What to put in the tumble dryer

[decorecor]

I've got one for the first time (left by the people we bought the house from) but it seems like almost nothing can go in it. I've been checking labels, and I'd say 25% of our clothes can go in on a low heat only, the rest can't at all. Nothing can go on high heat that I can see, except towels. Even most of the bedding says low heat only, and my mattress protector says no tumble drying, which is a pain, as that thing takes DAYS to dry.

So I can never just wash a load and dry it. I wanted to use it those times I run out of hanging space (a lot) to stop the washing building up, so ideally I'd be putting the full load in.

My question is: are the labels to be believed? Can some of the "low heat" stuff go on a high heat (jeans, baby vests, etc.)? Can some of the "do not tumble" stuff go on a low heat? Are there secret rules I don't know? I just keep thinking there's countries like the USA where people seem to use tumble dryers for everything, so how come the labels are so strict?! I assumed wool couldn't go in, and pretty much everything else could!

I have a heat pump dryer and I practically tumble dry everything except delicates/ wool jumpers. Haven’t had a casualty yet but I do think heat pump ones work on a lower heat than some of the older ones

Don't put anything you love in is my main rule. Stuff does have a tendency to shrink a little and I don't want my jeans for example to go shorter.

I put in all the millions of socks, pants, vests, cheap pjs. I would put baby vests in. I also put in bedding and towels but usually to finish them off after they have partially dried. I have a heated airer in the conservatory for everything else.

I think the labels are quite cautious. I will also tumble dry most things except delicates, although not all the time. If I'm not sure, I'll generally run it on a lower heat setting, but it can be a bit trial and error (goodbye lovely fat face cardigan!) - if I really like it and it's says no, I don't risk it

IME cotton t-shirts shrink, even though they are something that usually says it can be tumbled.

It's never occurred to me to look at the label on bedding, but that's always been fine.

I mostly use mine for underwear, PJs, bedding and towels. The things that are pain to hang out or take up too much radiator space

My dryer has two heat settings - warm and hot. The hot is extremely hot and the warm is very hot so I can only dry pants, socks, pyjamas, bedding and towels in it. It's a pain as I've had dryers in the past which had a nice gentle warm setting suitable for most items, but how can you predict that it's going to be hotter than the sun and ruin things? When I first used it parts of my mattress protector melted!
I have noticed that men's clothing is mostly tumble dryable but not women's

Thanks! I had assumed socks might shrink too - good to know they don't!

Re men's clothes - DH had vouchers for a company that sells bamboo clothing and replaced half his wardrobe with them. They were expensive, and look good on the whole, but NONE of it can be tumble dried, according to the labels, and they all take an age to dry. Wondering if they're over cautious but not sure I should take the risk to find out!

I’ve never really paid much attention to labels, everything goes in apart from wool, anything with embellishments and anything I think may shrink/melt

My last tumble dryer only had two settings high and low. Tbh never used the low setting. But the majority of stuff was fine.

I’ve literally just got a new dryer today so still have to get to grips with it, as there’s 12 different programmes to play about with!

Most things are ok to be tumble dried but it depends on the temperature.

I don't tumble dry mine to be bone dry though. They come out so incredibly creased that it's not worth it. I do a low heat for an hour or so and then hang to dry completely.

tumble driers generally have multiple settings and combinations. i adjust as appropriate.

I just tumble everything except wool. Never have any problem I just use low heat if not sure

Bamboo doesn’t tumble dry!

RIP my bamboo socks.

Oh I'm glad you've saved me that experiment! 😂

When people say some stuff might melt, would that include things like nylon sports tops or acrylic jumpers or the like?

I pretty much tumble all dds stuff (5yrs old) like others pants/ socks are fine. Hoodies and PJ bottoms also fine usually. Things like jeans and tops I don't put in there I need as much space in those as I can get! 80% of my washing is from dd so tumble handles most.

So rule of thumb.

100% cotton goes in. Jeans fine.
Duvets, Towels, leggings, pants and school socks.

Nice socks nope. Bras No.

I find T-shirts and tops shrink so they don’t.
Pj tops no. Bottoms yes. Odd I know but the tops seem to shrink upwards!

School jumpers. No.

Sports tops and acrylics- no I wouldn’t.

Underwear, kids pyjamas (if the don’t have anything rubber transfers on then), bedding and towels, I don’t tumble anything else as I don’t like it when things shrink.

Yes prints and transfers crack in tumble drier or stick together.

Im on load 4 of laundry following a holiday and my airers are full of stuff we don’t tumble dry. It’s frustrating!

I put in everything except tights, bras, school uniform, jeans, jumpers and swimsuits.

I’ve always wondered how Americans tumble dry everything too! I tend to use ours just for sheets and towels, which are like cardboard if I don’t tumble dry them. Sometimes I put underwear and pyjamas in, but socks do seem to shrink a bit.

As people have said, definitely nothing with applique and definitely nothing with a cheap transfer because it'll crack to buggery.

I'll tumble dry jumpers and even silk sometimes. I don't have the temperature above 50c though. Not ruined anything yet.

Nylon sports top would be fine. Acrylic jumpers won’t melt but you do have to be careful as although the majority are fine I have had a couple shrink on me.
so I let those air dry.

Socks can come out a bit smaller than they went in but soon stretch back out the their original size

Also dd has a couple of chiffon-y type tops I don’t put those in.

@OneWildNightWithJBJ i'm canadian and like americans we certainly use our tumble driers to the max. again my dryer has multiple settings: 9 pre set settings from sterilize to air dry, then three manual settings which allows me to adjust the pre set ones for level of dryness, heat, and time.
so if i want to slightly dry out wool socks or a nice jumper that i had outside i can put it in the dryer for 7 minutes on low heat.

Following because I have exactly the same problem. Socks do shrink. As do my cotton fat face pyjamas and t shirts. School uniform seems more hardy. Bedding is ok, but wary of shrinking my brushed cotton duvet cover.

Everything except wool here. Rarely ruin anything.