How to towel dry delicate apparel

Hand washables and intimate apparel needn't shrink or take forever drying

photo by Dyanna

Cleaning delicate fabrics in order to have them ready the next time you want to wear them goes well beyond washing. Drying is an important step too. This is where towel drying comes in to play because the manner in which you dry garments helps determine how quickly they dry. Moreover, drying tactics determine how long garments maintain their new appearance. Since dryer heat, even when set at low temperatures, may cause hand washables to shrink and intimate apparel to gather, use the following towel drying steps to protect garments from dryer damage while speeding up drying time.

Instructions

Step 1

Remove garment from basin and place it on a towel

This step is presuming garment has already been washed and rinsed. Therefore, after garment has been washed and rinsed, place it across the length of a clean dry towel. Best placement would be near the "top left" or the "top right" section of the towel. When possible, confine garment to one side of the towel. If the garment is wide and must cover the entire towel, then allow it to do so.

Step 2

Fold towel over garment

Fold the other side of the towel over the wet garment. This creates a "garment sandwich", if you will. Put another way, once the folding process is complete, the towel should be folded in half and the garment should be secure between the halves.

Note: This step does not apply when large garments take up all or most of the towel.

Step 3

Roll towel with garments to remove excess water

Starting at the top of the towel, roll the towel and its contents downward. You can do this by rolling the towel along a countertop if your countertop is long enough. Or you can do this by holding the towel and its contents against your body. Continue rolling the towel all the way to the bottom. When completely rolled, the towel should have a cylindrical shape.

Step 4

Squeeze and twist towel to remove additional water from garment

Although water is already draining from garment to towel, you can help transfer more water by pressing the towel against a countertop, or by lifting the towel and squeezing it with your hands.

In addition, many hand washable and intimate items benefit from twisting the towel, as well. However, if your particular garment has attachments, such as ribbons and bows, that might come loose from twisting, you might want to eliminate the twisting phase.

Caution! Do not twist underwire brassieres, nighties, or any other items with figure-shaping inserts.

Step 5

Hang or lay garments to complete drying process

Once you have patted and twisted the garment for thirty seconds or so, remove the item and either hang it on an appropriate hanger, or lay it flat on a clean "dry" towel. An appropriate hanger would be one that will not add hanger dents to your garment as it dries. If you have a sunny location in which you can set the hanging item, do so. Otherwise, set hanger on a shower curtain pole or hang it over the showerhead.

Step 6

Wide garments that take up all or most of the towel

Although garments as large or nearly as large as your towel cannot be folded in half, you can still roll them to remove excess water and speed drying time. Simply roll the towel from top to bottom just as would do in Step 3. Then finish the process using Steps 4 and 5 guidelines.

Things Needed

Wet hand washed clothing

Clean bath towels or hand towels

Clothes hangers (preferably not wire)

Shower pole or shower head

Counter top or table top (not wooden)

Tips & Warnings

Small items may be towel dried simultaneously. Simply place the items on the towel, one next to the other, until you have positioned as many items that you can considering the size of the towel. Proceed to fold the towel in half and continue as described in Steps 3 through 5.

Do not towel dry clothes on towels that may leak dye into your fabrics. Red towels, for example, may have an overabundance of dye in them that could stain wet clothes.

Aim to use light colored towels such as white, cream, and baby blue.

Another good idea is to use washed towels as opposed to newly bought towels. Washed towels have less dye and less lint than newly bought towels.

For more information, read and print the article, "How to towel-dry hand washable clothing and intimate apparel", on the right.

Flag Inappropriate Content

R. Renee Bembry
Helium member since Sep 06, 07
Number of Guides: 6

+ Post your Question|> See All Q&A

Why you should dry your clothes immediately after washing them

by Dawn Hawkins

When you do your weekly laundry, it's important to make sure that you complete all cycles of the clothes washing. Many people put their clothes in the washer and leave it there overnight or even for d...More>
Write Now Write