Tumble drying on too high a heat and the damage it does

Short answer: High heat shrinks the fabric, loosens the elastic and creates pilling on the surface. Use the coldest program you can find, and take the laundry out while it is still slightly damp to protect the fibers as much as possible.

Three types of damage at once

Heat pulls the stitches together, burns the stretch out of the elastane, and the tumbling motion in the drum raises the fibers so they form pills on the surface. All three happen at the same time, which is why a hot-tumbled item already looks old after just a few trips through the dryer.

What is safe to do

Bamboo viscose actually handles tumbling on low heat without any problems. What you should avoid is the high setting and a drum that keeps running long after the laundry is already dry. The last ten minutes without any moisture are the hardest on the fabric.

How to do it in practice

Choose a delicate cycle or low heat, and set the time a bit shorter than you first think is needed. Take the item out while it still feels slightly damp, and let it finish drying on a hanger. That way you avoid both shrinking and ugly wrinkles.

Towels and t-shirts tolerate it best

See bamboo t-shirt for women, one of the items that best tolerates a short low-heat tumble, since there is no elastic band anywhere in the fabric to worry about.

What you should never tumble hot

Underwear with elastic, socks, bras and anything with stretch always belong on the line instead. See bamboo underwear for women and all bamboo socks for women, where the elastic is especially sensitive to heat.

Pilling mainly comes from friction

Pills form when the fibers rub against each other during the vigorous tumbling motion in the drum. The longer the item tumbles, the more pills form on the surface, regardless of what temperature the machine otherwise runs at.

Sort the laundry by material

Do not mix thick cotton fabric with thin bamboo viscose in one tumble cycle, since the thick fabric unnecessarily extends drying time for the thin fabric. Less time in the dryer means fewer pills and considerably less overall heat exposure.

A moisture sensor is your friend here

If your dryer has a moisture sensor instead of a fixed timer program, be sure to use it. It stops the machine as soon as the laundry is dry, rather than running the full time regardless of how dry the laundry has already become.