Should you dry rayon fabrics in a Dryer? (Answered)

It is not recommended to dry rayon fabrics in a clothes dryer, as high heat can destroy the fabric and cause it to shrink. However, if you must use the clothes dryer, you can put your rayon garments in a laundry bag (or a pillowcase), followed by setting the dryer to run on low heat or no heat settings.

Just make sure to run the dryer on a short cycle duration because rayon fabrics dry quickly.

Are rayon fabric washable?

In general, dry cleaning is the recommended method of cleaning rayon fabric. However, you can hand wash or machine wash them if the care label specifically says it is safe to do so.

If your rayon clothes are washable (either machine-washable or hand-washable), always use cold or lukewarm water and the gentle cycle on your machine.

Read: How to Wash Rayon Fabrics? (The right way)

How to dry rayon fabrics?

Drying rayon fabric is relatively easy, as it does not require any special preparation. Hanging the fabric on a clothesline or a drying rack after a wash should help the fabric dry naturally.

The good thing about rayon fabric is that it dries faster than other fabrics like cotton without having to do anything extra.

For any fabric type, air drying is the best choice, as it is natural and does not have any major side effects.

That being said, carefully read the care label before deciding how to best dry your clothes, regardless of the fabric.

Technically, there are two ways to dry a rayon fabric:

• Air-drying
• Machine Drying

Let’s take a quick look at both approaches to drying your rayons.

Air drying

The natural and safest way to dry delicate fabrics like rayon, silk, and wool is to let them dry in the air naturally. However, you will need to keep some things in mind while you air-dry rayon fabrics.

Choose a shady spot

It is advised to air dry rayon fabrics in a shady spot.

Avoid drying your rayon garments in an area that has exposure to direct sunlight. This can cause shrinkage and fading.

Remember, rayon garments have a very low resistance to heat.

Use clotheslines, hangers, or drying racks

After every wash, you should hang your rayon garment over a clothesline to air dry.

Additionally, you can make use of a drying rack to hang them or lay them flat.

Clothes hangers can also be used to dry multiple rayon garments on a single clothesline.

You should always use a clothes hanger made of plastic to hang damp garments for drying. This is because clothes hangers made of metal may start rusting over time due to contact with damp garments.

A rusty hanger will further cause stains and damage your rayon and other fabrics.

Wrapping after wash

To boost the air drying method or simply reduce the drying time, you can wrap your rayon garment in a towel right after the wash.

Just discharge excess water after every wash and place the garment over a dry towel.

Next, wrap the garment in the towel and apply gentle pressure so that excess moisture is soaked up by the towel.

Although rayon garments dry quickly, the wrapping process further reduces their dry time.

Ventilation 

Air drying also depends on how much ventilation is offered to the garments.

Hence, always choose a space with enough ventilation to dry your rayon garments quickly and evenly.

Spaces such as balconies, near windows, or a shady spot on your terrace can be good spots.

If your garment is in your living room without enough ventilation or airflow, you can place a drying rack under a fan for quick drying.

Additionally, a hair dryer can be used as a quick drying technique. While doing so, avoid using high heat. Instead, you can set the hair dryer to “no heat” settings if it’s available.

Moreover, using low pressure to blow air and keeping a distance between the garment and the blower are equally important.

Machine drying

Machine drying rayon fabric is a bit of a risky process.

Even a minor error can lead to damage in no time, especially if you do not use heat settings wisely.

If your rayon fabric is made of more than one type of fiber, check the care label to find out how to dry it properly.

Also, make sure to use the lowest heat settings and always run on a gentle cycle to dry rayon garments.

And to make things even safer, use a laundry bag made for dryers. It will act as a shield.

If you don’t have access to a laundry bag or don’t have one handy, you can always use a pillow cover.

But you need to make sure that the pillow cover is made of a material that can be dried in a machine.

While drying the rayon garment, just make sure to run the dryer for the shortest possible duration on a gentle cycle with low heat settings.

Does rayon fabric shrink?

Since rayon is a delicate fabric, it doesn’t do well with too much heat, especially when it’s being dried or ironed.

So yes, your rayon garments can shrink if you are not careful while machine-drying them.

But the extent of shrinkage is based on how much heat you expose the fabric to and its construction material.

For example, ones that are 100 percent rayon will shrink more when compared to rayon blends.

To avoid any kind of shrinkage, it is always best to air dry your rayon garments in a shady spot and use low heat settings while ironing them.

Read: How to Iron rayon fabric? (Remove Wrinkles out of rayon)

Final Thoughts

You shouldn’t dry rayon clothes in a hot dryer, and you should always check the care label before trying any kind of drying.

However, if you still prefer a dryer, be very careful with the settings. The wrong settings can cause the fabric to shrink and damage the fibers.

So, if you must dry your rayon clothing in a dryer, do so in a low-heat setting and on a delicate cycle.

That being said, air drying continues to be the safest option to dry any delicate fabric, including rayon.

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