in here claiming they bung everything in. I don’t like tumble dried towels either, I like a stiffer one (ooh er, missus).

Good for some stuff though so I’ll keep mine.

I don’t put everything in mine. It’s brilliant for bedding, towels and more robust clothing. Anything from Primark will shrink. School tights will shrink really badly. Obviously anything with wool content will shrink too. Most other things have survived pretty well though. I was told ages ago not to overload it. Not only from the point of view of damaging the machine, but it then takes longer to dry things which adds up over time and can cause damage to your clothes. Something along those lines anyway.

I put everything in the dryer apart from swimming costumes, bras, tights and woollen jumpers. Most things that say do not tumble dry can be tumble dried. I have only ever had a handful of things shrink.

I don’t have one, for the same reasons. They shrink clothes and make them washed out IMO.

I hang washing outside or use a couple of airers by the radiators in the winter. It’s my house so no landlord to upset and I’ve never had a problem with dampness etc.

I use ours for towels, bedding, all pants and socks, school skirts, trousers and shirts, all pyjamas, some t shirts, duvets, coats, loads of stuff. It’s worth it just for towels and bedding imo, the rest is a bonus.

Nothing has shrunk to my knowledge.

I think some tumble dryers are just better than others. The bigger the better, it seems. I've had a Samsung for 12 years and it has high, medium, medium low, low and extra low temperature settings. I dry most things on low (not wool socks or sweaters) and have never had anything shrink.

I've only had one thing shrink and it was an expensive nightie which annoyed me, I would never put woollens, jumpers or bras in there.

I bung almost anything in the drier and think it is great. I do line dry in the summer because I think it smells nicer.

I think you just have to be care full not to over dry. And try keep garments to similar sizes and weights. So I do my 3/4 year olds clothes together, my daughters separately and then mine and my partners together.

I'm about to invest in a new one with about £1000 budget as the features are better

They are horrendously energy intensive. My oh was against us getting one but my dm bought us one for Christmas a few years back (small dc).

I use it maybe once a month on average. Peg out when I can, use a Lakeland heated airer( much kinder to clothes), a non-heated airer and radiators!

I also think there are more disadvantages than advantages and won't tumble dry any of my clothes as they come out a mishapen creased mess.

We have one but only use it in winter for socks and pants, towels and DP will sometimes wash and dry a load of his t shirts. I don't even like doing the bedding because it just scrunches it up in a ball with the outside burning hot and the inside still wet.

I'd much rather just use the airer when it's not line drying conditions and am baffled by those who use the dryer all the time, even in good weather.

I would never dry anything straight from the machine. I really use mine as a safety net for finishing off stuff that isn't dry after bringing in from the line/being on the airer overnight. Keeps energy consumption down and stops clothes being shrunk too.

Small loads and low heat is the way to go for anything other than sheets and towels and don’t put anything delicate or that you are really bothered about in it. I hang my good stuff to dry on hangers.

Laundry soap choice will fade the colours not the dryer.
Certain fabrics shrink more than others, careful shopping helps.
I’m in North America and most clothing is pre shrunk and scalding hot driers don’t cause any change.
But my poor UK son in law leaves my home with 1/2 the clothes he arrived with due to me shrinking his stuff. His UK drier is a useless piece as far as I’m concerned...top of the line Miele...does a half job.

I only tumble dry bedding, underwear and pyjamas. Anything else just gets far too creased I find.

I use it for pure cotton sheets, towels and shirts, and (on a separate load) for DS’s indestructible polyester school uniform. Used like that it’s nevertheless done me any harm.

Yep. Same here. Sheets and towels only.

In an emergency I will put in school shirts, old Pjs, very old underwear. And kids clothes which are very hand-me-down.

Everything shrinks, usually by a good inch, which makes it unwearable.

I used to think this too but have discovered a synthetics option on our dryer which doesn't seem to shrink anything, even cheap primary stuff, underwear or tights!

I love my tumble dryer (even moreso in our new home because its in the utility room so I don't have to go out to the garage) but I do try to let stuff just air dry first then put it in when almost dry.
I think its great for bedding, towels, school uniform and underwear (not bras!)
I never put my frocks in, or my tights, or bras, or any gym gear (or the kids PE/games gear either especially not football kit) Nor any wool stuff like cardis or jumpers.

I’ve had tumble driers forever. I weirdly have two at the moment. I’ve never ever had anything fade and I’ve only shrunk things one or twice in all that time. I tumble dry everything
I honestly don’t know how people are shrinking and fading stuff

I love my tumble drier. I have a Beko sensor condenser drier with a delicates setting. I use that setting for everything except bedding and sheets which go on a cottons temperature. It’s absolutely brilliant and in 8 years nothing has ever shrunk or faded.
Mine is very energy efficient and costs very little to run.

I just use the cottons setting on our Beko for most stuff and no shrinkages or weird stuff happening. No creasing either, but it's a big drum. I really do chuck everything in, with the exception of a couple of fancy frocks (but I only wear these a couple of times a year). Day to day wear, sheets, towels, nappies, baby clothes, underwear, PJs, everything else all goes in.

I guess if you're drying cotton stuff on the synthetics or high setting, you'll shrink it.