Polyester and acetate in the dryer?
Question:I want to put my prom dress in the dryer. It's 100% polyester and 100% acetate. What will happen to it?
Don't say, "Don't put it in the dryer" because you don't know what I'm trying to accomplish. Just tell me what will happen. Thanks.
Answers:
The polyester portion will probably withstand the dryer reasonably well, it won't shrink or tear, but depending on the quality of the fabric, it might pill like a cheap sweater. The acetate portion, however will not fare well in the dryer.
Acetate does not stand up well to heat (or chemicals). At best, every edge of the fabric will fray and have long strings. The fraying will cause some of the seams to come unsewn in places. The seams that stay sewn will pucker.
At worst, the acetate will melt in places, making a hard crumbly substance resembling crushed potato chips, and ultimately leaving your fabric with holes in it in addition to the frays and puckered seams.
Unless your goal is to render the dress unwearable, perhaps you would be better served by asking how to achieve whatever you were hoping to accomplish by putting it in the dryer.
The polyester areas should be fine, but the acetate areas may shrink and or crinkle. To some extent that will depend on the heat setting you use. Delicate cycle may be just fine, hot cycle, watch out!
Use heat and it could melt - the acetate is a potential fire hazzard as well. I'll say it - don't put it in the dryer - at least not if you want to be safe.
If you are looking to shrink the dress you are out of luck because it will probably shrink unevenly.
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