Laundry · Delicates & Underwear
Can I Put a Bra in the Clothes Dryer?
Something else…
What else can go in the clothes dryer?
YES, WITH LIMITS
Safe only under specific conditions. The conditions are the answer.
Usually, air-dry it. Put a bra in the dryer only when its care label allows tumble drying and the dryer manual permits its padding and any metal reinforcement. Use the labeled cycle and heat setting; if either instruction is unclear, keep it out.
Compatibility summary
- Can I use them together?Only under conditions
- Main riskLoss of support
- What gets damagedBra and dryer
- InsteadAir dry away from heat
The conditions
Fine to do
- The care label explicitly allows tumble drying, and you use the stated cycle and heat setting.
- Your dryer manual allows the bra’s construction, including any padding or metal reinforcement.
- Use a drying rack or garment bag for an underwire bra only when the dryer manual gives that method.
- Hooks and eyes are fastened, and the wire and seams are fully enclosed and intact.
Never do
- Never tumble dry a bra labeled line dry, dry flat, or do not tumble dry.
- Never use a hotter cycle than the care label permits.
- Never put metal-reinforced underwear directly in a dryer whose manual excludes it.
- Never put a bra with a loose or protruding wire in the drum.
- Never use heated drying on foam or rubber-like padding when the dryer manual calls for air-only drying or excludes it.
Why those conditions exist
Heat weakens stretch fibers
Spandex in a band or strap is heat-sensitive. Repeated exposure can damage the fiber and reduce the recovery that keeps the bra snug.
Tumbling works wires loose
The rotating drum repeatedly flexes the bra and lets hooks or edges catch. If an underwire escapes its channel, it can tear fabric or damage the dryer.
Foam padding can overheat
If a bra contains foam rubber or similar padding, heated drying can make that material burn. Dryer manuals may require air-only drying or exclude it from the machine.
The Delicate-Cycle Assumption
A delicate or low-heat cycle sounds safe because a bra is small and lightweight. The care label still controls: line dry and dry flat are alternative drying instructions, even when the label does not also say do not tumble dry.
Low heat leaves the drum’s mechanical action unchanged. An underwire can work loose during tumbling, so use a rack or garment bag only when the dryer manual offers that method; otherwise air-dry the bra.
Sources
- Federal Trade Commission — Clothes Captioning: Complying with the Care Labeling Rule
- ASTM International — ASTM Guide to Care Symbols
- Fisher & Paykel — Vented Clothes Dryer Installation Guide and User Guide
- University of Georgia Cooperative Extension — Understand Your Fibers
Reviewed 1 September 2026 · Reviewed bra drying against FTC care-label guidance, an ASTM symbol chart, a current dryer manual, and university textile guidance on spandex heat sensitivity.