Clothes dryer

A clothes dryer (tumble dryer, drying machine, drying device, or simply dryer) is a powered household appliance that is used to remove moisture from a load of clothing, bedding and other textiles, usually after they are washed in the washing machine.

Many dryers consist of a rotating drum called a "tumbler" through which heated air is circulated to evaporate moisture while the tumbler is rotated to maintain air space between the articles. Using such a machine may cause clothes to shrink or become less soft (by loss of short soft fibers). A simpler non-rotating machine called a "drying cabinet" may be used for delicate fabrics and other items not suitable for a tumble dryer. Other machines include steam to de-shrink clothes and eliminate the need for ironing.

Tumble dryers

Tumble dryers continuously draw in air from their surroundings and heat it before passing it through the tumbler. The resulting hot, humid air is usually vented outside to make room for more air to continue the drying process. The air can be heated using a gas flame, in which case the humid air contains combustion products such as CO2, or it can be heated electrically using nichrome wire or semiconductor devices such as PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heaters.

Tumble dryers are sometimes integrated with a washing machine, in the form of washer-dryer combination units, which are essentially a front-loading washing machine with an integrated dryer or (in the US) a laundry center, which stacks the dryer on top of the washer and integrates the controls for both machines into a single control panel. Often the washer and dryer functions will have a different capacity, with the dryer usually having a lower capacity than the washer.