Everyone has experienced it at one point or another — opening the dryer after the cycle has finished, only to find your favorite clothing items have been damaged due to drying them on the wrong setting. Choosing the proper dryer settings when doing laundry is crucial when it comes to protecting your clothing from shrinking, fading, or wrinkling. It’s even more important when you’re doing your laundry at a laundromat, as commercial-grade dryers tend to be more powerful.
At LaundryLounge, our laundromats in Colorado Springs are equipped with top-of-the-line commercial laundry machines. Our commercial dryers are designed to dry your clothes more efficiently and safely, as long as the proper settings are selected. If not sure what the best dryer settings are for your particular laundry load, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we take a look at the different dryer settings you’ll find on commercial dryers.
Regular
The regular dryer cycle, sometimes called the normal cycle, is probably the most commonly used dryer setting. However, that doesn’t mean it is right for all laundry loads. This cycle is recommended for heavy-duty items like towels, sheets, sweats, and jeans as well as for whites, such as socks. Regular dryer settings typically use the hottest heat levels, so it’s important to be cautious when drying certain laundry items. Clothes that were washed in hot water may shrink if the regular cycle is used to dry them, not to mention, this cycle can cause any untreated stains to set into the fabric.
Permanent Press
The permanent press cycle uses a medium level of heat to prevent wrinkling and the damage that the high heat of the regular cycle can cause. The permanent press dryer setting should be used for items such as shirts, dresses, blouses, sweaters, jackets, and outerwear. Most permanent press dryer cycles have a brief cool-down period towards the end to help relax wrinkles that are set in fabrics.
Delicate
As the name suggests, the delicate dryer setting is ideal for drying clothes and items that are, well, delicate. This setting uses low heat to prevent damage to items made of fine material, such as rayon or silk. Spandex, athletic wear, bras, panties, and other delicate clothing items can be damaged if higher heat levels are used. The delicate dryer setting helps keep exquisite clothing items from losing their color and shape.
Air Dry/Fluff
Some commercial dryers will have an air dry setting, which is exactly what it sounds like. There is no added heat added to this cycle. The dryer simply pulls in room temperature air, and the drum turns your clothes to help fluff them up. This cycle is ideal for fluffing pillows, comforters, and freshening dry clean only items that have been in storage or are musty.
We hope that reviewing the different dryer settings has helped you better understand them. Make sure you keep them in mind the next time you head to one of LaundryLounge’s Colorado Springs laundromats. Remember, if you don’t want to deal with washing and drying your laundry, consider our wash and fold services or laundry pick-up and delivery service — both fast and easy ways to get your dirty laundry cleaned while saving time.
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