Laundry S.O.S.

Dear SwindleFun,

Does it matter if I dry ALL my clothes together?

I do my laundry at a coin operated laundromat. I wash all my clothes in separate loads, but I throw all the loads in the dryer to save quarters.

Is it okay to have my jeans, towels, undies, t-shirts, etc all together in the dryer? Am I going to ruin my clothes?

Thanks,
Liz

Answer:

Dear Liz,

Your clothes called. They want to know why you hate them. Seriously.

Garments and linens deserve to be treated with tenderness and respect. That includes drying them with like items at the recommended temperatures. Failure to do this will result in fading, shrinking, stretching, bleeding, yellowing, pills, lint, uneven drying, over drying, under drying, snags, rips, solar flares and urban warfare.

Your delicate items are suffering the most. Especially if you are drying them together with items containing zippers, hooks, or metal buttons. Would you like to tumble around with a hot zipper?


I don't think it will be much more expensive to dry your things properly. Your lighter, more delicate items will dry faster on their own. Your heavier items will dry faster as they tumble freely. Your underwear will not emerge in a wet ball from the wadded-up corner of your fitted sheet. Everything will be less wrinkly and easier to iron.

Your clothes will last longer and look nicer if you treat them with care. I'm appealing to your vanity here!

Love,
SwindleFun

P.S. Please note that this is not advice as to which items can be fully dried in a dryer and which cannot. That is another question entirely.