Washing machine or dryer shrinking everything

[kmini]

Let me just say this is not a new phenomenon- ie feeling the impact xmas indulgence! 😁

Trying to pin point where I'm going wrong.

I used to wash sheets at 60, most clothes at 40, delicates and wool on their appropriate setting. Then dryer on extra dry everything bar the good clothes, wool, delicates, outerwear and jeans. Most of these I dried in our toasty boiler cupboard. Almost everything was shrinking except wool and delicates!!

So now I do everything now on 30 and try to keep as much as possible out of dryer. That which does go on the dryer goes on cupboard dry setting.

Still shrinking! The worst offender is fitted sheets - I can barely get our sheets on and this includes the ones that I bought after changing approach.

Where am I going wrong? Anyway I can check the temp of the water in the washing machine? Any help appreciated.

I wash everything at 30-40, except towels, & don’t generally dry anything from wet in the dryer unless I want to shrink it!

It all gets air-dried, with 5-10 mins in dryer (only on low setting) to get rid of creases.

Gosh how do you get all the families clothes dry without your house looking like a constant state! I'd have stuff everywhere all the time if I didnt use the dryer.

I’d suspect the dryer. I don’t dry my clothes any more in the dryer. Just use it for sheets and towels. I’ve rigged up an inside washing line and dehumidifier in the utility room instead.

Not sure if this can happen but does your machine have its water pipes the wrong way around so it is filling from the hit water tank?

*hot water

You say you use cupboard dry or fully dry settings but what heat are you using?

I wash towels and sheets on 60 and everything else at either 40 or 30.

Everything goes in the dryer expect delicates, wool and jeans. Sheets on cupboard dry and everything else on fully dry BUT all on the lower heat setting.

Nothing has shrunk (except one of my husbands t shorts which obviously didn't like the dryer! Oops!).

Either that or your dryer or washing machine is faulty.

How do people keep on top of drying clothes if not using a dryer? Especially towels and duvets? It just seems to take so long?

We dont. 7 children, our house is almost an unofficial launderette.

In summer we can just about get half our washing line dried, even that isn't easy - garden in shade most of the day and kids booting balls etc

We have a heated airer.
We don't wash duvets unless DD has an accident and that's a cot sized duvet. Towels weekly.
I find that fitted sheets do eventually shrink, it's the nature of the fabric.

@MiniMum97 there is no heat setting on our dryer for the cupboard dry or any other setting. If think it automatically detects weight and adjust the heat and time based upon the setting you choose.

My DS wets through at least once a week and I prob need to wash his duvet once a fortnight. There is no way I could get away without a dryer and air dry around the house!

The heat setting is not always clear. It's not obvious on my dryer.

There are various settings. A couple you can change and some presets.

Of the ones you can change "Cottons" is a hot setting and "synthetics" is the lower heat setting. You can then select how dry you want it - iron, cupboard or fully dry.

I had to wade through the manual to work this out. It wasn't clear at all.

It’s your dryer. The settings you have- extra dry, cupboard dry indicate your dryer adjusts the heat based on a moisture sensor. That sensor is not working properly. It is over reporting moisture so the dryer is drying too hot.

Call the manufacturer service line and see if the warranty is still current. If not, you can buy a new sensor and install it yourself. Paying a repair man will likely cost more than a new dryer.

Thanks @minimum97

This is our dryer. Am I missing something? Generally quite clueless about these things.

Try using the timer instead and see if it improves, and use the delicates button on items you think may shrink, it will lower the temperature.

Yes that's what I was going to say. I bet the delicates button is what tells your dryer to use the low heat. Have you still got your manual?

Ahh brilliant. Will try that. Xxx

Definitely try delicates + timer

My dryer is dead basic, only has a timer & high/low temp settings, & it’s very controllable. I tend to run it in short bursts & then give it longer if necessary (also has automatic cool tumble - “refresh” on yours? - for the last 10 mins, which is great as it stops stuff sitting in a hot heap & setting creases in.)

I don’t trust clever dryers