Wool & Silk Care: Why We Flat Dry Your Delicate Fabrics

If you've ever pulled a favourite wool jumper out of the dryer only to find it's shrunk two sizes, you already know why some fabrics need special treatment. Wool and silk are two of the most common items customers ask us to take extra care with — and it's a fair ask. Heat and tumbling are exactly what these fibres can't handle.

For customers who are particular about how their laundry is dried, we get it. That's why flat drying, hang air drying and gentle machine drying are all options we can accommodate — you just need to let us know when you book.

Why Wool & Silk Need Flat Drying

Wool fibres are elastic when wet, which means hanging a wet wool jumper lets gravity stretch it out of shape permanently. Tumble drying is worse — the combination of heat and movement causes the fibres to felt and shrink. Flat drying solves both problems: the garment is laid out on a mesh rack so it dries evenly, keeps its original shape, and doesn't sag or stretch under its own weight.

Silk has a different issue — it's a delicate protein fibre that can lose its sheen, weaken, or water-mark if it's not dried carefully. Flat drying away from direct heat keeps silk garments looking and feeling the way they should.

What We Use

We have a multi-tier mesh hanging dryer specifically for delicates like wool and silk, so they dry flat without losing shape. Items requiring flat-drying are billed at a small $2.00 per item special handling fee — reasonable given the extra rack space and drying time these items need compared to a standard load.

You Choose How It's Dried

Every load is different, so we don't apply a one-size-fits-all drying method. When you book, just tell us what you need and we'll sort it accordingly:

• Machine dry — standard tumble drying for everyday loads • Hang / air dry — for items that hold their shape better on a hanger • Flat dry — for wool, silk and other delicates that need to dry flat

If you've got a mixed load with a couple of delicate pieces in it, flag them separately and we'll pull those out for flat drying while the rest goes through as normal. No extra hassle on your end — just tell us what's in the bag.

Booking a Delicate Load

When you book your pickup, add a note letting us know which items need flat drying or air drying, and we'll take it from there. Air/hang drying is included as part of our standard wash, dry and fold service, while flat-drying on our mesh rack carries a small $2.00 per item special handling fee, since it takes up dedicated rack space and longer drying time than a normal load.