# Basic laundry questions. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2008, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077 "2008-06-16T03:51:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/1 "2008-06-16T03:51:35Z")
Let me start by saying this: I do know how to do laundry, I just don’t fully understand the whys behind doing the laundry. \*\*babygirl \*\* has not been feeling well for the last couple of weeks and I have taken over some of the household chores. Laundry being one of them. I have noticed recently that there are three options for drying clothes in my machine. 1. Permanent Press: I don’t think I have any clothes that fall into this category, so I never use it. 2. Timed dry: I usually use this one. I put the clothes in, set the timer for an hour, and then repeat when the buzzer goes off. 3. Automatic dry: This one even has energy efficient option, more dry and less dry. So, what is the difference? Can my simple Maytag tell when my clothes are dry? Is the timed setting for someone who doesn’t care if the clothes are dry, but knows the dryer must stop in say 20 minutes? I will get to the bleach questions at another time. SSG Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/2 "2008-06-16T03:55:47Z")
[QUOTE=SSG Schwartz] Let me start by saying this: I do know how to do laundry, I just don’t fully understand the whys behind doing the laundry. \*\*babygirl \*\* has not been feeling well for the last couple of weeks and I have taken over some of the household chores. Laundry being one of them. I have noticed recently that there are three options for drying clothes in my machine. 1. Permanent Press: I don’t think I have any clothes that fall into this category, so I never use it. 2. Timed dry: I usually use this one. I put the clothes in, set the timer for an hour, and then repeat when the buzzer goes off. 3. Automatic dry: This one even has energy efficient option, more dry and less dry. So, what is the difference? Can my simple Maytag tell when my clothes are dry? Is the timed setting for someone who doesn’t care if the clothes are dry, but knows the dryer must stop in say 20 minutes? I will get to the bleach questions at another time. SSG Schwartz [/QUOTE] I’d be surprised if you didn’t have any permanent press clothes. Look at your shirts/blouses, skirts, and slacks. As the name implies, the idea is that you don’t have to iron them if you launder them correctly. Sez Wikipedia: _Most older clothes dryers feature an automatic permanent press setting, which puts clothes through a cool-down cycle at the end of the normal heated drying cycle._ > **[Wrinkle-resistant fabric](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_press)** > > Wrinkle-resistant or permanent press or durable press is a finishing method for textiles that avoids creases and wrinkles and provides a better appearance for the articles. Most cellulosic fabrics and blends of cellulosic-rich fabrics tend to crease or wrinkle. A durable press finish makes them dimensionally stable and crease-free. The finishing includes chemical finishing as well as mechanical finishing.\[citation needed\] Wrinkle-resistant finishes were developed in the early 20th century as a wa... ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/3 "2008-06-16T04:01:25Z")
If it needs ironing, it goes to the cleaners, but I will remember to check the tags. SSG Schwartz ps. don’t let **babygirl** know I started this thread. 😃 SSG S ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/4 "2008-06-16T04:15:32Z")
[QUOTE=SSG Schwartz] If it needs ironing, it goes to the cleaners, but I will remember to check the tags. SSG Schwartz ps. don’t let **babygirl** know I started this thread. 😃 SSG S [/QUOTE] Give the permanent press setting a try. Dry cleaning gets expensive. The critical thing is not to let them sit in the dryer when they’re done. Hang them up promptly and they’ll probably be presentable. ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/5 "2008-06-16T04:18:16Z")
Ok, but what about the Automatic vs the timed dry. SSG Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/6 "2008-06-16T04:18:49Z")
[QUOTE=SSG Schwartz] 1. Timed dry: I usually use this one. I put the clothes in, set the timer for an hour, and then repeat when the buzzer goes off. [/QUOTE] An hour is way too long, unless you are drying something like an all-cotton comforter or have a really low powered dryer. Try 25 minutes for a regular load, half an hour if there are a lot of cotton towels in it. > [@](#): > > 1. Automatic dry: This one even has energy efficient option, more dry and less dry. > So, what is the difference? Can my simple Maytag tell when my clothes are dry? Yes. The way it was explained to me is, the water in the load ‘absorbs’ a looot of heat as it evaporates, so the thermostat-thingy (doncha love the tech talk?) has to keep turning the heat on to maintain the dryer temperature. Once the water has been evaporated it stops sucking up the extra heat and so the heater part doesn’t need to come on as frequently. Less heat needed = clothes are dry. And that can be calibrated from Mostly Dry to Completely Dry. The reason you might want ‘Mostly Dry’ is if A) you do touch up ironing on the clothes or B) the load has a lot of undies or whatever with elastic (elastic lasts longer if you don’t cook it too much) or C) you have all cotton jeans that just barely fit you and you don’t want them to shrink more than necessary. 😉 [QUOTE0] Is the timed setting for someone who doesn’t care if the clothes are dry, but knows the dryer must stop in say 20 minutes? [/QUOTE] Could be. Or it could a Luddite who doesn’t trust the automatic sensors. Or it could be that you have something in the dryer that you’re not really drying. For example, you can put curtains (right off the rods, completely dry) into your dryer along with a couple of tennis balls, set it on ‘cool’ or ‘no heat’ and tumble for 15 minutes or so: all the dust will be beaten out of the curtains and you can hang them back up. Or if you’re ecologically minded, you can hang your clothes on a line to dry outside. This leaves your clothes kind of stiff, though, so after that you could put them in the dryer on low and tumble for just five minutes or so to soften the clothes and reduce wrinkling. Things like that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Them](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@The\_Them](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Them)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/7 "2008-06-16T04:44:35Z")
We now know that we can blackmail **SSG Schwartz** by threatening to tell **babygirl.** hehehe ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/8 "2008-06-16T04:46:09Z")
I’ll pay, I’ll pay!!! PM me with your demands, but I don’t have many 20’s or much pie. SSG Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/9 "2008-06-16T04:51:32Z")
“Permanent press” is a joke or a cruel trick, kind of like “one size fits all.” I know this because my steam iron has a “permanent press” setting on it. So, obviously, permanent press is NOT a no-iron option. However…rinsing in cold water, quick removal from the washing maching to the dryer, and quick removal from the dryer to the hangar can work pretty well to get rid of MOST wrinkles. You will likely not look all that polished. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/10 "2008-06-16T04:57:18Z")
@Hilarity: yeah, some permanent press doesn’t seem all that permanent. @SSG: Everybody chooses his/her degree of ironing. I’ve known ppl who iron their bedsheets, fer cry eye! What’s that about? Ironing something that’s going to be wrinkled instantly? But lotsa times, it’s a matter of touching up where needed. Random #1: If you have some goop/lava type hand cleaners, they’re good for getting out oil-based stains. Pre-treat, then throw in when you do the laundry. Random #2: If you’re washing blacks that you want to keep black instead of grey, add salt to the wash water. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@Green\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Moon)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/11 "2008-06-16T05:28:46Z")
There are two other reasons for not overdrying your clothes: (1) reduce static electricity and (2) extend the life of the fabric. The long you leave your already dry clothes tumbling in the heat, the more fibers will break loose and end up in the lint trap. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/12 "2008-06-16T05:44:45Z")
To give a bit more to the post by **StarvingButStrong** , most dryers have delicate and regular fabrics automatic options. In either case, the heating element will be on (either high or low) and will stay on until the cycle thermostat reaches setpoint. Once that happens, the drum continues to turn, the heating element goes off, and the timer advances. Once the drum air has cooled to the point that the cycle thermostat low is reached, the heating element comes back on, and the timer no longer advances. The off/on intervals will grow shorter, as the retained moisture in the load drops. More dry/less dry is typically no more than a function of how much run time you’ve authorized to start with. Honestly, the only time I use timed dry is if I know I’m leaving at a given time, and since I do not want the dryer running in my absence, want the unit off shortly before my departure, having extinguished my share of dryer fires. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/13 "2008-06-16T17:31:26Z")
Several questions, several answers. On the washer, permanent press means a shorter cycle of washing, and the clothes aren’t spun as hard, so as not to put in spin wrinkles. Are you doing too big a load? Two ways to find out. If you can find the owner’s manual, it will tell you how much a load should **weigh**. The other way? Watch the washing for the first minute or two. If you can’t see the clothes on the bottom come up to the top in that amount of time, you have too much in there. After a few loads, you’ll get a feel for it. I can tell when I have just enough in the laundry basket. The right load of jeans is smaller than less dense fabrics. If you have soft water in your house, use less detergent and fabric softener than the packages recommend. Half as much, or perhaps less. Clean out the lint trap in the dryer before every load. In the dryer, perm press clothes work best if removed from the dryer while still a little damp. That’s why there’s a “less dry” setting on the auto cycle. As it was explained to me, here’s how the auto dryer cycle works. There’s a bare metal bar or two in the drum. A tiny charge of electricity is applied to the wet clothes as they tumble. When they get nearly dry, less electricity will pass through the damp cloth. When dry, no electricity at all will pass through. So, the dryer switches from hot to cool, and it starts to buzz every couple minutes while still running the drum. That keeps them from wrinkling until you get there to pull them out. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/14 "2008-06-16T18:24:25Z")
I’ve always been wary of the “less dry” setting. Who would put their clothes in a dryer to make them less dry? And where does it get the water? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/15 "2008-06-16T19:01:18Z")
On my dryer, the biggest difference to me between the automatic and manual settings is that the dryer continues to buzz every 5 minutes to remind me the automatic cycle is done. The manual setting only buzzes once. I use the manual option because of this. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/16 "2008-06-16T20:03:47Z")
If **babygirl** has some Unmentionables which you are washing, you might want to use the Delicate cycle for the washing; and either dry them on the aforementioned Low Heat or line dry them. For washing, she may use a separate ‘delicates’ detergent. Peek around and see if there is any Woolite or baby garment-type detergent in her supply area. It’s been my experience that brassieres and delicates last much longer if they are not put in the dryer. I simply drape them over a hanger and they are dry in a couple of hours. Thongs and delicate panties will dry in less than an hour. The elastics and fabrics these things are made of will thank you. How can you tell if a garment is a ‘delicate’? Look in the tags. Good luck! **Santo Rugger** : Every laundry appliance which comes through our door equipped with a buzzer is soon relieved of it. ---
**Author:** ![Nuveena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@Nuveena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuveena)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/17 "2008-06-17T00:32:32Z")
Since we’re here, I have a question. I have a blue t-shirt with a dark spot on it. It looks like its just a spot of water, but presumably it’s food of some sort. I believe the stain has been through the dryer a number of times at this point. Is there any hope of getting it out? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/18 "2008-06-17T00:44:24Z")
:fights urge to quote from _Aliens_: ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/19 "2008-06-17T01:04:42Z")
[QUOTE=StarvingButStrong] Could be. Or it could a Luddite who doesn’t trust the automatic sensors. [/QUOTE] And 50 points to **SBS** for a well played use of Luddite correctly as a technophobe AND as one familiar with textiles. Worshippin’ goin’ on. [QUOTE=KneadToKnow] :fights urge to quote from _Aliens_: [/QUOTE] "They turned the dryer on! They can’t do that, they’re animals! ---
**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077/20 "2008-06-17T01:38:39Z")
[QUOTE=Nuveena] Since we’re here, I have a question. I have a blue t-shirt with a dark spot on it. It looks like its just a spot of water, but presumably it’s food of some sort. I believe the stain has been through the dryer a number of times at this point. Is there any hope of getting it out? [/QUOTE] Nope. In theory, it’s possible, but it would leave a light spot where the dark spot used to be. Or, worse, a light spot with a dark stain still in it. Sorry. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-laundry-questions/453077.md?page=2)