Posted by ian.goodall
Thursday, 19 May 2011
If you’ve ever taken a heap of clothes out of your washer-dryer only to find everything is still damp then this post is for you.
The Drying Programme
First, you should check what drying programme you have selected. Most modern washers have several to choose from. Some of these, such as the hanger dry option, deliberately leave moisture in the clothes so they can finish off drying when you put them back into a cupboard.
Overloading the Drum
Another very common problem occurs when the washer dryer is overloaded. While you might be able to fit a lot in to wash, you need to reduce the amount of clothes that are in it for drying. Think of your washer-dryer as being able to be used in 3 different ways; washing only, drying only and both washing and drying without taking the clothes out. With the third option, you will have to make sure that you reduce the amount of clothes you put in to wash. As an example, if you are washing heavily soiled jeans and quite a few T-shirts with some bedding, you might want to put a wash on then take out the T-shirts to dry elsewhere before putting the drying programme on.
Spin Cycle
The washing cycle can also affect how dry your clothes become. The spin-speed of a machine’s spin cycle determines how much water is expelled during this process and it can make your clothes dryer. So, if you want to improve your results, try adding an extra spin cycle before you dry.
If you do all that and your clothes are still coming out dripping wet then there might be something wrong with the machine and you’ll need to contact an engineer. Remember that if you’ve had the appliance for less than a year it will still be under warranty.
Summary
• Make sure you’ve selected a programme that will take more moisture out of the clothes
• Reduce the load size when drying
• If the fabrics you are washing are very heavy, e.g. towels or jumpers, then take more out of the drum
• Consider adding an extra spin after the wash cycle before putting the dryer on