Drying linen? | Imamother

arn

Sat, Apr 22 2023, 8:11 pm

Just got new linen and the woman in the store told me I can’t dry it in the dryer it must be hung to dry. She said that’s not specific to this set— it applies to all linen they sell. Is that normal? How would I even do that? Where do you hang multiple sets of linen each week to dry?!

Ainslie

Sat, Apr 22 2023, 8:27 pm

arn wrote:

Wow.
How long does it take to dry?

I never checked because I replace my linen with a new set while the washed ones hang. But would say a few hours. I can iron it when it's still damp. That being said I will definitely not continue doing it if I will be able to afford a new set every other year.

zaq

Sat, Apr 22 2023, 8:32 pm

No, I think that's not normal unless the items are made of silk or wool; contain spandex or rubber; or are trimmed with leather, fur, lace, beads or sequins. And if they are, I don't want to know about it because that's just too kinky for my stomach.

Machine drying eventually shortens the lifespan and contributes to shrinking and fading of all fabrics, but it is unlikely to actually ruin your linens unless there's something wrong with your machine, which you would already know because it would be ruining everything you put in it. They may or may not end up more wrinkled than they would if air-dried. IME, machine drying tends to release wrinkles and result in softer texture (but more static cling), but in some cases machine-drying causes more wrinkling, especially if the machine is overloaded. I would try machine-drying a pillowcase and comparing it to one that you air-dried and see if there's a difference in size, color and overall condition.

My guess is that the store knows full well that no one is going to bother air-drying their linens. If someone is dissatisfied and wants to return them for a refund, though, the store can ask if they were machine dried, and if the answer is yes, they can claim that the customer didn't follow the care instructions and therefore the store is not liable. Just my guess, you understand.

Last edited by zaq on Sat, Apr 22 2023, 8:35 pm; edited 1 time in total

Fabulous

Sat, Apr 22 2023, 8:39 pm

High end stores say that and I was very upset when I paid a fortune and they takke didn’t last. They were getting holes after only 2-3 years (and I had multiple sets so I wasn’t washing them crazy often). Never again. I buy nice but not crazy spending and I dry and when they wear out, I will replace

zaq

Sat, Apr 22 2023, 8:43 pm

How long it takes to air dry depends on how much space you have to hang the stuff, the temperature and relative humidity in your house, and how much the air circulates. If your house is warm and dry, has good air movement, and you can stretch the linens out in a single layer of fabric, it should take between 4 and 6 hours. The gathered corners of fitted sheets take longer. Oh, yes, it also depends on the fabric and how thick it is. 100% cotton takes longer than cotton/poly takes longer than pure polyester, and of course the thicker the fabric the longer it takes. If you have to fold the linens it's going to take longer. If you're doing a whole family's worth of linens at once, I hope you have a BIG house. Or a nice big clothesline in the backyard. Laundry dries very fast outdoors, especially on a breezy day, but sunshine will fade colors.

Duh

Sat, Apr 22 2023, 10:29 pm

Another reason linen can get ruined in the dryer is if the fabric is cheap, thread count of less than 300.
But linen, and lots of other household items are here to serve us and make or lives easier. Not the other way around. If I find myself slaving over an item, I try to analyze if this is really worth it. While this may work for some, I wouldn't hang linen to dry, unless it's a yerusha or something. But in that case I probably wouldn't be using it regularly!