Dryer Settings: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding, Using, and Maintaining Your Appliance

An Overview of Your Dryer Settings

New or old, basic or high end, all dryers share some standard settings that determine how much heat is used when you do your laundry. The names for each setting might be standardized, but that doesn’t necessarily mean their meanings are clear. So, let’s start with a lesson about what your dryer’s settings mean.

Automatic Dry vs Timed Dry

The Automatic Dry setting, sometimes also called the Auto Dry, Auto-Sensi-Dry, or More Dry setting, depending on the brand of your dryer, utilizes the appliance’s moisture detection system to more efficiently dry clothes. This is the ideal dryer setting for towels and other heavy materials.

Depending on your dryer, automatic dry will either sense which level of heat is necessary or, more typically, use the highest heat setting to get sturdier items like towels and blue jeans dry faster. The dryer then ends the cycle when it detects no moisture in the drum. The ideal end result is a more energy efficient dry that can potentially be a bit gentler on clothes.

That all said, the automatic dry setting relies entirely on the moisture sensor in your dryer drum. If that component malfunctions, fails, or has moisture trapped around it, the dryer may run indefinitely, potentially damaging your clothes or even becoming a fire hazard. Be sure your dryer is in good working order if you want to rely on the automatic dry function.

Timed Dry, as the name implies, allows you to set an exact length of time for the dryer to run. It sets a firm stop time for the dryer, and does not utilize the moisture sensor. Using timed dry ensures that your dryer will definitely stop after a set period of time spent running, but this can potentially result in overdrying – leading to shrinkage, faded colors, and wrinkles.

When should I use auto dry?

• Double check that you can select a heat setting for auto dry. If you can’t, it likely defaults to the hottest setting. In this case, use auto dry on sturdier items, like towels, bed linens, and denim.
  
• Use auto dry when you aren’t in a rush to get your clothes dry. Auto dry doesn’t have a set finish time, and can potentially take a while to fully dry your clothes depending on the other settings you have selected.
  
• When your laundry is less damp – this is pretty common when you have a HE (high efficiency) washer.
  
• Remember to make sure your washer’s moisture sensor is in good working order and isn’t obstructed!

When should I use timed dry?

• Use timed dry when the laundry you’re drying is a little more damp than usual.
  
• If you need to use an accessory like the dryer rack in the drum of the dryer – it’s a component that allows you to dry items like shoes.
  
• When you know you need your laundry to be done at a certain time.

Regular/Heavy

You might think that “regular” means “the setting for all of your normal laundry”, but it actually utilizes the highest possible heat to dry clothes quickly.

The Regular or Heavy setting should be used with:

• Whites and light-colored fabrics, which are less likely to fade.
  
• Sturdier fabrics that can withstand a bit of a beating – denim, towels, sweatpants, and bed linens.

Do not use the Regular or Heavy setting with:

• More vibrant, dark, or deeply colored clothing articles, as the high heat can cause colors to fade.
  
• Delicate fabrics, synthetic fabrics, or items with lacework or elastic.
  
• Clothes that didn’t get fully clean in the wash. If that tomato sauce stain isn’t totally removed from your favorite t-shirt, running it through the dryer on the highest heat setting will set the stain, making it even harder to remove.

Permanent Press

If you were using the regular setting as the catch-all for your everyday laundry, it’s time to try out permanent press instead. Permanent press uses a medium heat to dry clothes, then shuts the heat off for the last few minutes of the cycle to cool them off, releasing wrinkles. It won’t blast your clothes with too hot air, either, making it safer to use when drying colorful items or items with screen printing – like T-shirts.

Permanent press is best used with:

• Bright or vividly colored fabrics, and most of your everyday clothes.
  
• Screen printed fabrics or items with iron-on decals.
  
• Polyester or blend fabrics.
  
• Knitted items

Gentle/Delicates

The gentlest setting on your dryer uses a very low heat to get delicate fabrics dry. While it is technically designed for use with silks and synthetic fabrics, your clothes may still benefit from being air dried instead – particularly undergarments like bras. If you can’t wait hours for those items to dry, though, the gentle or delicate setting on your dryer will get them wearable much quicker.

The gentle or delicate setting is for:

• Silks and other delicate fabrics.
• Apparel with lacework or other embellishments, like embroidery or sequins.
• Undergarments and small articles of clothing, like baby clothes.
• Activewear and anything else with a lot of elastic.

What is Tumble Dry Low? This setting is commonly used for delicate garments. It operates at a lower temperature that is safest for delicate fabrics such as wool and nylon. However, it’s important to note that using this setting can prolong the drying time. Tumble Dry Low, also known as the Delicate or Gentle cycle, is highly recommended for fabrics that are loosely woven or have embellishments like sequins, beading, or iron-on decals.

In cases where the dryer does not have the Tumble Dry Low setting, the Air Dry or Air Fluff feature can be a good substitute.

Air Fluff

Does air fluff dry clothes? Air fluff pulls in room temperature air from your laundry room to freshen and “fluff” clothing that is already dry. It’s not appropriate for damp, freshly washed clothing. Rather, use the Air Fluff setting to soften items that have been air dried or to freshen up dry clean only items or that sweater that’s been hiding in the back of your closet all year.

Other Dryer Settings

The settings we’ve mentioned above are found on just about every electric or gas-powered dryer, but depending on the make and model of your appliance, you may have a few more settings. Let’s go over some of the more common ones:

• The steam cycle releases wrinkles from otherwise dry fabrics by tumbling them with steam. If you need a work shirt de-wrinkled quickly or forgot a load of laundry in the dryer for two days, running the steam cycle can help. 
• Wrinkle release continues the tumbling action of the dryer without heat once a load of laundry has dried. Gently cooling the fabric while tumbling helps to cut back on the amount of wrinkling you’ll see if you aren’t able to get to the dryer right away.
• EcoBoost and similarly named settings help to cut down on the amount of energy your dryer consumes. These settings use less energy – cutting down on your utility bill – but typically make drying cycles last a bit longer.

Why Dryer Settings Matter

Familiarizing yourself with your dryer settings and always selecting the most appropriate option for the job has a host of benefits:

• Your electrical bill could go down. Shorter drying cycles and lower temperatures mean less energy consumed, which is reflected in your monthly utility bill.
  
• It’s easier on your dryer and its internal components, prolonging the life of your appliance.
  
• Your brights will stay brighter if they’re dried at an appropriate temperature. High heat settings can cause clothes to fade faster.
  
• Overdrying causes cloth items to shrink and wear out faster. Using an appropriate temperature and cycle length will prolong the lifespan of your clothes and linens.
  
• Fewer wrinkles and less static.

3 Things You Should (And Shouldn’t) Be Doing With Your Dryer

Now that you know how the dryer settings work, let’s cover some general usage and upkeep tips.

1. Check and clean the lint filter after every load of laundry

Not only will doing this simple (if sometimes tedious) task will keep your dryer running efficiently and cut down on lint buildup elsewhere in your appliance, it will lower the chance of a dryer fire. Check the lint filter before you run your dryer, too, and never run the dryer if the lint filter is missing.

Where you access your dryer’s lint filter depends on the make and model of your appliance, though they’re usually found either on the top of the appliance or in the door. Consult your appliance manual if you’re having trouble tracking the filter down or figuring out how to remove it.

2. Clean your dryer’s vents annually

For the safety of you, your family, and your home, you want a clean vent pipe free of obstructions like lint clogs and kinks in pipes. Not only will this help to shorten dry times for your clothes, but it also resolves a serious safety hazard – blocked vents are a leading cause of dryer fires.

We’ve got a full guide to cleaning out your dryer vents that you can check out on our blog. Don’t forget to watch the companion tutorial video for a closer look at the steps! You may also want to invest in an appliance vent brush to make the job a bit easier. Using this two-pack of brushes for vents and refrigerator coils, you can net some significant savings on your next electrical bill!

3. Know how to load your dryer

Overfilling your dryer can lead to lengthier drying cycles, wrinkled clothes, stretched or damaged fabrics, and potentially damage to the dryer itself. However, underfilling your dryer wastes energy. When you do laundry, shoot for a full dryer load.

What a full dryer load looks like will depend on your appliance’s capacity, which is generally measured in weight. You can consult your dryer’s manual to check capacity. It will likely at minimum detail whether it’s low-, medium-, or high-capacity, and will likely also give weight recommendations.

Wrapping Up

Have more questions about how your dryer works? Worried that something might be wrong? Never fear! AppliancePartsPros.com is here! Browse our blog and YouTube channel for tons of how-tos and explainers for your most used appliances, including dryers. If you need answers beyond what’s available there, why not ask one of the friendly experts on our main site? Whether you need tips or genuine OEM parts, AppliancePartsPros.com can help you out.