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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

First tumble drier questions?

8 replies

Muddytoes1 · 02/10/2019 20:58

Never had one before and have a couple of questions:

  • heard they can make clothes shrink, is this true and is there any way to stop this? If it is true do you buy clothes a size bigger (especially the kids stuff) to compensate?
  • does it make the clothes wrinkly? I don’t normally have to iron as I have always hung everything up wet and mostly dries pretty straight.

Is there anything else I need to know? Any dryer tips?

Thank you!

OP posts:
ShellieEllie · 02/10/2019 21:12

My advice would be to check labels to make sure you can tumbledry it - you can't tumble everything, and don't overdry the clothes. If you get the stuff out when it finishes you probably won't need to worry about ironing very much at all. I have found a few things shrink a little, mainly socks!

Elieza · 02/10/2019 21:20

Don’t tumble anything with stretch in it. Elastane etc is a nono. So no stretch jeans etc.

You can use the cool setting for stuff though if the label says you can tumble it. (I don’t tend to do stretch jeans at any setting right enough.)

I never fully dry anything, stuff just needs a blast then I hang it up to finish drying on or near a radiator. Especially towels. 30 mins followed by radiator. 3 at a time max in my small dryer. They need room to flap about inside. I think if the radiator is on anyway it’s better to soften the towels in the dryer and then it’s not costing anything more to finish them off as the radiators are on anyway (or I just hang the stuff on clothes horses or hangers if the rooms warm and the radiators are off). Make sure things really are bone dry before you put them away though.
Remove the lint regularly. Biggest cause of house fires. Always be in when tumbling in case of fire. You never know!

GiantKitten · 02/10/2019 21:28

Except in the direst weather I only use mine as an alternative to ironing.

Generally I air-dry, on racks indoors or line outside (spring-autumn. Have small back yard with high walls so winter drying waste of time) & just finish off in dryer for 10-20 mins, to minimise creasing & risk of shrinkage.

My dryer is upstairs so I can whisk stuff in batches into bedroom & either hang or fold immediately.

Muddytoes1 · 03/10/2019 08:17

Thanks so much for the tips!

OP posts:
Maryann1975 · 03/10/2019 08:23

Dh always says his clothes shrink in the tumble dryer. I think it’s amazing how these clothes still fit him if they keep shrinking and also how amazing my dryer is for knowing which are his clothes and only shrinking them!

ConFusion360 · 03/10/2019 09:20

Mine shrinks my clothes, usually just after I have come back from a holiday.

BillywigSting · 03/10/2019 09:32

Mine is as basic as they come (vented, no beeps, electric timers, alarms programmes. Just on or off for whatever time you set the ticker timer to).

I have found that stuff dries much faster if you throw in a dry towel. Don't overload it, about half full is a good measure, then if you get it out and hang /put away while it's still warm nothing needs ironing and in fact has less creases than line dried stuff.

Empty the lint every time, partly because of the fire hazard but also just because it slows the drying and gets all over the clean clothes if you don't.

I personally prefer to do my washing in the evening, let it mostly dry on the maiden overnight and finish it in the dryer in the morning so I don't have damp washing hanging around all day. Only takes half an hour so to dry if I do it this way.

They're also surprisingly expensive run (or mine is anyway)

Vented dryers are much cheaper than condenser dryers but you can get a little box to stick on the end of the hose of vented ones (which I have and it works well)

School jumpers shrunk a bit and things with lots of elastaine don't hold up for as long if they're tumbled too much or too hot.

My rule of thumb is if it can be ironed it can be tumbled. Lots of stuff that says do not tumble dry can absolutely be tumble dried.

ExpletiveDelighted · 03/10/2019 09:55

We've got a vented one, with lots of settings, the only things that don't go in are football socks and anything made of wool, everything else is fine and nothing shrinks.

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