Should you tumble dry low or normal dry? Is it better to dry towels and sheets together or separately? Knowing these laundry best practices can make your clothes last longer, save you energy, and reduce your monthly utility bill. Modern dryers boast an overload of advanced setting combos, from sanitization to activewear and even static-reducing options—which is why getting familiar with your model can help you get the most out of your dryer.
With the help of laundry and appliance experts, we’ve compiled all the do’s and don’ts of drying your clothes at home, whether you have a front- or top-loading dryer. And in case you are traveling (or shopping for a new dryer), this guide will also outline the common dryer settings found in today’s drying machines. The best part: You’ll be able to open your dryer with confidence, knowing your favorite tee hasn’t shrunk two sizes.
Prep Your Laundry Before You Dry
To maximize your laundry success, prevent wrinkles, and reduce your drying time, there are a few steps you can take before starting the dryer. First, sort your laundry before zapping it into your dryer (this step is especially important if you’re using an all-in-one washer-dryer), advises Zachary Pozniak, co-author of the upcoming The Laundry Book. “You should dry items of similar color and weight together,” he says. For example, “Do not dry dark jeans with lightweight white tee shirts. The tee shirt will be dry well before the jeans which will cause the shirt to be heavily wrinkled and covered in dark lint,” he adds.
Second, shake and untangle each piece right before tossing it into your dryer, and always follow your item’s care labels to protect your fabrics. Always be careful not to overload the dryer: Give your pieces some wiggle room to tumble freely inside your machine.
Basic Dryer Settings
Normal, Regular Dry or Automatic
The hottest temperature a dryer can provide, this setting will tackle heavier items like towels, sheets, and sheets more efficiently, Pozniak says. But depending on your dryer model, this setting will either be labeled normal, regular, or automatic. Each of these cycles typically uses a moisture sensor to determine when clothes are dry, but you can also set a timer based on your preferences, Pozniak explains. He suggests reserving this setting for your most durable items like towels, bedding, sweats, and jeans while avoiding using this cycle on delicate items.
Note that ‘normal’ and ‘timed dry’ are the most popular cycles, according to David Wilson, senior commercial director for clothes care at GE Appliance. Each of these cycles represents around a quarter of all dryer cycles, based on GE’s data of more than 300 million cycles.
Delicate or Gentle
On the other hand, delicate settings use the lowest amount of heat and tumbling action, explains Pozniak. This cycle is best for fragile fabrics or laundry pieces that may start to melt, fray, stretch, or fade in high-heat conditions. Some examples can include activewear, spandex, underwear, lingerie, and sateen sheet sets.
Permanent Press or Wrinkle-Resistant
Wrinkle shield settings will help reduce wrinkles and keep shrinkage at bay. Typically using medium-heat settings, “permanent press is best for synthetic clothes like gym clothes,” says Pozniak, adding, “These garments dry very quickly, so the cycle uses lower temperatures, shorter drying times, and less tumbling to avoid wrinkling.”
Steam Setting
You’ll probably only see this setting on modern dryers, but this cycle adds steam to your laundry load to remove wrinkles. “However, it will not dry your garments, so expect them to be a bit damp to the touch (great for wrinkled bedding),” Pozniak says. “This can be used after a ‘proper’ dry cycle and viewed as a touch-up function.” You can also use this setting to de-wrinkle clean clothing without rewashing, as it uses a mixture of water and heat to revive clothing pieces.
No-Heat or Air-Fluff
This setting uses absolutely no heat, so it will not dry your garments like other settings. Pozniak says this cycle is ideal for stuffed items like duvet inserts, comforters, down jackets, and pillows. In addition, this air fluff setting can also help you remove pet hair and dust from your laundry pieces or even restore volume and freshen up the most delicate fabrics like wool or cashmere.
Quick Dry
Just as the name suggests, you can depend on this cycle to dry a small, light load in the nick of time.
Smart Dryer Settings
Smart dryer iterations are flooding the market right now, allowing you to streamline your laundry routine with intuitive features. For example, some dryers include dryer racks for items that require tumble-free drying (like tennis shoes). Others also come with compatible apps, where you can assign family members laundry tasks through customized texts and even cycle-match to get the perfect dry cycle that matches your load’s wash cycle. Some dryer machines can also be voice-activated when using a compatible voice-enabled device. Below, we’ve outlined a few features that you may want to consider when purchasing your next appliance.
ENERGY STAR-certified dryers follow energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Energy, using up to 30% less energy than standard dryers (and many times cost about the same as standard dryers).
Advanced moisture sensing: This setting is designed to adapt drying times to your garments, which helps prevent over-drying. Multiple sensors monitor the moisture and temperature of your clothes, so your drying cycle will end at just the right time.
EcoBoost: Some appliances come with a EcoBoost option that’s designed to use less heat to maximize energy efficiency.
Static-reduce: This setting combines a mist of water with tumbling after your load drys to further reduce static shock.
Sanitize cycle: A sanitizing cycle can eliminate common household bacteria and bugs (lice, bedbugs, moth larvae) thanks to its high heat levels, which can be ideal for sanitizing sheets or soiled clothing items.
