How you can use a dryer to wash clothes that aren’t properly dirty

How many of the clothes in your dirty laundry hamper aren’t actually dirty? While socks, undies, grimy workwear and the like should be destined for the washing machine, a number of other items that have no visible soiling might be better off with a refreshing ‘air wash’.

Here, we look at what that means and when it might be a good alternative to traditional washing and drying.

The Air Wash technology in Samsung heat pump dryers allows you to refresh clothes without the water, detergent or wash time of regular laundry. It’s not dry cleaning, because it doesn’t tackle heavy soiling, but you could think of it as ‘dry freshening’.

While a regular drying cycle uses heat and airflow to remove moisture from damp laundry, the Air Wash function refreshes and deodorises clothes without heat. Instead, during the Air Wash cycle, the dryer pulls in ambient air and creates a gentle air current that helps remove odours, bacteria, and dust allergens from the garments.

Air Wash is shorter and less energy-intensive than a regular drying cycle, making it a convenient option if you want to wear something that you’ve already worn, but don’t have time to wash and dry.

The Air Wash function is useful for quickly refreshing clothes that are not visibly dirty, but have absorbed unwanted odours, such as smoke or cooking smells.

It's also great for school uniforms and polo tops. Kids sometimes have school sports on consecutive days, but don't necessarily get their kit too soiled or sweaty. Rather than having to do a rushed wash and dry before the next morning, an Air Wash can quickly refresh those shorts and polo shirt.

It’s not just for the kids’ sportswear though. The Air Wash function can also be useful for lightly worn activewear that’s been used for low-intensity activities like a walk or a gentle yoga session. In these cases, where the garments aren’t sweaty or soiled, the Air Wash cycle can help freshen them up between full washes, and remove mild odours that have been absorbed during the activity. For heavily soiled or intensely used gym clothes, a regular wash cycle would still be the way to go.

Air Wash can also be handy for lightly worn items like jackets, sweaters, or dresses that may not have been in direct contact with the skin (i.e. separated by another layer of clothing), but have absorbed odours and need a little refresh.

If energy and water efficiency is a priority for you, using the Air Wash setting is a good way of reducing unnecessary washing and drying. In addition to saving water and energy, it can also prolong the lifespan of your clothes by reducing the microscopic damage to fabric that can come with repeated laundering.

Using the Air Wash cycle on a Samsung dryer is much like selecting any other washing or drying cycle. Simply place your laundry inside, close the door, tap the power button to turn on the dryer or wake the screen and use the navigation dial to select Air Wash. You can then adjust the Dry Level for light, normal, or strong odours before tapping and holding the Start/Pause button to begin the cycle. You can then monitor the remaining cycle time and progress on the screen.