Sorting your laundry and loading your tumble dryer correctly is essential, not just in terms of getting the best out of your appliance, but also taking care of your clothes. Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as throwing your wet clothes into the drum. This little guide will take you through the dos and don’ts of loading your tumble dryer.
Check your garment’s care label and sort your laundry
When it comes to laundering and caring for your clothes, the care label is the best place to start. Pay attention to how your garment should be washed and dried. For drying, the label will have one of the following symbols:
Here is what each symbol stands for:
- Dry
- Tumble dry
- Dry normal, low heat
- Dry normal, medium heat
- Dry normal, high heat
- Do not tumble dry
- Do not dry
- Drip dry
- Dry in shade
- Hang dry
- Dry flat
- Dry normal, no heat
- Dry clean
- Do not dry clean
It’s a good idea to sort your garments for drying according to the heat they should be dried at, and even by fabric type if you’re going to use a material-specific programme. If you’re not sure whether your item can be tumble dried, take a look at this list of things that should never go in your tumble dryer.
Use your washing machine’s spin cycle
Putting sopping wet items in your tumble dryer will extend drying time, increase energy consumption and put unnecessary strain on the appliance. Use the spin cycle on your washing machine to remove as much excess water as possible before moving your garments into the dryer.
Shake and turn garments inside out
Before you put your items in the dryer, shake them do get rid of any debris that might be on them. Fasten any zippers to prevent these snagging on any other items in the drum. Finally, turn larger garments like jeans and hoodies inside out to protect buttons and preserve their colour.
Check and empty pockets
Make sure there’s nothing in the pockets of your garments. Things like coins can fall out and damage the drum, while something like a pen could explode and ruin your clothes and your appliance!
Mix larger and smaller items and distribute evenly in the drum
As far as possible, try to have a mix of larger and smaller items in your drum, and make sure these are evenly distributed. You don’t want all your heavy items on one side of the drum and upsetting the balance of the appliance.
Don’t overload the drum
As we explained in this article, overloading the drum is a cardinal sin when it comes to tumble dryers. Filling the drum just over half way is a good rule of thumb to follow.
Check the lint filter
Keeping the lint filter clean is key to good drying performance, and we’re firm believers of getting into the habit of cleaning it after every load. Give the lint filter a quick check after you put a new load in, just to be sure.
Select the appropriate programme
Depending on how you’ve sorted your laundry, you’ll want to select the right programme for your load. These programmes will vary from appliance to appliance, but this handy guide explains the programmes and features available on Beko tumble dryers.
So there you have it. Stick to this advice and your tumble dryer will perform at its best and your clothes will stay in great condition for longer.
