Can you dry towels in a tumble dryer?
Soft towels thanks to the dryer
We love our towels soft and fluffy – and a tumble dryer is the best way to achieve that, right? We’ll explain under which conditions towels can go in the dryer, which program to choose, and what alternatives there are to make them (soft and cozy) again.
If the terry loops cannot properly fluff up during drying, the towel tends to stay stiff. While this can create a pleasant exfoliating effect, it doesn’t feel very cozy to wrap yourself in. Thanks to the circulating air in a tumble dryer, towels dry similarly to how they would on a warm, breezy day and become soft again.
While we advise against using fabric softener for towels because it can cause fibers to stick together and reduce absorbency, using a tumble dryer is ideal for most towels.
Can towels go in the dryer?
Most towels are made of cotton or cotton blends and can therefore be dried in a tumble dryer without any issues. Combinations of cotton and linen as well as cotton and viscose are easy to care for and – in most cases – dryer-safe. You’ll find exact information on the label: pay attention to the care symbols. The tumble dryer is represented by a square.
This is what the drying care symbols mean:
• Square with a circle inside: towel can be tumble dried
• Symbol crossed out with an X: do not tumble dry
• One dot in the circle: gentle drying at low temperatures (60°C)
• Two dots in the circle: use high temperatures, express program possible
Choosing the right dryer program for towels
Which program you should use for your towels also depends on the care symbols on the label. For most towels, we recommend a gentle drying cycle at no more than 60°C. Slower drying gives the fibers enough time to fluff up—making your towels soft again!
Modern tumble dryers offer different programs where you can sometimes manually adjust the duration or temperature. When drying towels, choose a gentle or delicate cycle.
• Less suitable are express programs, cotton programs, or easy-care cycles, as these often use higher temperatures. These programs are only ideal if there is no dot shown in the dryer symbol on the label.
Which towels should not be tumble dried?
Not all towels are suitable for the dryer. Cotton towels or cotton blends usually handle tumble drying well. Microfiber towels, however (like many synthetic fibers), are not suitable for tumble drying. The upside: they can handle high spin speeds in the washing machine and therefore air-dry very quickly.
Tip: a dry towel and dryer balls
To save time and energy when using a tumble dryer, household experts recommend adding an already dry towel to the load. A bath or shower towel is ideal due to its large surface area, helping to absorb moisture from freshly washed laundry.
Another option is using dryer balls made of sheep’s wool. They also absorb moisture and help towels and other laundry come out of the dryer quickly and pleasantly soft.