My first ever tumble dryer is arriving tomorrow!

[BertieBotts]

I'm excited even though that's a bit sad

What do I need to know? What can/can't go in them generally? (I know I can check the labels of individual things, but some of them will be faded/cut out).

Oh I bought dryer balls but I'm not really sure what they are for - bed sheets to stop them balling up?

Don't use them when you are asleep or not at home.
They use a lot of electricity so line dry if you can,
Don't overfill

I've had one about a month. I am still at the excited stage! When I started checking labels, I was rather horrified by how many things you shouldn't tumble dry. Off hand, I recall bras and sportswear, particularly, in my case, dh's slippy fabric sports tops and fleeces. I didn't risk a synthetic bathmat either. Basically, all things that take virtually no time to dry anyway.

My top tip is to dry your towels in it. It's a revelation how soft and fluffy they come out!

Try not to use it unless you really have to.

Bad for your clothes.
Bad for your electricity bill.
Bad for the environment.

Sorry!

It's not, I've got a heat pump one, uses very little electricity and must be better for the environment than us constantly having to use chemical mould removers in the bedroom to get rid of the damp from drying things in there.

I just got a tumble dryer after Christmas. It's the best thing I've ever bought.
I tumble dry everything apart from socks and nothing has been damaged yet. If it's something that shouldn't be tumble dried I just put it on the lowest heat.
I put an old towel in that's already dry as I heard that helps the drying.

Amazing, it's a life changer! Wash all your towels, sheets and tea towels first! As for clothes, I tumble dry all underwear & socks (not bras) and some of our cotton stuff I know won't shrink (PJs etc). I still hang some clothes on hangers and hang on a rack in the laundry room then transfer straight to wardrobes when dry. Have fun!

Yep I use one of those bath mats with the short finger like protrusions, large surface area and all that to absorb the moisture instead of a dry towel.

Put your washing on for an extra spin before tumble drying as it removes up to an extra pint of water and reduces drying time.

I try not to use my tumble dryer very often because I know it's not very eco, but I like putting towels in for about 5 min to get them fluffy.

I'm not going to rain on your parade as a tumble dryer is a godsend, however I really do limit its use. Towels in winter and occasionally finishing off bedding. If funds allow I would purchase a dehumidifier for the laundry you can't tumble dry as this will keep your mould in check too.

Similar to others I usually hang stuff and use it to finish off, so it's only on for maybe 15/20 minutes.

I dry almost everything in it, labels be damned

And congrats, OP! It's tied with dishwasher as my favourite appliance. We never had one until we moved house, and it was an absolute game changer.

Only use it if you’re in the house and awake as they can be a fire risk.
Empty the fluff filters after every load to reduce the risk.
If you have a condenser don’t forget to empty the water tank!
As soon as a load is finished, open the door straight away and then shake everything out and fold as soon as you can. I haven’t had to iron anything since we got ours 👍
And yes, please continue to line dry things whenever you can. Better for the environment and for your pocket.

I’m with you on this OP! Suffered with mould etc due to drying washing in doors over winter no matter what we tried to prevent it. Bought a dryer this winter and wow! My house has dried out! No mould and less condensation, my doors downstairs have shrunk back and actually close properly! I Chuck most things in the dryer, if unsure I’ll put on a low heat and just keep an eye on it drying but mine has a smart setting which I tend to use as it adjust to the load of clothing in there. I use dryer balls and dryer sheets in every load and make sure to empty the lint trap each time as a good habit. I have a condensed so also make sure to empty water every 3/4 uses

Although I love it can’t wait for better weather to put things on the line! I’ve been saving loads of washing to make sure I have a full tumble dryer load to be more cost effective

I got one for Xmas and it's changed my life. I love it!!!!!!

My best tip if it is a condensing dryer is to empty the drying water into the washing machine at the start of each load - that works as a water softener and you have to use much less detergent

Put a clean, dry towel in with every load to help it dry faster.

No wonder the planet is in such a mess. We should be moving away from things like this, not celebrating them

It'll be a game changer OP! After battling mould in our previous house a tumble dryer was a revelation. I do agree we should do what we can in regards to the environment, but I can't get wound up about a machine that makes (mostly womens) lives easier in honesty.

I'd recommend making sure to empty the fluff that accumulates in the filter after every dry, check the clothes regularly as its hard to gauge how long stuff needs sometimes, don't leave it unattended whilst you go out and about, and enjoy!

I share you excitement! After At the age of 60 I've just got one and it's changed my life.

I still put things on the washing line, but then put them in the drier for 20 minutes, that way clothes can go straight into the wardrobe.

The only things I don't put in the drier are bras and a couple of special jumpers.

I love my dryer and have an eco one. Ignore the haters. I still line dry in summer.
I Chuck everything in except bras and my delicates. It even does our sportswear

Anyone who thinks I shouldn't use it is welcome to come over and run my washing for three kids up and down four flights of stairs every day to prevent my house getting mouldy 👍 and catch up with 4-5 loads when I forget for a few days due to my ADHD.

I've done a lot (13.5 years) of "it's more eco, we don't need it" but I think it will exponentially improve my mental health, and they aren't actually the power guzzlers they used to be, as the newer ones re-use the waste hot air to dry the clothes more quickly. I worked it out and it should cost about 40p a load to run. And I got one with a ten year warranty so hopefully it won't need replacing after a short time.

Can you put t-shirts with plasticky prints in them? I think that's what I'm most unsure about. DH and DS2 have loads of these and I don't want to ruin them. DH is a fan of ripping labels out too.

I’m amazed on here how many people don’t have one. They’re a game changer, I’ve always had one. I dry everything apart from my shirts, dresses and skirts and wool. I dry all the kids stuff apart from sweatshirt material things