3 Things you need to consider before putting your clothes in the dryer the next time

Have you ever found that your favourite top you wore the night before doesn’t quite fit right after it’s wash cycle? Evidence and studies suggest that your dryer is the one to be blamed. Based on expert analysis and in-depth research, here are some things you need to know before you turn to the dryer next time.

There are broadly three ways in which tumble-drying causes some serious wear and tear to your clothes.

1. Shrinkage: Fit is the most important thing when it comes to clothes and we all know how annoying it is when your favourite clothes don’t fit you the same way anymore. Multiple studies confirm that tumble-drying is majorly responsible for double the clothing shrinkage compared to washing, despite the water temperature or the products used in the wash cycle. Now, why does this happen, you may ask? Most dryers use heat to remove the moisture off of clothes. Exposing the garments to high heat often leads to shrinkage. Moreover, these dryers rotate the clothes into circular motions consistently which often causes shrinkage of fabric.
2. Fading: Another issue that one may face during the tumble-drying process is colour fading and dye bleeding. Putting your garments straight into dryer often causes the garments to loose their shine. The main reason for the fading of fabrics is overexposure to heat and that not only causes the dyes to leak but also puts a risk of dyes bleeding and transferring on to other fabrics.
3. Lint: Lint is a result of fibers shredding off from natural fabrics like wool, cotton, and linen after the wash and drying process. It is a proven fact that the twisting and turning involved in drying amplifies the lint and causes long-term wear and tear to the fabric. Additionally, gathered up lint in dryer filters is a fire hazard when introduced to the extensive heat of dryers.

So, how do we get our clothes to dry? Here are some alternatives to tumble-drying:

It is quite evident that tumble-drying is not the best choice for fabric drying, owing to it’s many disadvantages. Experts suggest some effective alternatives to the laundry room dryers that assist in increasing the lifespan of your garments.

• Air Drying: The most effective, environmentally friendly, and cost efficient method of drying clothes is putting them under the sun and let the winds do their work. But air drying might not be a feasible option for all, since the weather is not uniform every time and everywhere. Alternatively, one can use air dryers in place of tumble-dryers.
• Towel Roll: A non-conventional but highly effective method of drying clothes is the towel roll method. Here, you lay the wet garments flat on a fluffy towel and roll the towel around. Then the towel is squeezed hard till the moisture is completely drenched out. It can indeed be a time consuming process, however, in a long-term, this is an effective measure to keep your garments safe.
• Retractable Clothes Line: Retractable clothes line are tools used to pull out lines over cabinet boxes and extending the same to their maximum length to hang garments over. This method has all the benefits of air drying, added with the benefit of indoor drying of clothes.

Drying out your fabrics the right way can do wonders to your clothes and keep them like-new for a long time. That is why, it is important to be careful about the measures you use through your drying process to protect your garments. If you have used any other creative ways of removing excess moisture from your clothes, let us know in the comments section!