What's Really Happening Inside Your Washer and Dryer?

What Goes On Inside the Dryer

1. When you turn on the dryer, the drum starts rotating, tumbling your clothes. Paddles located around the inside rim help to lift and separate items as they move.

2. While the drum is spinning, a fan sucks in air through a vent and propels it over a heating element, which brings the temperature to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit in a normal cycle.

3. The air blows into the drum through large holes at the back, heating the clothes and drawing out the moisture.

4. A thermostat turns the heating element on and off periodically throughout the cycle to regulate the temperature and prevent the clothes from overheating.

5. Moist air flows through the lint screen, which catches any dust and fluff that comes off the clothes, and continues out the exhaust duct and the vent outside.

6. Unless you choose a manual dry setting, sensors monitor the moisture in the clothes and determine when the cycle is complete.