How to Make Sure Clothes Won't Shrink in the Dryer

Air drying is the best way to keep clothes from shrinking.

The invention of the automatic dryer has saved countless of hours of drying time and caused countless tears over shrunken clothes. Dry your eyes and take a breath; it is possible to dry clothes properly so they don't shrink. Read the labels on your clothing and understand how each material will behave. Using automatic dryers is like using any tool: you just have to understand what it can do and what it can't and how to use it properly.

Things You'll Need

• Clothesline or drying rack
• Clothespins

Instructions

1. Dry anything made of more than 50% cotton on the lowest dryer setting. Heat is what shrinks your clothing, so use as little as possible on natural fabrics like cotton that are especially prone to heat shrinkage.

2. Tumble clothes that tend to wrinkle for five minutes on the lowest heat setting, and then hang them to air dry. This will help smooth out wrinkles and dry your clothes faster than purely line drying but will help you avoid shrinkage.

3. Keep like with like when drying clothes. If you put T-shirts in with towels, the T-shirts will be dry long before the towels and will be more likely to shrink as they are subjected to heat past the point where they need it. Dry lightweight clothing separately from heavier items.

4. Stick to smaller loads when drying heavier items like towels and jeans. Clothing will dry faster if the dryer is not stuffed full. This means it will spend less time being subjected to heat.

5. Remove all clothing from the dryer while it is still damp, and hang it on a clothesline or drying rack until it is completely dry. Fabrics are more likely to shrink if they are subjected to heat after they are dry, so don't let them get to that point.

Tips & Warnings

• Toss a damp washcloth into a dryer with a wrinkled shirt and let it run through the "fluff" cycle for 10 minutes to help smooth out wrinkles without shrinkage.

• Never dry anything that is 100 percent wool in an automatic dryer.

References

• Deseret News: Laundry Tips Will Keep Clothes Looking Their Best
• Garment Care: Ten Ways to Ensure Long Life for Your Clothing

Resources

• Fibers: What Causes T-Shirts to Shrink?