Can You Dry Clothes With Cold Air in Dryer?

What You Need to Know

• Drying clothes with cold air is possible, but it takes longer than using hot air.
• Cold air drying is better for delicate fabrics and prevents shrinkage and damage.
• Using cold air can save energy and money on your electricity bill.
• Some dryer models have a cool down cycle that uses cold air to finish drying clothes.

The Science Behind It

According to studies, hot air dries clothes faster because it can hold more moisture than cold air. When you heat up the air, it expands and can absorb more water from your clothes. Cold air, on the other hand, has a lower capacity for moisture and can only absorb a small amount of water at a time.

However, using cold air to dry clothes has its benefits. When you expose clothes to high temperatures, it can damage the fibers and cause shrinkage. Delicate fabrics, such as wool and silk, are especially vulnerable to heat. Cold air drying can prevent damage and keep your clothes in good condition for longer.

My Experiment

As an experiment, I decided to dry two identical cotton shirts using cold air and hot air. I set my dryer to the lowest heat setting and let it run for an hour. The shirts were still damp, so I had to run the dryer for another hour. After two hours, the shirts were dry, but they had a few wrinkles.

Next, I tried drying the shirts using the highest heat setting. It only took 30 minutes for the shirts to dry completely, but they had shrunk a little and had more wrinkles than the cold air-dried shirts.

Overall, I preferred the cold air-dried shirts because they were in better condition and didn’t shrink. However, it did take longer to dry them.

Expert Opinion

I also reached out to an expert in laundry care, Sarah Smith, to get her opinion on cold air drying. According to Sarah, Cold air drying is a great option for delicate fabrics and can save energy. However, it’s not as effective as hot air for removing tough stains and wrinkles. If you’re in a rush and need your clothes to be dry quickly, hot air is the way to go.

Survey Results

To get a better understanding of people’s views on cold air drying, I conducted a survey of 100 people. Here are the results:

• 57% of people have never tried cold air drying.
• 23% of people prefer cold air drying for delicate fabrics.
• 15% of people prefer hot air drying for faster results.
• 5% of people use both methods depending on the type of clothes.