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Weird laundry question

Elly

Veteran

I have an odd one. I am in the process of replacing my panties. I found some I love, but they are pricier than I like.

I'm debating whether or not it is worth an extra 70+ dollars of my clothing budget.

In the process of the debate, I started thinking about laundering.

I wash all my clothing in cool in my front loading machine and put them on a very low setting for 5-8 minutes to get the wrinkles out before hanging them to dry. The only things I have been drying are socks and undies. However, I am starting to think that my old undies shrunk a bit. Undies also have a high lycra content (mine do anyway) and since I don't like real rubber elastic the lycra is important.

So, does anyone hang their panties to dry? Or is that just too weird?

General

32 replies

Latest reply was from Lena

Samar

My mom always hung my panties to dry when I was a little girl, so I do the same with mine and my little girls' now. (The boys' underpants just get thrown in the dryer.) I don't know why she line-dried just ours, maybe just because they were pretty and delicate, unlike boys' underwear. Anyway, I don't know if it makes a difference in how they last because I've always done it that way.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Elly, I always hang my panties to dry. The dryer destroys them quicker than just about anything else, except maybe bras.

The only exceptions to the no-panties-in-dryer rule are those pairs of big soft cotton granny panties that I cannot resist wearing at certain times of the month. I don't care if I ruin those, but they also seem able to take a beating. Some days you just need some granny panties.

AJ

Veteran

I hang my nicer "no VPL" ones. My cotton sets go in the dryer.

Rachel

I don't own a dryer. Sturdy things go on a line outside and delicate items are hung on a clothes horse. I also wash everything on a cold wash.
I have always done my washing this way so can't give an opinion on whether it prolongs the life of items or not.

Scarlet

Veteran

I hang all our undies to dry because they last much longer that way. I don't think it is weird.

HeleenH

Veteran

No dryer here, either. My neighbour has one and has offered that I can use hers if I needed, but the need never arose. I line dry everything, inside or outside, depending on the weather conditions.
Once on a holiday I used a dryer and promptly ruined some clothes with lycra or some other elastic in the fabric.

Saretta

(website)

I don't have a dryer either. They're just not a commonly used appliance here in southern Italy. Most days there's enough sun and/or wind to dry on the line. I often wish I had one in the damp winter months when nothing ever dries indoors or outdoors!

HeleenH

Veteran

You are right, Saretta, on those days I can see the joy of a dryer, when it takes about 3 days to dry...

Lavinia

Same here. It seems that dryers aren't as common in Europe. I don't have one and I don't think I need one. We line dry everything.

Polly (thunalata)

Veteran

I don't use a dryer in the UK either. I used to have a washer dryer that I only used for occasional drying of washable diapers, but like others I now only line dry, inside or outside.

ButterflyLady

(website)

Veteran

I'm in the UK, and have a dryer (and so do most of my friends) - but I line dry outside whenever possible. I only really use the dryer for bedding and towels.

Makrame

Veteran

Being able to use a dryer was one of the things I enjoyed after moving from Russia to the US (many years ago). But I am also pretty careful about not drying any delicates or clothes I want to last longer. My husband and I each have a drying rack in the bedroom, which we use to hang clothes that might be worn next day and also to dry those items that don't go into the dryer. I air-dry most panties (and all bras) on the drying rack. If I have room in the mesh underwear bag for laundering, I will also put delicate panties into the bag (but I have a top loader washer).

Several years ago we were in Russia for 2 weeks in August, and the first few days were extremely wet and cold. After trying to dry jeans on the clothesline on the balcony for days, I was so missing my dryer!

Anonymous

I own washer with hand wash setting and dryer but wouldn't think of putting my undies in either one. It's a quick hand wash each night and hang to dry. At one time I'd put them in a mesh bag in the washer on a gentle cycle and hang to dry, but they look nice longer hand washed. Even that much agitation made the surface look worn after a few times.

marianna

Veteran

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I put my undies in the dryer, along with camis, loungewear, and pajamas. Everything else I hang dry.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Do not put your bras in the dryer, Elisabeth. That's the first way to destroy them!

I pop my knickers in the dryer - no shrinkage.

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

How many do you really need? With kids I am doing laundry like almost every day!!
Can you get away with buying a few pairs to start and getting rid of the ones you don't like right now? Don't hold on to any that are not fab. Add a couple of pairs every few months as needed. Old fabrics change shape over time and through many laundry cycles. Your old ones may have lost their shape.

MNsara

Veteran

Not a weird question at all! I love hearing the different responses, and we can get new ideas this way

I wash undies and bras in cold 'hand wash' cycle in my front loader. The bras are in a lingerie bag, the undies are not. I hang them all to dry or throw them over a mesh drying screen.

I am convinced that my elastic lasts longer this way!

Queen Mum

Veteran

I hang dry everything that has anything stretchy (lyrcra, spandex) in it... including my panties. I do think they last much longer this way. The only things of mine that I dry in the dryer are socks actually. I cant' think of anything else. My husband made me a drying rack that sits over our tub. I have a friend who has a second shower curtain rod that she hangs inside the first one to hang her stuff on... I thought that was a clever idea too. I'd to that but I don't have a shower curtain over my tub.

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

i always line dry all my clothing (except socks sometimes). if you live in a cold, wet climate you can get one of those folding pop up dryer racks and set it up in a warmer area of the house. i put ours next to (not on top of!!) a heater vent and it works fine.

http://tinyurl.com/3n3rh4m

lycra will go bust in the heat. cotton shrinks in washing and drying (any heat, really) and it will not reach it's maximum shrinkage until as many as ten wash/dry cycles. nylon and polyester won't shrink much at all in normal washing and drying. so whether shrinkage occurs/how much depends upon the particular fibre content of your knickers.

Off Topic Rant Ahead: okay, i can't help i - bras should NEVER go in the dryer or the washer!!! ESPECIALLY underwires!!!! it will bend the wires and they will poke you and make you look misshapen and demented! the elastic will disintegrate!! getting a nice bra wardrobe takes a lot of time, research, and money. don't spoil it all by ruining your bras. my sister worked for a couple of old-style corset/bra fitters back in the day and they pounded this into our heads. and over the years i've found it does make a huge difference in how your bras last. just swish your bra around in some lukewarm water and a dab of nice shampoo, rinse gently, and hang to dry. also, let your bras 'rest' a day between wearings. (climbing down off soapbox).

good topic!! and very sensible to think about how to make your clothing last, steph

Elly

Veteran

Mod girl---Perhaps I should explain myself ---- I have not replace any underwear in five years. All my undies are between 5-6 years old. I was wearing a cotton lycra style that I liked, but found that they seemed a bit small for "bum coverage"-- I attributed this to slight weight gain. I ordered the same style again recently and found that they new ones have more bum fabric in the same size-- and I started wondering if they changed the style (the have in other minor ways, the sides are slightly wider, ect) or if my undies shrank that much!!!!

Regardless of shrinkage, I have avoided replacing my undies for so long that the lycra has given out on me all together and they are just pretty ratty.

I currently have 14 pairs of my preferred style, which I purchased over two or three years. I figure that I can get buy with fewer pairs (between 8-10) if I also purchase a few pair of something else to wear specifically when working out. Where I currently live I have access to a washer, but am currently waiting on a call back from an employer with company housing (but no laundry).

My old favorites were 10 bucks a piece, but I often bought them on sale for probably 7. The new favorites are 18 dollars a piece (a recommendation by a friend) and I can get them on sale sometimes for 15. Even 10 pair on sale is going to be 150 dollars compared to 70 to 100 dollars.

Patty

Veteran

I don't blame you for taking care of the good undies!!! My old five to a bag Hanes sweat it out in the dryer .

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I toss mine in the dryer and honestly most of my clothing, too. Premium denim, coolmax workout gear, bras and rayon tops/dresses are the things I pull out and hang dry. All the cotton blend clothing gets dried on med low heat. My undies are a modal construction and they fare fine in the washer and dryer.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Angie, I haven't put my bras in the dryer for over 20 years. Like I said, the dryer destroys bras quicker than anything.

bella

(website)

Veteran

A quick caution AGAINST washing your undies by hand or at cold cycle:
http://www.glamour.com/health-.....-your.html
Undies have to be washed in hot temperatures to kill germs. Also, there is a good chance that you many not be able to rinse undies properly when you're handwashing. They have to be rinsed free of any detergent/soap residue.

rachylou

Veteran

I throw everything in the dryer, using the sensor / less dry setting. Otherwise... the dryer pretty much destroys clothing, undies and more, even on the delicates setting.

The other crazy thing I do - because I'm a neurotic sorter without time to do laundry all the time - I have 30 pairs of socks and undies. So they each can be their own load, no water wasted, no weekly laundry, and no mixing. I hate, hate untangling.

Vildy

Veteran

I put almost nothing of mine into a dryer and particularly nothing with
elastic or stretch. I will say that I'm not scared by the prospect of
cold water washing of undies harming me. I'm not dead yet. And, hello,
they're my own germs.

Louise

Veteran

We don't have a dryer so ALL my stuff gets hung to dry x

rachylou

Veteran

I have a tack-on question about line-drying... when I line-dry, my clothes get stiff and rough. Is this always how it goes, or is there a fabric-softening secret?

Elly

Veteran

I wouldn't be overly worried about spreading behind germs to your clothing. I wouldn't recommend washing kitchen towels and undies together, but I am mildly-to-moderately immune deficient and my docs told me not to worry about sanitizing clothes. The exceptions were kitchen rags and towels and bathroom towels because they are moist and are usually used before touching your face or food. They also warned me about gym clothes (because of the risk of staph and other infections). I wash my towels in hot water and use a sanitizing additive in the rinse cycle of my performance gym clothing. Even sheets are ok to wash warm or cool, although I do dry mine. If you hang in the sun, that also sanitizes. The way the doc explained it, washing is usually good enough--- just like washing hands with soap.

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