I put in a huge load of wet towels into the tumble dryer and......

[permaquandry]

......they came out dry, fluffy and smelling fresh! I am now a very happy, first-time owner of a tumble dryer.

OOI, what can you safely tumble, other than towels and sheets?

All those thick heavy cotton t-shirts, cardis, jumpers etc you have around the house being damp for ages in winter? Not any more you don't!

Good for socks, pants, pyjamas, towels, sheets, but I never use for things like tshirts, tops, jumpers or anything that I wouldn't want to get out of shape or worn.

Everything except silky undies, tights and dds school jumpers, which disintegrate.

Nothing dries outside at this time of year and I haven't room to have stuff airing around the house.

Everything!!!!!!! Marvellous invention :)

Most things!

I got mine last winter, it's fabulous! I don't know how I ever coped without one.

I put in t-shirts and stuff to partially dry so they have that nice, soft tumble dried feeling and they dry quickly but I haven't had any shrink or anything

Most things say in the label and even things that say they can't be tumble dried often still can.

Personally :

All school uniform
All childrens clothes (unless a special dress or waterproofs etc)
I never buy children's clothes that can't be dried unless it's something I have no alternative to.
Pants
Socks
Pjs
Tshirts and casual tops
Some trousers
All towels sheets flannels etc apart from waterproof mattress protector
Even some men's shirts can be done.

non-iron school uniform

Thx so much for the replies. Is it wrong to feel so excited about this contraption, I'm literally bursting with anticipation?! I've also bought a portable steamer, I'm in domestic heaven!!!!

Our tumble dryer is the second BEST thing we ever bought (dishwasher being first)!!

I tumble try everything except dh's cycling gear and our hiking socks.

Enjoy :)

knitted cotton, like T-shirts will tend to shrink at first. So I just get a bigger size and after a couple of washes it's shrunk a bit.

some low-price jackets have fusible interlinings and will pucker at the lapels, they will be marked dry-clean only. Like mattress covers with polypropylene backings and skirts, which melt at high heat, will probably be OK at low-heat setting but take longer.

my cotton business shirts go in but set to ironing-damp.

I do everything except tights!

I would give up my dishwasher before I gave up the drier, you will wonder how you ever managed without one.

I stuff in everything on the list kige gave.

I love my tumble dryer to! Word of warning dc Tshirts do tend to shrink and I personally don't do jeans as they get washed out to quickly. I would do them the odd time but not every time if that makes sense?

My dryer gets
joggers
leggings
towels
bedding
underwear
tea towels
cushion covers
some tops

I have a little airer over the bath for the odd thing that doesn't go in.

And coats and trainers/daps.

I tumble dry pretty much everything. Except Wallis dresses which bobble and shrink. I have shrunk all of DHs sweatshirts too unfortunattely.

Put shirts in for a few minutes, then stick on hangers until you're ready to iron - MUCH easier.

I don't do expensive T shirts, knitwear, anything with a transfer on, swimming costumes or synthetic sportswear.

So, basically shirts, school uniform, bedding and towels but only in the winter. I've got washing on the line today which I think will dry as it's mild and breezy here.

The things I don't put in are:
Anything with elastic/lycra in it eg tights, cycling shorts
Anything with an applique (as I find that the fabric around the applique shrinks a bit and the applique doesn't, so you are forever tugging it taut)
Bras
Woollens
Swimming costumes

Anything else goes in. We bought separate washer and dryer this year, and I finally have a dryer that actually dries. Its a revelation and I absolutely love it. Its quickly become 100% indispensible.

Horrid things, crease everything to high heaven and eat electricity.

However, they are good for towels

Plastic printing sticks together and high Lycra hates them.

They are infinitely preferable to a house full of wet washing leading to condensation, damp and mould.

A modern one will typically use 60p worth of electricity for a full cotton load, and correspondingly less for a lighter or synthetic load holding less water. Some heat-pump models use much less, but as they cost an extra thousand pounds to buy, may not be a money-saving choice

Mine doesn't cause creases, some items are fit to use without ironing.

I put everything in mine.

Although I did a load of the boys clothes the other day and ruined them. They were t-shirts and jumpers with pictures on them and they all sort of melted and got stuck together!

Never tumble dry thermals. They come out Barbie doll sized.
Synthetics need to be dried on a cooler setting or they will shrink too.

I, like most others here, will put practically everything into it. Mine has an eco setting that actually tumbles with cool air, so gets rid of the problem of shrinkage. The only things I absolutely have to iron afterwards are DH's cotton shirts - evrything else can get by with a smooth-and-fold, if needed. And if I do want to iron it, it takes a fraction of the time.

(Yes, I'm wierd, I like ironing. It's a good excuse to watch crappy telly at the same time but still feel like you're doing something constructive )