# Plastic in clothing dryer

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-in-clothing-dryer/701727>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 18, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-in-clothing-dryer/701727 "2014-10-18T17:55:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-in-clothing-dryer/701727/1 "2014-10-18T17:55:41Z")

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If someone carelessly allowed plastic clothing tags to be washed along with clothing and put in a dryer, would the heat do anything to the plastic?

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**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-in-clothing-dryer/701727/2 "2014-10-18T18:26:46Z")

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it can. I put the bottom half of a hunting suit in the dryer, and the plastic buckles for the shoulder straps came out brittle and broke the first time I went to use them.

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**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-in-clothing-dryer/701727/3 "2014-10-18T18:58:33Z")

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Normally, those nylon (?) pieces with a tee at one end, and ~1/4" flat piece on the other will go through OK. Other stuff can easily melt onto the dryer drum. Saw enough of THAT in the bad old days.

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**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-in-clothing-dryer/701727/4 "2014-10-18T23:03:37Z")

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My wife tells me that it does no good to knicker elastic either.