Turn down the heat

To get more life from home washables, air dry or use a no heat setting on your dryer. High heat and over-drying damage most fabric fibers and weaken construction. What is dry enough? Clothes should feel a little moist coming out of the dryer. Cotton fibers have a 6% natural moisture level — if you overdry they just reabsorb moisture from the air. Take them out a little damp and hang in fresh air for final drying to avoid shrinkage and fading that tend to happen in the last 15% of dryer time. If you’re lucky enough to have outdoor hanging space, your clothes will dry naturally, smell fresh and lose a couple of wrinkles from a relaxing hang in the breeze.