Are you thinking about why does the dryer shrink the clothes? Firstly, the fibers of linen, cotton and specific textile polymers are tugged, twisted, stretched, and pressured. When you dry and wash these materials, the threads loosen and back to their original size.
On the other hand, woolen and most animal fibers are hairs coated in minute particles and cling when made for cloth. If you dry such textiles excessively aggressively, these scales will shrink even more incredible, causing the clothing to reduce in size or even seem stiff.
Yes, my friends, that’s all accurate about it. But for well understanding, we have written more about it. So if you are interested in this topic and want to learn more, just continue reading this article thoroughly. Let’s have a deep look at how the dryer shrinks your clothes and the methods to prevent the clothes from shrinking.
Why Does Your Dryer Shrink The Clothes?
It’s an awful experience when you see your clothes reduce in size after drying them. But don’t panic! In this paragraph, we have discussed why does the dryer shrink the clothes. Below, we have mentioned the causes of shrinking clothes and discussed a few tips that prevent your clothes from reducing size. Let’s check it out!
Heat, Cotton, Water
We all know that cotton is made of fabric that shrinks when you put it into the dryer. Like the cotton fabric, the woolen material also reduced in size dramatically, but that is not an excellent illustration. Cotton is a natural substance made of millions of cellulose chains.
Cotton or cellulose both are hydrophilic (loving water) on a molecular level. Wearing cotton and going out on rainy days means your clothes absorb a lot of rainwater, and it takes a long time to dry without a dryer. That is why we need a dryer to dry the clothes quickly. But on the other hand, the dryer also shrinks your clothes. When garments are laundered, they absorb a lot of water and expand. Then, they shrink to their original size after getting dried using the dryer’s heat. However, as they dry, they curl up, making your clothing reduced in length than they were when they were first made.
Also, the molecules of water function as a lubricant between the molecules of cellulose, making it very simple for clothes to come closer to each other. For example, linen, cotton, and wool have the most considerable effect because they absorb much water.
The falling, not simply the heat, is what makes the difference. Also, the tumbling in your dryer leads these fibers to contract, causing the garments to shrink. Worse, the fabric’s lifespan is reduced as a result of this. Finally, a combination of tumble and heat is the leading cause that shrinks them a lot and ruins your favorite shirts.
Tips To Protect Clothes From Shrinking
Here are a few fantastic tips that help you protect your clothes from shrinking when you get them out from your dryer.
#1. Read the label on your cloth
The first thing to avoid your clothes from shrinking is to read the label on the back of your clothes before you go to put them in the dryer. You can dry your clothes in the dryer if labeled as pre-shrunk. Polyester or nylon shrink little than linen or rayon.Try to dry only these clothes in the dryer that are mentioned above. Otherwise, the dryer’s heating will shrink your clothes every time you put them into the dryer.
#2. Follow and read the fabric care label
The incorrect wash cycle is also the main reason for shrinking clothes. Whenever you are going to wash your clothes in the washing machines, it’s a great idea to read the fabric care label on your clothes. By reading this label, you can understand which level of heat, the wash cycle, and the drying cycle your clothes require. You can wash the cotton clothes in the washing machines, but it’s better to wash the woolen and linen clothes by hand and then dry-clean them. And most importantly, the iron may also reduce the size of your clothes, so be careful when ironing them.
#3. Used cold water
If you want to protect your clothes from shrinking, the other most crucial point is not to use t5hye cold water when washing the clothes or set the dryer on the low or normal heat setting. If you set your dryer on a very high heat setting, then it shrinks your clothes excessively. So it’s the best idea not to use cold water to wash their clothes and always dry them on low heat settings. You may also want to read about how to prevent clothes from shrinking in the dryer.
It’s A Wrap!
We were happy that you all would know why does the dryer shrink the clothes after reading this article. We hope [e that you digest this article just in one go, so whenever this problem occurs, just read the label on your clothes to protect them from shrinking. Read related articles; know how to dry your clothes fast without a dryer and how to shrink jeans without dryer.