is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (Full Version)

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LittleGirlHeart -> is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/6/2013 12:01:59 PM)

I believe so. But I was wondering it was any proof.



lmpishlilhellcat -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/6/2013 12:40:25 PM)

I don't think it's specifically the dryer. I think it's how you treat the clothes overall.

For example: Black dress pants will fade if not cared for properly. So, you should turn them inside out, wash them in cold water, and dry them on low heat. If it's something I'm wearing to work I make sure to pay extra attention to the care labels. They put them on the clothes for a reason.

I have sweatshirts that I dry on high heat and I've had them for years. They tend to get holes before anything else, but that's just from years of use and wear. I still have sweatshirts I wore as an undergrad.



MistressDarkArt -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/6/2013 4:24:29 PM)

I think they do wear clothes out faster. I line dry all my laundry, then give everything a 2 minutes spin in the dryer to remove lint if needed. Better for the clothes, better for my utility bills, better for the environment.



tsatske -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/6/2013 4:28:09 PM)

I live alone with no one to serve, and the way I chose to do somethings is reflected in that. When I had someone to serve - and my own W/D - I kept lots of enviro friendly additives by the W/D - I added hite vinegar, baking soda, and oxy to almost everything, paid attention to care lables, ironed all his work clothes. I would have hung out some things if we had had a line, but we were renters. Now my little apt. does not include W/D hookups, butdoes include a same floor laundry room. I dump everything together in the washer with the homemade laundry soap my sister makes, dry it twice, and throw it in the drawers. It probably does wear my clothes out faster.



OsideGirl -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/6/2013 4:41:54 PM)

Actually, clothes washers with agitators do more damage to clothing fibers than a dryer.



littlewonder -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/6/2013 6:30:45 PM)

clothes wear out...period. Yeah, a dryer will contribute to it. So will a washer, so will hand washing, so will wearing them. Cloth doesn't last forever.



LittleGirlHeart -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/7/2013 9:57:09 AM)

I might just be lucky, but I have quite a few things from like 7 to 10 years ago that look greAt and I'm not a particularly careful washer. :)



TheBanshee -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/7/2013 10:19:51 AM)

I also believe its more the way things are washed than how they are dried - although the dryer will contribute.

When you wash clothes and there is chlorine in the water (which there always is to some degree) your colors will fade. The "color safe bleach alternatives" neutralize the chlorine which will make your colors not fade as quickly (its the same logic for your color saving shampoos). It doesn't make sense to use this type of detergent when you want to use bleach on your white towels and socks. Detergent itself - although necessary to clean clothes, are also a little hard on the cloth. The agitation pulls and stretches the fibers. The dryer to some degree will tighten them up again - but the heat can distort the fiber too - especially any permanent press fabrics if you put the heat on too high.

Hanging your clothes out on the line are great - as long as your allergies are in check - pollen can attach to the fibers thus making you sniffle more. Oh, and as long as you don't have a dog that thinks your clean clothes on the line are some sort of game that he has to pull as many of them down before you catch him.



peppermint -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/7/2013 10:45:52 AM)

What Osidegirl said about washers with agitators is true.  They are hard on clothes.  Front loaders are way more gentle on clothing, or so my son the appliance repairman says.  I have never heard anything about dryers being hard on clothing, 



UllrsIshtar -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/7/2013 11:16:22 AM)

The main thing dryers can be hard on is elastic and rubber bands in clothing, even when you use the correct heat setting.

I don't think it wears out clothes faster any other way though... I line dry everything, but I do that mainly to save energy, and safe time on the noise (the washer and dryer are in the basement next to my husband's office, so I can't use them when he's working).



LittleGirlHeart -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/7/2013 11:17:28 AM)

No, no dogs that do that, but my dad discovered his pet turkies love to snap at and pull off the line and play with laundry lol.
quote:

ORIGINAL: TheBanshee

I also believe its more the way things are washed than how they are dried - although the dryer will contribute.

When you wash clothes and there is chlorine in the water (which there always is to some degree) your colors will fade. The "color safe bleach alternatives" neutralize the chlorine which will make your colors not fade as quickly (its the same logic for your color saving shampoos). It doesn't make sense to use this type of detergent when you want to use bleach on your white towels and socks. Detergent itself - although necessary to clean clothes, are also a little hard on the cloth. The agitation pulls and stretches the fibers. The dryer to some degree will tighten them up again - but the heat can distort the fiber too - especially any permanent press fabrics if you put the heat on too high.

Hanging your clothes out on the line are great - as long as your allergies are in check - pollen can attach to the fibers thus making you sniffle more. Oh, and as long as you don't have a dog that thinks your clean clothes on the line are some sort of game that he has to pull as many of them down before you catch him.




shallowdeep -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/7/2013 7:18:39 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: LittleGirlHeart
I was wondering if there was any proof.

The evidence stuck in lint traps doesn't suffice?

From USDA research published in 1999:
quote:

Abrasion and heat damage to a desized and scoured cotton fabric during drying in a household tumble dryer were evaluated by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), and Weight and Tensile/Strain tests for breaking strength and elongation of fabric. Wet fabric dried with applied heat showed severe damage to the fiber. Wet fabric tumbled at room temperature showed less damage than one with applied heat. Dry fabric tumbled at high temperature, a treatment equivalent to over-drying in a dryer, showed different but still severe damage from the wet-conditioned fabric.

I don't have free access to it and am not curious enough to pay for it, but the full text of the article can be obtained from the Textile Research Journal: Qualitative and Quantitative Evaluation of Cotton Fabric Damage by Tumble Drying.

An article based on a press release covering a presentation by the research group is freely available and offers a few additional details.



LafayetteLady -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/7/2013 8:17:53 PM)

I am, admittedly, too lazy to go read what is bound to be a very dry article, but I'm curious about one thing...clothes wear out, there is no question about that, so my only thought is how much faster would they wear out using a dryer?



ShaharThorne -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/8/2013 3:20:32 AM)

I know it is the washer that causes the clothes to get threadbare. I had to order a new sleepshirt because my old one (the one I am wearing) became almost see-through. We have an old washer (13 yo) that is still going strong. I had to delegate 2 new shirts to the every day drawer because the sleeve sewing threads unravel.



kalikshama -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/8/2013 4:32:19 PM)

My mom doesn't have a dryer and her clothes last forever.

Today was beautiful and I hung my sheets out on the line and am looking forward to getting in to bed tonight.



soul2share -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/9/2013 9:02:20 PM)

I have clothing that I have had for years, but I don't dry my clothes all the way, I dry them to damp and hang them to dry. I very rarely EVER put a bra in the dryer, if I did, it's because I didn't see it. The heat is a bear on elastics of any kind. I don't use any setting higher than perma-press unless it's sheets and towels. Those are the items I have to replace the quickest. I have jeans that are 9 years old that still look brand new.



LookieNoNookie -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/10/2013 7:58:56 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: LittleGirlHeart

I believe so. But I was wondering it was any proof.


Yes.

I haven't removed clothing from the dryer for easily 6 months and, when I put in a shirt and pants....there's hell to be paid.



LafayetteLady -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/10/2013 8:11:02 PM)

Well, we do know for sure that dryers steal socks, but only one of a pair at a time.



soul2share -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/11/2013 7:51:54 AM)

And it's always the LEFT sock, so you're pinky toe on that foot never fits the right sock correctly......talk about frustrating! :)



angelikaJ -> RE: is it truth or myth that the dryer wears out and ruins clothing prematurely. (4/11/2013 8:10:43 AM)

As I understand it what causes damage to clothes in dryers is high heat.
High heat will eventually degrade cotton, so never use more heat than what is recommended.

Also, (and this is just my logic-based opinion): overloading the dryer so that things aren't freely tumbling but get entangled, probably does not keep clothes at their best.

If you want to dry clothes quickly, instead of turning up the heat, throw in a clean dry towel.



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