Do you fastidiously follow washing label instructions?

[EleanorDeCleaner]

For years I've carefully re-shaped and line-dried my very average, cotton/polyester sweaters and jersey tops, DHs cheap cotton t-shirts, all technical walking trousers and anything even vaguely synthetic that doesn't like heat or that I'm keen not to shrink.

In a fit of rebellion prompted by my visiting MIL who tumble dries EVERYTHING into rags and is also using the room I normally use to line-dry washing, I chucked my nice work jumpers in on a "synthetic" setting and pulled them out to check they weren't frying every 4 minutes.

Not only did they not shrink in the slightest, but they came out soft and un-creased. Just tried two pairs of DHs technical trousers and they came out fine.

What is this, have I been following label laws needlessly?

I always tumble dry synthetics and even tumble dry some of my wool stuff on the wool setting. I've never had an issue although the amount of lint in the filter each time indicates that the clothes are losing material so it's not as good long term as air drying.

I've put hand wash only stuff on the hand wash or the gentle setting on the premise of survival of the fittest. Everything else goes on a 40 wash unless it's sheets or towels.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a label in my life!

I just go by the feel of the garment and wash accordingly. I never had anything shrink, get holes in or be ruined

Hmm yeah I can see (partly from MIL's super-pilled clothes, grey vests and baggy knees/necklines) that over the long term the friction would eventually wreck the fabric. But I guess a few turns over winter wouldn't hurt,

"Survival of the fittest" ha. I do towels and bedding at 50/60 and tumble dry the shit out of them, underwear at 40 to save me knicker elastic, anything else at 30 really. Might explain why my washing machine reeks to high heaven despite regular cleaning (rubber seal and drawer plus 90 degree empty cycle) and Dr Beckman sachets...

I don't trust myself @LaraDeSalle, it might feel to me like it would be perfectly alright but if the label says "do not tumble dry" WHY WOULD I PAY NO HEEEEED

Not usually, unless it feels like the kind of fabric I probably should be careful with. I had a beautiful cashmere cardigan which I was super careful about, until one day I had put it in the washing basket with the intention of picking it out before I put it in the washing machine. It shrunk into a bolero type thing! I was gutted, but it hasn't made me any more careful with other fabrics!

Pretty much everything we own goes in on the 40c medium spin cycle with Fairy non bio and a colour catcher, minus anything hand wash only which I do separately on a v gentle cycle. And then most things go into the dryer except anything that looks like it might melt or shrink. No disasters yet…

I'll put hand wash only stuff on the 'wool' or 'hand wash' setting of the machine - but most of my clothes are from charity shops so I wouldn't be heartbroken if they were spoiled (haven't been so far). If it was a garment I particularly loved and couldn't replace I wouldn't take any chances.

I think a lot of manufacturers put these laundry instructions on to cover themselves in case something shrinks or looses colour. If i had something very special i would probably read the label first couple of times then later on just wash and dry like everything else.

I got a tumble dryer recently and I started off reading labels carefully but after looking at so many things where they seem like identical materials and construction but one says it can be tumble dried on hot and the other not at all I thought fuck it, what's the worst that can happen? Then I tested it on things I could easily replace. I keep out the plastic bibs, teen DS's shiny sports tops, my 4% wool jumpers (poss unnecessary) and a cheap pyjama set with a very precarious seeming plastic print that wants to peel off at the slightest excuse. But I stick everything else in. Wired bras I'm not sure about - I don't wear them.

It's a heat pump one so doesn't operate at as high a temperature, and I think some of the labels assume worst possible scenario. It's like a lot of things say you should wash at 30 but I wash them at 40 anyway.

IME of years without a tumble dryer, it's cheap materials and not separating washing that makes things grey and bobbly, not tumble drying. I was also shocked at how soft and uncreased everything came out!

Nope

I don’t read labels but Dh keeps buying shit tops from next that shrink in the wash
It’s driving me mad that he doesn’t read the label but expects me to