Although today's dryers have terrific features for drying delicates and fine laundry, I've found that polyester, lycra or knit fabric clothing looks new longer when it is hung to dry. Items like bras and bathing suits that have a lot of elastic should also be air dried to retain elastic integrity.
Hang pants folded the same way you would for storing, on a stable plastic or wooden hanger and air dry. When dry, simply transfer these hangers right to your closet and ironing will be virtually eliminated. Air drying reduces static electricity and also reduces the presence of 'pills' which can gather on clothing during the drying process.
Lay sweaters flat on a drying rack or a towel to ensure it retains its proper shape while air drying. You should turn it over at least once during the day to increase air flow while drying. Some synthetic sweaters can successfully be dried in the dryer, but this is a must for real wool items or dress sweaters. For more tips on washing wool items, read Woolen Blanket & Clothing Care
Other Laundry Tips
- Washing only your whites in hot water and the rest in cold water will save you energy dollars and will still result in a clean wash.
Energy Conservation Tips - Too high a drying heat will cause permanent wrinkles to set in knit clothing. Use the permanent press lower temperature with the cool down period, or hang to dry for best results.
- Use liquid detergents for cold water washes; powders will not dissolve well and will leave a white residue on dark clothes.
- HE Laundry Detergents and Why/When to Use Them
- 2X Laundry Detergents - Conveniently Concentrated
- If someone in your household has an allergy to soap, either add another clear rinse to remove any soap from the wash, or rewash the entire load in cold water without any detergent.
- Fold clothing immediately when the dryer cycle ends to reduce wrinkles.
- Hang clothing that will be air dried immediately after the wash cycle ends to reduce wrinkles.
- Half or a third of a fabric softener sheet works as well as a full sheet (for smaller loads) and saves you money.
- Ball caps that have a plastic brim insert wash well on a short wash cycle with a low spin, but should be air dried.
- Too much bleach in your wash will turn some white fabrics to yellow and will also cause fabric threads to break down.
- Dryer timed cycles can possibly be reduced. Experiment with reduced drying times; you may only need 15 minutes and not 30 to dry your load.
- Too much detergent in your load will leave a soapy residue on your clothing.
- Sources of HE Baby Detergents
- Caring for a High Efficiency (HE) Washer and Preventing Mold
- Washer Buying Tips
- Dryer Buying Tips
- About HE Front-Load Washers
Go to Laundry Appliances & Resources
Go to Fabric Care Resources
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