Appliance Repair 101: 5 Tips That Will Keep Your Clothes From Shrinking in the Dryer

Laundry day isn’t exactly the best day of the week, but it can definitely turn into the worst day when you open your dryer to find your favorite shirt is now two sizes too small. Unfortunately, if you don’t take the proper steps to eliminate the risk of dryer shrinkage, you’ll most likely end up with shrunken clothing quite a bit. Thankfully, the route to evade this inconvenient and money wasting mistake only requires a few easy precautions that will take you no time at all to fulfill.

1. Take a moment to read the care tag on your clothes before placing them in the washing machine or dryer. Although, this first step may seem obvious, it is often overlooked. Not only can this mistake lead to shrinking clothes, but there are also a number of other laundry disasters that can take place when you don’t follow the care instruction provided by the clothing manufacturer.

2. Never place an item in the washing machine or dryer that is labeled, hand wash only. If you do, expect the item to come out looking more worn and possibly smaller than when it went in. To avoid such a catastrophe, simply follow the directions and hand wash the item while also allowing it to air dry. A good rule of thumb to follow while hand washing your more delicate clothing is to stay away from hot water; sticking with lukewarm water will keep the items looking their best

3. Skip the hot water when washing your clothes. Using cold water in your washing machine cuts back on the likelihood of your clothes shrinking in the dryer while also saving you money on your energy costs.

4. Even when an article of clothing is labeled dryer-friendly, you don’t want to set your appliance to high heat. The best course of action to take is drying your clothing on a lower heat setting. If you’re still concerned with the possibility of shrinkage, don’t allow the items to dry all the way, instead hang them on a clothes line after they have partially dried in your appliance.

5. Over drying is a misstep that occurs when you leave your clothing in the dryer for too long or you use excessive heat to dry your clothes at a faster rate. Cutting back the time and the high heat saves your clothing from unnecessary wear and shrinkage while also turning your home into a greener environment due to your lower energy use.

If you’re in need of dryer appliance repair, please contact us today, and we’ll be happy to send one of our trusted technicians to your home to diagnose and fix the problem.