Written by Angela Reviewed by Daniel

Can You Tumble Dry Polo Shirts? (will it shrink or is it ok)

While some companies allow the use of a tumble dryer for drying their polo shirts, we recommend that you do not tumble dry and instead air dry your polo shirts for safety.

Polo shirts are made from cotton, polyester or a blend of both. These materials are both known to shrink if subjected to high temperatures.

Plus the rough treatment polo shirts will have to endure in a tumble dryer, even at low temperatures can cause damage to the fibres of the shirts which will lead to rips and tears or holes appearing at some point.

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What The Tumble Dryer Symbols Mean On Polo Shirts

The care label on your polo shirt will tell you whether or not it can be tumble dried. Which is all very well as long as you understand what the symbols mean.

Below we have listed all of the symbols relating to tumble drying that can be found on the care label. Only one or two will apply to polo shirts but we’ve included them all for your information.

Square With White Circle – This symbol indicates that the item can be tumble dried. It is possible that this might be found on your polo shirt.
Square With White Circle And One Black Dot In Circle – This symbol indicates that the item can be dried in a tumble dryer on a low heat setting. It is possible that your polo shirt might carry this symbol. However, for the reasons stated above, we do not recommend tumble drying polo shirts.
Square With White Circle And Two Black Dots In Circle – this symbol indicates that the item can be tumble dried using a medium heat setting. It isn’t likely that this symbol will be found on any polo shirts.
Square With White Circle And Three Black Dots In Circle – This is the symbol that indicates that the item can be dried in a tumble dryer on a high heat setting. It is very unlikely that you’ll find this symbol on a polo shirt’s care label.
Square With Black Circle – This symbol indicates that the item can be tumble dried using the no heat setting. It is possible that this symbol could be found on your polo shirt.
Square With White Circle And A Black X On Top – This is the symbol that is used to indicate that the item cannot be tumble dried. This is the most likely symbol to be found on your polo shirt.

How To Dry Polo Shirts Without A Tumble Dryer

The best way to dry polo shirts is to air dry them. Even if the care label indicates that the polo shirt can be tumble dried, it will last longer and be better for the environment if it is air dried.

There are several ways to air dry your polo shirts, these include;

Line Drying Polo Shirts

There is no better way to dry polo shirts than on a washing line. Line drying is best done by hanging your polo shirts on hangers and attaching the hangers to the washing line. This often eliminates the need to iron away creases.

You can use a washing line, rotary line or if space is tight, a retractable clothesline.

Retractable clotheslines consist of a box which is mounted onto a wall (either indoors or outside). The nylon line is extended from the box and secured to an opposite wall.

Once the polo shirts are dry, the line can be retracted into the box freeing up the space until needed again on the next wash day.

Using An Airer To Dry Your Polo Shirts

Airers or clothes horses, as they are also known, are a great alternative to clotheslines for drying polo shirts. You can either hang your polo shirts from hangers and suspend the hangers to the airer.

Or lay your polo shirts flat on the racks of the airer.

Airers can be used outdoors on warm, dry days and indoors when the weather is too bad for drying.

Drying Polo Shirts In An Airing Cupboard

If you’re fortunate enough to have an airing cupboard in your home, it is a great place for drying your polo shirts. They can be either laid flat on racks in the airing cupboard or, if space allows, you can set up an airer in the airing cupboard.

The airer can then be used in the usual way.

Decrease Indoor Drying Times For Polo Shirts Using A Dehumidifier

A dehumidifier removes excess moisture from the air of the room it is set up in. By setting the dehumidifier up in the same room as the drying polo shirt, you can seriously decrease the amount of time needed to dry the polo shirt.

The polo shirt can only release a certain amount of moisture into the air around it depending on how much moisture is already in that air.

So, by removing some of the excess moisture, you allow the polo shirt to release more moisture at a faster rate.

Electric Fans Can Also Reduce Drying Times Indoors

If you position an electric fan so that it is pointing at your drying polo shirts indoors, you can simulate a breeze which will help cut down the drying time.

This works well if you have an open window to allow adequate air flow through the room.

What Happens If You Tumble Dry Polo Shirts?

In some cases, even with polo shirts that indicate on the care label that they can be tumble dried, damage can occur in the tumble dryer. This can be any of the following;

Wear To The Fabric

The rough and tumble action of the tumble dryer can cause the fibres of the polo shirt to become damaged. This can cause the fabric to become damaged.

This damage will show as areas of wear, the material will look and probably feel thinner at these damaged areas.

Shrinking

Polo shirts are usually made from cotton, polyester or a blended cotton material. These materials can all shrink if exposed to high temperatures. Which means your polo shirt will almost certainly shrink in the tumble dryer.

Rips And Tears

As the fibres get stretched and ripped apart, they create holes to appear in the fabric of the polo shirt. This leaves you with rips and tears in your polo shirt.

Misshapen Polo Shirts

When certain materials are exposed to heat, they can react in different ways. Some can shrink while others can stretch. This pulls the polo shirt completely out of shape.

In many cases it can become too short and far too wide. Which will make the polo shirt completely unwearable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to put a polo shirt in a tumble dryer?

You should always check the care label, but even if the care label says a polo shirt can be tumble dried, it will last longer and keep its shape better if it is air dried.

How can I dry polo shirts without a tumble dryer?

There are several ways to dry a polo shirt without using a tumble dryer. These include drying your polo shirts on a clothesline, rotary line or a retractable clothesline, they should be hung on hangers and the hangers attached to the line, or on an airer either indoors or outside on warm, dry days.

Do polo shirts shrink in the dryer?

Polo shirts are often prone to shrinking in a tumble dryer. This is due to the material used to make polo shirts which is usually either cotton, polyester or a blend of the two.

Can cotton Polo shirts be tumble dried?

Cotton polo shirts can often be tumble dried according to the care label. But be warned, cotton is susceptible to shrink if exposed to high temperatures. It is far better to air dry your cotton polo shirts.

How do you keep polo shirts from wrinkling?

The best way to prevent polo shirts from wrinkling as they dry is to dry your polo shirts by hanging them on a clothes hanger. This allows any wrinkles to drop out as the polo shirt dries.