Do you hang your shirts to dry or do you put them in the dryer?

[maslex]

I've never put my shirts in the dryer to dry. I'm always afraid that they're going to shrink. But I have no problem with putting hubby's and son's short sleeved shirt or sweatshirts in the dryer. They've never shrunk on me.


I have some shirts of mine now that could use a little shrinking but I'm afraid of putting them in the dryer and have them come out fitting my niece's Barbie doll. They are made of 60% cotton, 40% polyester.

How much, if any, do you think they would shrink? And once you dry a shirt in the dryer the first time, does it shrink any more with each time you put it in the dryer or does it basically stay that same size?

 

[OceanAnnie]

I have a little stand to air dry clothes on. I have found so many times that clothes shrink in the dryer, so I use it a lot. I think shrinkage happens mainly when "over drying" takes place. Often times it's hard to judge how long it will take to dry an item. Sometimes if I need an item fairly soon, I'll purposely stick some things in the dryer, under dry them and let them air dry the rest of the way.

I have it down to a science for us.

 

[antmaril]

I never put any of our clothes in the dryer. I only use the dryer for towels, sheets, rugs, socks, underwear, etc.

 

[pyrxtc]

I dry everything in the dryer that can be. I haven't had any real problems of shrinking.

 

[Shyvioletisme]

I throw everything into the dryer and have never had issues with anything shrinking. Never even worried about it.

 

[SaraJayne]

i throw everything into the dryer and have never had issues with anything shrinking. Never even worried about it.

+1

 

[mhsjax]

Never had anything shrink in my life. I have even tried to drink stuff, didn't work. We can't' hang anything outside where I live, that is ok with me, I wouldn't want to anyway. I saw my mom on many occasions washing bird poop off of my dads shirts and the sheets. No thanks, I will stick to my dryer.

 

[John VN]

Just finished a 2nd load after returning home from our 39th anniversary trip to WDW yesterday. First load was hung in my lanai but did not have time to dry completely before last night so I brought everything in except our running clothes and used the dryer. This load is heading outside after finishing this response. Have put clothes directly into dryer in the past without shrinking.

I will cold air tumble the clothes in dryer for 5 minutes after bringing them in just to release the stiffness from hanging since there is no wind action in the lanai. Been doing this for umpteen years without problems.

Of course I read labels first beforehand.

 

[disney4us2002]

I don't own a clothes line. I hated my clothes from the clothes line growing up as they were always so rough and hard. Everything goes into my dryer. Invariably the things I hope will shrink don't and vice versa.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

We have a dryer that has only been used maybe once or twice. To us, though, it just seems like an unnecessary use of electricity, rather than an attempt to keep things from shrinking. We line dry or use a rack. The newer detergents don't seem to leave the clothes stiff like they used to when I was younger.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

We don't hang anything, it all goes in the dryer, assuming of course the directions say they CAN be put in the dryer.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I throw everything into the dryer and have never had issues with anything shrinking. Never even worried about it.

+1

+2. Everything goes in the dryer, nothing has shrunk. Even the clothes that indicate "dry clean only" and "do not tumble dry". I never think about it, never worry about it. If it shrinks, (never has thou), i'll just throw it out and buy a new one. lol

 

[Disney Doll]

Depends on the shirt.

Hubby's dress shirts go in the dryer.
Other shirts of his do not, for fear of shrinkage.

Some of my shrts go in the dryer and some don't, again depending on the risk for shrinkage.

Anything made from wicking material (exercise clothing) I tend to air dry because I read somewhere that it was better to do so. They dry quickly anyway.

I don't have a clothesline (unfortunately I don't have a good spot to put one or I would LOVE to have one!) so air dry means in my basement hanging up. I do have a clothes rack that I will sometimes put outside in the back yard with the clothes on it so they get the nice outdoors smell.

 

[maslex]

Guess I've been worried over nothing. Doesn't seem people have had problems of things shrinking. So I guess, in the dryer they go!!!

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I put everything in the dryer. I cannot really hang stuff up inside the house because it seems humid enough already, and I just feel too weird about hanging stuff outside so I don't even have a clothesline.

 

[sbell111]

We bought our dryer to dry our clothes. All of our clothes are dried in the drier. We change the settings as necessary to ensure that clothes that might possibly shink, don't.

 

[MichelleVW]

I dry everything in the dryer that can be. I haven't had any real problems of shrinking.

same here.

I don't own a clothes line. I hated my clothes from the clothes line growing up as they were always so rough and hard. Everything goes into my dryer. Invariably the things I hope will shrink don't and vice versa.

Agreed....my mom refused to put jeans in the dryer and they were so gross and stiff!! I dry pretty much everything!

 

[pilesoflaundry]

I don't use the dryer for much. I buy a lot of 100% cotton for myself and the kids and I don't want things to shrink, fade or end up misshapen. I hang them on hangers in the house or on folding drying racks. I don't hang anything outside because dd has bad environmental allergies.

I dry towels, sheets and anything polyester like pjs or dh's work shirts. I don't dry his uniforms or socks because they wear really badly if you dry them.

 

[threeboysmom]

I've ended up shrinking things by drying them (perhaps it's overdrying that causes it since I seem to be in the minority).

BUT I still throw everything in the dryer, because if you line dry, don't you have to then iron EVERYTHING??

I use the dryer simply because I don't want to iron the majority of my clothes (some things HAVE to be ironed no matter what), but a lot can bypass that if pressed & hung when still warm.

 

[mackeysmom]

I have a fear of shrinking my shirts, too.

I will usually put everything in the dryer for about 10 minutes and then I will remove all of my shirts and hang them on a makeshift clothesline in my basement. Everything else goes back in the dryer to finish out the cycle.

- Laura