Properly dried clothes are a necessary part of the laundry process. When the clothes are not dried properly they either emit a soggy and stale smell or leave unexplainable marks and stains on the clothes. Damp or improper drying can also cause bacteria growth in the clothes.
Even in a washing machine, the drying process is not always smooth and even. This is because the washing machine washes and dries different fabrics in a single go. It treats all the fabrics as equal when all of them are intrinsically different.
Different fabrics have different drying requirements and when all of them are dried in a single load some of them do not dry properly while others get damaged. This results in stale smelling clothes, especially during monsoon or high humid areas.
Today, in this article we will help you solve this problem. We will discuss all the tricks you need to ensure that all your clothes dry properly to look and smell fresh. Read along to find out;
Take Out the Load Immediately From the Dryer
This is an easy and simple way to avoid the stale smell from your clothes. You need to remove the dried clothing load immediately from the machine. If you let the clothes sit on the machine for a long time it will start giving an odour that is difficult to remove.
You should also keep the dryer door open for a few hours after washing the clothes to ensure that all the dampness has evaporated and is well ventilated. This will reduce the growth of mould or bacteria inside the tub.
Check the Wash Care Label
Most clothes come with their wash care label that is attached to the piece of clothing. This label has instructions on how that piece of clothing needs to be washed and dried to ensure that it doesn’t get damaged. This instruction is vital as this is provided by the manufacturer who takes into consideration the making and the fabric of the piece of clothing while giving you the wash care instruction. We advise you to stick to this instruction to avoid any major damage to the clothing. This is especially true for delicate fabrics and expensive clothing pieces.
The Loading Technique
A washing machine generally treats all your clothing as equal. It needs to be hard enough to remove stains and marks from clothes. But not all fabrics are made equal, if you add both delicate and tough fabric in a single load, the chances of you damaging the delicate fabric is very high.
Therefore, it is very important to put small batches of a similar fabric in the laundry together. This is to minimise the pressure needed to dry the clothes and therefore minimise the potential for damages to the clothes.
The Fluff Filter
The fluff filter is a column that is present in most washing machine tubs. These are also called lint holders. All the extra lint, fluff, hairs and other debris during the washing and drying process are collected here. You need to clean this holder frequently. Without frequent cleaning, these fluffs will find a way to get back to your clothing during drying. They might even grow mould and bacteria after a while which can give unexplainable stains and odour to your fresh laundry.
You should also regularly clean the washer and dryer tub to avoid bacteria growth during damp and dark environments.
Fabric-Based Drying
This is very important. You need to dry your clothes based on the fabric. Delicate clothes like satin, lace or your fancy lingeries cannot handle the dryer. You need to air dry them. Similarly, heavy woollen clothing will require you to dry at a different setting than cotton clothing will. In case the fabric retains moisture for a long time, you might need to dry them twice. This can only be done for tougher fabrics, softer fabrics like wool or cashmere cannot handle double drying.
Use a Dryer
In case the fabric cannot handle the rough treatment of a dryer but also doesn’t air dry properly, you can use a hairdryer to dry them. For example, satin might wrinkle or form uneven lines if you dry them on a wire or a rod, similarly, sweaters and woollen garments might stretch if you put them in a dryer. In these cases you can use a hairdryer to dry the clothing, you can also use a combination of a hairdryer, washing machine and air drying to get perfectly dry clothes. This is especially great for expensive clothes.
Make sure to keep your hairdryer in the cold air setting, this is because some fabrics like delicate silk cannot handle the heat and will either melt or burn when exposed to the warm air of the hairdryer.
Close the Zippers and Unbutton your Shirts
This is a pretty simple but very important way to minimise the damage to your clothing during drying. Zippers when left unopened will snag other clothes and might tear them. Similarly, if you do not unbutton your shirts etc the button has a high chance of breaking. Therefore, always ensure that you unbutton all your clothes and close all your zippers before putting them in the dryer.
Also, keep an eye on the fabric you are adding with them, if you have zippers, buttons or hooks in the load already, then it is better to avoid intricate fabrics like lace or net fabric in the same load and they might get damaged.
Use the Appropriate Settings
If your dryer comes with different settings for different fabrics like easy-care, wool, cotton, delicate, mixed loads etc then you need to use the appropriate setting for the load. Choosing the right programme for the fabric will minimise the chances of them drying unevenly or getting damaged frequently.
Conclusion:
Drying clothes evenly and properly is not always an easy task but following the above steps will minimise the hassle of trying to figure out why your clothes have a bad odour or look unclean even after washing. They will also save your time and increase the longevity of your clothes at the same time keep your clothes looking and smelling fresh.
