As a homeowner, putting your carpet in the dryer might have crossed your mind a few times. However, so many factors have to be considered and carefully thought out before you do this.
As a quick solution, this may also seem like an easy fix for your carpet but is it the ideal thing to do? This article will outline the best way to wash and dry your carpet.
Carpets should not be put in the dryer. A dryer could damage the fibers on the carpets due to the high heat and pressure it exerts on the carpet. Instead, you should dry it out in the sun or use specialized heavy-duty air dryers to dry your carpet if they are dirty or stained.
Can You Dry Your Carpet In a Dryer?
Avoid putting your carpets in the dryers, especially those made with soft materials.
When you use dryers to dry your carpet, it strains and relaxes the fibers because of the high heat and pressures the dryers have to run on, thereby causing it to shrink drastically.
Heat also causes carpets to winkle and also lose their sleekness much faster. However, carpets made with wool or cotton resist heat and pressure better than other materials.
Still, as recommended, always dry your carpet out in the sun whenever possible. Most homeowners prefer to use dryers for their carpets and risk damaging them.
Luckily there are a couple of dedicated heavy-duty air dryers you can use to dry your carpet with minimal effects.
When using a dryer is the only available option, you can dry your carpet with no heat or air fluff.
You may dry your small-sized carpets in the dryers, but this does not guarantee that you won’t compromise the durability of your carpet.
Some manufacturers may recommend washing their carpets with a dryer which is also quite rare because all materials used in making rugs are non-heat resistant and wrinkle over continuous pressure.
What Happens When You Put a Carpet In a Dryer?
Putting your carpet in the dryer is unhealthy and is not recommended. Most times, ignoring this could lead to a significant loss on your part.
The durability and sleekness are not only compromised, but this may cause your carpet to get old faster, damage quicker, and wrinkle easily. The colors on your carpet may also fade out.
How Do You Dry a Carpet in the Dryer?
Drying a carpet in a dryer is not recommended but can become necessary when there is no other way to dry your carpet.
Hence, the need to follow step-by-step guides to dry your carpet with a dryer without ruining the durability and quality.
However, seeking the help of professional cleaning agencies to clean your carpet seems to be the best option.
They know how best to dry the carpets efficiently. Moreover, carpets are not frequently cleaned or even washed.
They should require immediate washing when they begin to have visible particles of dirt, debris, and stains on their surfaces or have terrible smells.
Nevertheless, if you must dry your carpets in the dryer, here is what you should do:
- Wash your carpet thoroughly to remove every dirt and stains
- The next thing you should put your dryer on and run a dry cycle on your carpet
- Ensure that you do not mix the carpet with other fibers when drying. Importantly make sure you use deficient heat
- Check the dryer frequently to remove the carpet as soon as it is dry.
What are the Other Ways of Drying a Carpet?
There are so many other ways you can dry your carpet. The most effective and recommended way is to dry it out on the line under the sun, or you can alternatively air dry it.
The method you decide to use contributes to the time your carpet would take to dry and depends on individual preferences and convenience, your standard of living, and even the kind of materials used in making the carpet.
So, without further ado, we shall discuss other ways you should dry your carpet.
#1. Drying Carpet Using Dryer
Most homeowners dry their carpets in the dryer and risk having them get damaged. Just because you can use the dryer to dry your carpet doesn’t mean you should.
Moreover, this option comes to mind only when no other option or if drying in the sun is inconvenient.
However, with recent technological advancements, there are few dedicated heavy-duty dryers you can conveniently use for your carpet.
Still, extreme care is paramount because this does not reduce the negative effect of using a dryer to dry your carpet.
When drying your carpet in the dryer, ensure to put the dryers in no heat mode since extreme heat and pressure cause damage to the carpet.
Moreover, you stand at a more significant loss because your carpet may get wrinkled, slacked, shrink or even lose its sleekness by fading out colors.
#2. Drying With Baking Soda
Drying your carpet is an old but gold method for drying carpets. Baking soda is a shared kitchen and homes DIY quick fix, including drying your carpet and not just your carpet, but also effective for cleaning dirt, stains, and even debris on the flooring.
You may need extra packs of baking soda for your carpet drying because it is a much larger quantity than other cleaning products for your carpet.
Ideally, you may require about 1.5kg bicarbonate every one-square meter. Baking soda is a substitute to complete drying if you notice that your carpet is not well dried when you remove it from the line.
All you need to do is sprinkle some baking soda on your carpet and allow it to dry up, and once it does, you can vacuum it to complete the drying process and remove the bicarbonate particles from the carpet.
However, this option should be opted for in only cold weather because cold also enhances its effectiveness by killing bacteria and mold quicker.
You could also use this method in warm temperatures, and you should have your carpet completely dry in 4 hours max.
#3. Drying With Alcohol
Your carpet can be dried with alcohol but mostly when the dirt or spill is on a small part of the carpet or when you can not dry your carpet in the sun.
Sadly, this process may be complicated and take a lot of time if not implemented correctly.
However, you can use this process by adding alcohol to spray bottles, mixing it with water, and spraying it over the carpet. For stains that are much, you can use paper towels to aid this method.
Notably, the alcohol method is more effective in warm temperatures. Hence when using the method at a cold temperature, ensure to hang the carpet in the sun to dry after spraying the carpet with alcohol.
You should not leave the carpet hanging on the line for more than 4 hours.
#4. Drying With Hair Dryer
Interestingly, drying your carpet with hair dryers is one of the most efficient ways to dry carpets aside from drying them in the sun.
You can use this method on your carpet in cold weather conditions; your carpet must not necessarily be dirty before you do this. Instead, you can use your hand dryer to dry wet places on your carpet.
As you do this, bacteria and molds find it challenging to grow on your carpet since they love cold and damp environments and can not grow in hot environments and conditions.
The hairdryer method may take just a maximum of 2 hours to dry your carpet completely, which is sometimes influenced by external factors such as the size of the carpet, materials used in making the carpet, and the weather condition at the particular time.
However, the best time to use this method is in warm temperatures when there is less moisture, cold, and dampness on your carpet.
Alternatively, this method goes well with the alcohol and baking soda for quicker results.
Here is a list of things you should consider when using the alternative methods we have listed above to dry your carpet.
| Drying Method | Duration Of Drying | Ideal Drying Condition | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dryers | 1 hour | Ideal for wet carpets and in low heat | Is capable of making carpets wrinkle, tear and slack |
| Baking Soda | 4 hours | Ideal for cold temperature | It is not cost-effective because the baking soda usage is in so much quantity, unlike dry cleaning products |
| Alcohol | 4 hours | Warm temperatures | Extremely difficult to implement |
| Hand Dryer | 2 hours | It is more effective for warm temperatures but also adequate for cold temperatures. | It requires a combination of the alcohol and baking soda methods for better results. |
You can also dry your carpet by creating an airflow by opening your windows to allow air to pass across your room. Cold and rainy days will not facilitate this method because the air will be moist.
Alternatively, you can use a fan, air conditioning system, a shop vacuum, a towel, and even a carpet blower to dry your carpet when it is inconvenient to dry in the sun.
Airflow helps in reducing the activities of yeast and bacteria on the carpet.
How Do You Dry a Carpet In the Dryer?
Ideally, a wet carpet should dry up between 3 to 12 hours. However, under rare conditions, a wet carpet may dry up completely within 12 to 24 hours.
There are so many factors that contribute to the drying process of a wet carpet. These factors include;
- The type of material used in making the carpet affects the rate at which the carpet dries. For example, synthetic carpets dry faster than carpets made with wool and cotton.
- The drying method also contributes to carpet drying, i.e., by the dryer, alcohol, bicarbonate, or hand dryer.
- The temperature used in drying the carpet and
- The type of dirt on the carpet
However, you mustn’t dip your carpet entirely in water when washing. You can sprinkle a little water on the carpet and use detergent to scrub off dirt and stains using a scrub brush.
You can always opt for professional help if the carpet is still wet within 24 hours.
Conclusion
Avoid putting your carpet in the dryer. They are best dried using sunshine; using dryers for drying results in wrinkling, slacking, and fading.
Nevertheless, there are other DIY methods you can use to dry carpets. They include drying your carpet using alcohol, baking soda, and hand dryers. Typically, a carpet should dry up within 12 hours of drying.
