You can make dresses especially short and stretchy. However, it is better to hang them. You see, a microwave oven is designed to heat, not dry.

In addition, microwave heat can only penetrate to a depth of 2.5 cm into wet clothes. Drying a large folded cloth can only dry. Wet clothes dry out with the heat and the water in them evaporates.

But in a closed microwave oven, the generated moisture does not escape. This can cause the fabric to wrinkle during washing.

You can use a microwave oven to heat and dry wet clothes for a few seconds. This cuts the drying time in half. In this article, we’ll look at which clothes are microwave safe and how to dry them.

What materials are the clothes made of and how can they be used in a microwave oven?

Today, clothes are made of natural, synthetic materials or a combination of natural and synthetic materials. For example, shirts are made of cotton, nylon, cotton-polyester, or a combination of all these fabrics.

Most garments made of natural materials are microwave safe, while synthetic materials can be microwave safe.

Polyester and nylon melt at high temperatures, while materials such as spandex can cause flames at high temperatures. Many items of clothing, such as jeans, have metal zippers and buttons. Sparks may be created if such clothes are placed in the microwave oven.

Attempting to heat a non-microwave safe cloth in the microwave oven may damage the equipment or the microwave oven, or result in a warm, damp cloth instead of a dry cloth.

It should be noted that while natural fabrics are advertised as microwaves, not all materials have the same heat properties and responses.

Some can only be dried for a short time, while others will last a long time without deteriorating. Natural materials such as bamboo should not be placed in the microwave oven as they produce smoke and flames.

How do you know if your fabric is microwave safe?

You can’t tell if the fabric is microwave safe or not. Even small labels on clothes do not tell you if the products are microwave safe.

Even if you are sure your fabric is microwave safe, you may not be aware of a small zipper or metal button. To find out if a material is microwave safe, see the ingredients listed on the fabric label and how they react to heat and fire.

How to safely dry clothes in the microwave

The only option for drying clothes is a microwave oven. In an emergency, you can do the following:

Step 1:

Make sure that the fabric you want to dry is relatively small and does not contain any metal or plastic parts. Don’t try this with a dirty cloth as it will create a bad smell in your kitchen.

Second step:

For the safety of your microwave oven, cover the cloth with a bowl. It will help if the fabric catches fire and you change the shirt and knot, and not the entire microwave oven.

Step 3:

Set the microwave temperature to about 50%. Now put the shirt in the microwave for ten seconds.

Step 4:

Take it out of the microwave oven and use pot handles to gently feel the temperature. If it is too hot, rub it until it cools down. Now see if it dries.

Step 5:

If the fabric is still wet, repeat the steps above, each step at 50% temperature for ten seconds only. Once the fabric is almost dry, you can starve it for a few minutes and let it dry.

The decision to dry clothes in the microwave oven

While you can use a microwave oven to dry clothes made of certain microwave-resistant materials, such as cotton, they will not provide the drying results you expect, as microwaves are essentially heaters and not tumble dryers.

Most microwaveable clothes, such as cotton socks and underwear, dry well in the microwave oven, but elastic parts will deteriorate.