How to Use a Clothes Dryer Correctly

Clothes dryers are helpful household appliances that cut down laundry drying time significantly. There are a few simple ways to make your dryer more efficient so your clothes can be properly cared for, such as choosing the right setting, temperature, and length of time for your clothes to dry. When used improperly, dryers can damage your clothing or increase your utility bills by wasting energy. Read on to learn more about how to use your dryer to get the best results.  

Get the Best Looking Clothes From Your Dryer

• Read the manual: It takes a bit more thought than just turning the knob and pushing a button for the effective use of a dryer. Take a few minutes to learn what your dryer can do and what the various heat levels and settings mean.
• Vary the heat levels: Not every fabric should be dried using a hot setting. Excessively high heat contributes to shrinkage and over-drying clothing causes damage to fabrics.
• Never overload the dryer: Your clothes need room to tumble freely for efficient drying and to prevent wrinkles.
• Shake clothing before drying: As you remove clothes from the washer, shake each piece to untangle. If different weight items have been washed together—like heavy cotton towels and lightweight pajamas—dry them in separate loads.
• Remove slightly damp clothes: You'll reduce wrinkles and the need to iron if you remove clothes of every type of fabric while they are still slightly damp. Hang the items, smooth them with your hands, and allow them to dry.
• Read care labels: Protect fabrics by knowing the things that should never be placed in the dryer. Check care labels to determine the proper dryer setting and drying time for each item.
• Time dryer sheets: Add dryer sheets when the clothes are still wet to effectively combat static.
• Air-dry certain items: Some clothing items, such as delicates, silks, lace, athletic wear, and sweaters, can become damaged in the dryer. Bypass the heat and air-dry.
• Use mesh bags: Mesh bags keep delicate items that can be tossed in the dryer safe and separate from tangling with other bulkier items or becoming damaged by clothing with zippers and other types of closures.
  

How to Choose the Right Dryer Setting

• Regular cycle, automatic, or timed dry: Use this common dryer setting for non-delicate items, such as bedding, denims, and sweats but avoid using this hot setting on embellished fabrics.
• Air-dry or air fluff cycle: This is a heat-free cycle used to simply "fluff up" clothing and other items, such as pillows and down-filled bedding and coats.
• Delicate or gentle cycle: Though most people incorrectly use this setting for undergarments (which should be air-dried), this setting is best for loosely woven garments, rayon, silk, embellished items, high-performance fabrics, and items such as sports jerseys with iron-on decals to avoid melting and fraying.
• Permanent press or wrinkle-resistant cycle: The permanent press cycle is underused. It provides medium heat and it is ideal for just about everything you wear, including shirts, blouses, dresses, slacks, jackets, outerwear, and non-cotton socks. It's best for synthetic fabric (polyester), lightweight cotton, ramie, linen, or washable natural fiber garments, as well.
• Steam cycle: This is a feature on some dryers. It's good for refreshing clothes that don't need a wash cycle. It's also good for wrinkle removal.
  

Reduce Dryer Energy Costs

A clothes dryer accounts for about 12 percent of your yearly home utility costs. Learn how to use a dryer efficiently and reduce yearly energy costs.

• Research gas vs. electric: Investigate opting for a natural gas dryer versus an electric dryer. The cost of operating a natural gas clothes dryer is almost always less than an electric dryer. The dryers do cost a bit more and require professional installation so that should be weighed against operating costs.
• Buy Energy Star: Energy Star-rated clothes dryers came out in 2015. For many years, nearly every dryer (low-end to fancy) cost the same amount of money to operate. Take time to research the newest offerings if you are in the market to buy a dryer.
• Separate fabrics: When loading the dryer, separate lightweight fabrics from heavyweight ones for faster, more even drying.
• Dry full loads: Whenever possible, dry full loads, not just one or two items, to save on energy costs.
• Dry loads back-to-back: Drying several loads consecutively saves energy because the dryer doesn't have to warm up each time.
• Keep damp items separate: Do not add wet items to a partially dry load. It will confuse the moisture detector in your dryer and over-dry some of your clothes.
• Keep the door shut: Don't open the dryer door unnecessarily. You'll add time to the drying cycle by letting warm air escape.
• Maintain the moisture sensor: Clean the moisture sensor inside the dryer drum at least once a month. Dryer sheets leave a filmy coating on the sensor that will distort drying times. The sensor can be cleaned with a bit of isopropyl rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth or cotton swab.
• Maintain the lint screen: Clean the lint screen after every load. Even a little lint lengthens the drying time.
• Avoid unheated areas: If possible, install your dryer in a warm area. Unheated spaces make drying times longer.
• Install a rigid dryer vent system. A rigid dryer vent, as opposed to a flexible plastic vent, will attract and hold less lint and increase airflow for quicker drying. It will also help prevent fires from dryer lint.
• Consider vent placement: Choose the shortest possible route from the dryer to the outside for dryer vent systems.
• Maintain vents: Clean the vents at least once per year to remove excess lint.