# Helpful laundry tip or old wives' tale? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2005, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helpful-laundry-tip-or-old-wives-tale/317362 "2005-08-17T01:18:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helpful-laundry-tip-or-old-wives-tale/317362/1 "2005-08-17T01:18:59Z")
Scenario: You’ve just washed a load of laundry, and one of the pieces is not as clean as you would like. You plan to wash it again with some kind of stain remover to try to get out the stain. However, you won’t be able to do another load for a couple of days. “The rule”: I was taught that you should let this piece airdry in between loads as opposed to drying it in the dryer with the rest of the clothes, because tumble drying it (by applying heat) in some way “sets” the stain more stubbornly. Following “the rule” takes an extra step, because I can’t just toss all the clothes in the dryer, but need to look through them as I pull them out of the wash. If I tumble-dried everything, I could look for stains while folding. So is this a true laundry tip? Or am I just making extra work for myself? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helpful-laundry-tip-or-old-wives-tale/317362/2 "2005-08-17T02:33:46Z")
> [@LilyoftheValley](#): > > So is this a true laundry tip? Or am I just making extra work for myself? Some reactions between fabrics and chemicals which stain them are irreversible; in other words once the stain is set, nothing will get it out. Many reactions, including the irreversible kind, speed up at higher temperatures. Heat drying a stained piece of clothing increases the likelyhood that the stain will set. If I find a stained piece of clothing after washing, I keep it _wet_ until I get around to doing spot removal. Even air drying can increase the chances of a stain setting permanently. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helpful-laundry-tip-or-old-wives-tale/317362/3 "2005-08-17T12:35:00Z")
> [@LilyoftheValley](#): > > . . .tumble drying it (by applying heat) in some way “sets” the stain more stubbornly. This is true, it has to do with chemical changes to proteins when exposed to heat, but IANAC so I can’t provide details. ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helpful-laundry-tip-or-old-wives-tale/317362/4 "2005-08-17T15:02:01Z")
Thansk guys. It seems that I have actually been following a legitimate tip. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helpful-laundry-tip-or-old-wives-tale/317362/5 "2005-08-17T15:03:17Z")
Thanks, even. (@#$%! 60-second post rule) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/helpful-laundry-tip-or-old-wives-tale/317362/6 "2005-08-17T17:27:09Z")
Certain stains are extra-vulnerable to setting by heat; blood, notoriously. Generally speaking you should get to a red or purple stain as soon as humanly possible because it will “set”, heat or no heat. Washing fresh wet red wine out of a white shirt is easy, but after it dries you may have a problem.