Drying sweaters flat (legs, damage, washing, washed)

[jtab4994]

So today I washed 4 sweaters, 2 cotton and 2 wool, using Woolite on the Hand Wash setting and let them spin dry. Each of the sweaters says to "dry flat". OK, how long does that take?!

Can I pop them into the dryer on the "cool air" setting? Seems like the garment makers would have suggested that if it was useful.

[Parnassia]

Drying flat avoids stretching and helps the sweater retain its original shape. Once stretched out of shape some fibers don't recover well. Sweaters in a tumble dryer can get tangled around each other and end up stretched. Some knits can snag more easily on small rough protrusions inside clothes dryers. Tumbling can increase pilling as the knit fiber rubs against itself. Hanging will tend to stretch out the knit due to the weight of the wet garment.

How long flat drying takes depends on several factors:

a) the fiber and weave of the sweater itself
b) the humidity level and temperature of the room
c) how much airflow the room gets
d) the surface you lay it out on (don't put it on any surface that could be damaged by moisture such as wood)

It can take a couple of days or more depending on season.

FWIW, I only wash one or two "dry flat" garments at a time knowing there are only one or two good places in this house to leave them undisturbed for multiple days (lesson to be learned OP ). I put the sweater on one or two towels laid on top of my closed dryer/washing machine lids and arrange them back into their original shape. I swap the towels out and flip the sweater over periodically so one side doesn't sit damp too long.

Natural fiber knits tend to contract a little as they dry, then stretch a little as you wear them again. If a sweater tends to fit snug (for me it's usually sleeve length), I may gently stretch them a little. The first time you wash something like cotton or wool it tends to shrink the most and you can't always stretch it out enough to counteract shrinkage without ruining the shape of the garment.

There are several different types of screen drying racks available you can arrange over a bathtub or laundry sink for flat drying and some frames have legs so you can set them up over a surface that can't get wet. If you happen to have a number of flat dry garments, a set of drying racks would be worth having on hand.

[jtab4994]

Originally Posted by Parnassia

... to leave them undisturbed for multiple days (lesson to be learned OP ). I put the sweater on one or two towels laid on top of my closed dryer/washing machine lids and arrange them back into their original shape. I flip the sweater over periodically so one side doesn't sit damp too long.

My wife might have clued me in on that when I told her I was going to wash sweaters today!

No problem though, I've got them on my ironing board with only a little bit of each one hanging down.

[SkyLark2019]

I roll them in a dry towel to help keep them formed right.

Or I hang them flat on a rack.

[WRM20]

There are racks available for some dryers that allow you to dry things in the dryer without tumbling them. Here's an example https://www.amazon.com/LG-3750EL1001...dp/B00NAPD2T8/

[jtab4994]

Thanks for the replies! The two cotton ones are finally dry this morning. Good thing the heat's been on, to make the air a little dryer. I'll have to plan better for the future, to do this when it's much colder out & the heat is on a little more! And putting them on towels to wick moisture away may also speed the process.

[fleetiebelle]

I have a setup kind of like this that I set up when I'm doing multiple sweaters or delicates. I like that there's circulation under the garment because it's not on a hard surface, so they usually dry within a day or two. Or, depending on the sweater, I'll drape it over my regular drying rack. After, I might run them through the dryer on no heat, just to fluff.

[ndcairngorm]

I do one sweater at a time. After hand washing I place it on a towel, roll it up, and kneel on it to get as much water out as possible.

Then I lay it on a dry towel and arrange it how it should be. They dry pretty fast after that and you can even lay them on the bed or anything like that because it is not really wet anymore. We're talking about wool here. Most nylon sweaters can go in the dryer. Cotton sweaters I treat like wool.