How do I stop shrinking DH's clothes in dryer?

[Lefty99]

So I got a tumble dryer for the first time recently and still not figured it out yet. It's only DH's clothes that seem to be shrinking in there (t shirts mainly) What setting should I use for a general wash? I cant figure out which settings allign to which temperature and the manual isn't helping.
I usually wash a mixture in each wash so figure I need a low temperature for most things, would this be the "easy care" settings do you think? Also any tips on how to get his shrunken clothes back to normal appreciated! TIA for any advice!

Jersey knit is inherently unstable - even double jersey - so will always shrink in the presence of dry heat (ex textile chemist here).

Dry them on a clothes horse or radiator.

Thanks so much for all of your replies - really helpful. Must admit I didn't check all the labels before I threw them in, looking now and a large amount of them say no tumble drying, oops!

@MarshMarigold yes it's a Bosch and thanks for the tip - I'll use the feather button to lower the temperature now.

@iknowimcoming Not rude at all! I didn't know to give the washing a shake but I will from now on!

@FamilyOfAliens excuse my ignorance, I know nothing! Is Jersey Knit T shirt material?

I think I will have to leave DH's t shirts and socks out and continue with the dryer on a low setting for (almost) everything else. Worth the risk for mine and DC's clothes (I don't wear anything nice anyway!) The reason I bought it was because we recently had a baby and with a toddler too the amount of washing is ridiculous and in winter it's so hard to get it dry. Don't want to go back to having washing all over the house on radiators/maidens again!

Yes, T-shirts are made from knitted fabric, rather than woven. The knitted jersey is usually made on a circular machine with the needles arranged around the circle. There’s something about this manufacturing process that makes it unstable. You can see this on really cheap t shirts, where the seams twist over time.

Woven fabrics are made by weaving warp threads (top to bottom) with weft threads (left to right) in a flat, straight form.

Obviously woven cloth can shrink too, but it depends on the yarn used (cotton is the worst for shrinkage) rather than the cloth construction.

I never tumble dry socks, t shirts, pants and anything from jersey type fabric in the tumble drier. They always, always shrink, even on the lowest silk setting.

However, non-jersey weave fabrics can go at an appropriate temperature setting. Bed spreads, bedding, duvets, towels, school skirts and trousers, jeans, linen are all safe. Just be careful use the appropriate setting.

I have found mince pies, turkey dinners, chocolate, biscuits and alcohol all make my clothes shrink!

Family this is beside the point (sorry op) but I thought a circular machine would produce a product with no seams - ?
What does a textile chemist do? It sounds fascinating! (I'm very interested in textiles but only on an amateur basis. :))
I thought most cheap t-shirts twist because the manufacturers fit too many pattern parts on a given length of fabric so can't align the pattern to the fabric grain. Normally (unless the garment is bias cut) the fabric is cut at right angles to prevent odd stretching, puckering and twisting. If you cram all the pattern pieces together at random angles to maximise fabric use the garments won't be stable because each piece will have been cut at a slightly different angle.
I remember at school someone cut jersey with the pattern arrows facing the wrong direction and when worn the garment just got tighter and longer.

Family this is beside the point (sorry op) but I thought a circular machine would produce a product with no seams - ?

Yes, if the size of the machine matches the size of the product the cloth is used for, you wouldn’t need seams. But the cloth is used for all sorts of products of different sizes, so seams are necessary in most cases!

There are lots of reasons for seams twisting and you’re right, badly cut and put together pieces are one reason. But single jersey is inherently unstable, not sure why. I probably learned about it in my degree, but that was some time ago now ...

As a textile chemistry student I only learned about yarn and fabric manufacture in first year.

After that, it was about the manufacture of synthetic fibres (polymers), as well as studying the protein structure of wool and mohair, then chemical treatments such as shrink proofing, dyeing, flame-retardant, etc.

I think it would be a more interesting degree to do now with all the performance fabrics that are being developed. When I was studying, polypropylene was the cutting edge!

We use the easy care settings on our AEG for all clothed (we don't have wool or silk) and the only thing that shrinks is football socks. Tee shirts and everything else are fine. We have a "special care" button but don't need it. So it does very much depend on the dryer. Definitely worth using the button if you have one

Hi OP, I have a Bosch tumble dryer too! (Have had several over 30 plus years)

I dry virtually everything on easy care, cupboard dry but on low heat only.

Nothing ever shrinks and I have very, very little ironing. 😊