7 things I’ve learned from years of testing tumble dryers
As the household advice editor for Good Housekeeping, cleaning and decluttering are my bread and butter. But wind the clocks back 10 years and you’d find me testing products day in, day out at the GHI. From washing machines to dishwashers, I worked my way through all kinds of appliances, with a particular focus on white goods.
I had to learn about tumble dryers from scratch. But I soon became accustomed, not only from testing them, but using them daily whenever washing clothes was involved in another test. Here are some of my top tips that I’ve learned over the years, so you can take advantage and get the best performance from this appliance.
1. Don’t be quick to judge
When you remove items from the drum, they come out feeling warm and often still a little damp. I’d always recommend waiting until the item cools before you make a judgement on whether it needs longer in the dryer. It’s difficult to tell how damp or dry an item still is while it’s warm and, if it’s accompanied by hot, humid air on its removal, you’re expecting it to need longer.
Once cooled, if it still feels slightly damp, you’re better off hanging it up for the final stages rather than continuing to dry in the dryer. The latter could easily damage the material by over-drying and leave it feeling ‘crispy’. If you’re using the sensory setting, it will stop drying as soon as the moisture levels are low enough, so popping it back in the dryer on the same setting will be pointless; it will just cancel the program within a couple of minutes. At this stage, continuing to dry the item in the appliance on a timed setting will risk damaging it, so hang it up instead.
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2. Check every item
Don’t assume that everything needs longer in the dryer based on one item feeling damp. Depending on the size of the item, its material and placement in the drum, the load will dry at different rates. So, check each and every item as you bundle them back in and separate those that are sufficiently dry.
By reducing the load in the drum, it will speed up the drying process and save money on your energy bill. This also reduces the risk of over-drying and damaging those items that dry first.
3. Shake out the load
As the tumble dryer rotates the clothes, they can easily bundle up, especially when there’s a bed sheet in there. This means the items can’t rotate as freely and the hot air can’t reach every item as effectively. Loose items will dry much faster than those which are balled up, so this ultimately makes harder work for the appliance.
This is why it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your tumble dryer in use and pause it to shake out the load if it becomes tangled. Doing this will speed up the drying process and save your clothes from potential damage via overheating. If one item seems to keep tangling with everything, it might be worth removing it and drying it separately. Small items, such as socks, can easily be consumed by bed sheets in the dryer. Although there are items you can buy, such as Wad-Free Bed Sheet Detangler and Wool Dryer Balls, to keep things separate.
Dryers with reverse tumble functions can help to reduce tangling by changing the rotation direction during the cycle, so this is worth looking out for.
4. It’s easy to overfill
If you’re loading up the drum until it’s almost wedged, you’re not using your dryer correctly. The clothes need to be able to rotate freely and the hot air needs to circulate. Filling to just over half-full (with cottons) is a good guide, but always check your manual.
Different programs will have different capacities, too. This is because some fabric types are not as robust as cotton and so need to be able to rotate more freely to avoid abrasion and overheating. Always check you’re not overloading delicate fabrics (including synthetics) to prevent damage.
Tumble dryers generally have a smaller capacity compared to washing machines; so try not to move everything from one to the other unless you’ve checked it’s capable first. It’s perhaps better to stagger your washes (unless there’s space to hang it), otherwise a queue of wet laundry can form for the dryer.
5. Heat pump is the way forward
There are three types of tumble dryer you can buy; vented, condenser and heat pump. Vented requires a physical vent to release the hot air and moisture to the outside, while condenser condenses the water from the hot air and stores it in a separate water tank. Heat pump is technically a type of condenser dryer and it still has a tank, but it actually recycles the hot air. Because of this, it uses up much less energy compared with the other two options, which use heating elements to heat the air.
Heat pump dryers were initially quite expensive, but they’ve come down in price and are more widely available. Even if you do spend more money on this type, they will ultimately earn it back in the long term by saving on energy. They take longer to dry by comparison because they don’t reach such high temperatures, but they are more gentle on your clothes in the process. So heat pump is the way to go!
6. Separate your synthetics to prevent static
Static is a common problem in tumble dryers. It’s only natural with items continuously rubbing against one another as they tumble. But if there are synthetics in the mix, they’re not helping the situation. Synthetics are a big contributor to static and, by mixing them with your cottons, you’re sharing out the effect.
Dry your synthetic items separately to contain the static. Or better yet, hang these items up so they don’t have a chance to generate the electrostatic charge as they dry. Adding a tumble dryer sheet to the load can also reduce static in the drum. Shaking out items as you unload them helps, too.
7. Deep cleaning is needed
You already know about emptying the lint trap and water tank between uses, but few people take the time to clean their tumble dryer. This is needed to remove any lingering lint as well as residual detergent and limescale that has built up on the moisture sensor. Cleaning your tumble dryer will help it last longer, so we recommend doing this as often as recommended by the manufacturer.
Start by rinsing the empty filter trap under cool water, and vacuuming any lint away from the housing. Any lint which has built up in the funnel of the removable tank will need to be rinsed away as well. Or there might be a filter you can remove and clean separately. The moisture sensor (two metal strips near the lint trap) will need wiping with a microfibre cloth dampened with distilled white vinegar, then wipe with a damp cloth. Diluted distilled white vinegar can help to remove smells from the drum, too.
Depending on the type of dryer you own, the condenser (found in condenser models) or evaporator filter (found in heat pump dryers) will need cleaning once in a while, too. This is so it continues to function efficiently. Check out our guide on how to clean a tumble dryer for these components, and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. If you own a vented model, the vent will need professional cleaning to remove excess lint. Again, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
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