What Is a Permanent Press Dryer?

Permanent Press

• "Permanent press" may refer to one of three things: a washing machine cycle, a dryer cycle or the type of clothes suited for permanent press wash and dry cycles. Permanent press in a dryer refers to the combination of medium heat and tumbling action used to dry clothes. Permanent press cycles apply to man-made fabrics, like nylon, and materials prone to shrinking, such as cotton. Any material with a label marked “permanent press” or “tumble dry” requires permanent press drying.

Permanent Press Dryer

• A permanent press dryer only has permanent press cycles. It may provide more than one type of permanent press cycle but offers no other options, such as high heat. As of 2011, few, if any, major manufacturers produce permanent press dryers, preferring to include a permanent press setting as one of the many cycles available on a dryer. Dryers with permanent press cycles differ from permanent press dryers in that they provide generally fewer permanent press options but a greater array of total cycle options.

Benefits of Permanent Press

• Permanent press helps minimize damage to fabrics by using minimal heat. It also helps maintain vibrant colors, making it the preferred dryer cycle for brightly colored clothing. You can use the permanent press setting on already dry clothing in place of an iron to remove wrinkles. Ten minutes of permanent press cycle effectively removes wrinkles from your dry clothes. Always turn clothes inside out before drying them on the permanent press setting in order to optimize color preservation. Never use delicates on the permanent press setting -- it deforms delicate fabrics.

More Information

• Most clothes designed for permanent press wash and dry cycles exhibit resistance to wrinkling. However, if left in the dryer for too long after a cycle or if left to set while still wet, this resistance will fail, and clothes will end up with a number of wrinkles in them. According to Cheryl Mendelson, author of “Home Secrets: The Art and Science of Keeping House,” overcrowding permanent press clothes during a wash cycle can ruin the effectiveness of permanent press drying techniques. This occurs on account of compression and the uneven distribution of water.