Tumble dryers are one of the best inventions of the 20th century. They were designed to remove the moisture from clothing, usually right after it is washed, either by hand or by a washing machine. The primary component in a dryer is the tumbler which is a rotating drum that circulates air inside the unit and removes moisture from the clothing. The reason the tumbler rotates is so that the clothing inside the machine keeps an even amount of space between each article.

Prior to the advent of tumble dryers, as they are known today, clothing was generally hung on a clothes line to dry. This sometimes over-dried the clothing and also took a significantly longer period of time to complete the drying process. Today, fabric softener sheets can be added to the load of clothing so that the fabric fibres in each article do not lose softness and natural moisture.

This option also can help prevent some shrinking that may occur during the natural process of drying an article of clothing. Fabric softener, whether applied as a liquid during the washing and rinsing cycle or added as a dryer sheet, helps to relax the strands of fiber within the clothing. This helps maintain natural shape and elasticity. When clothing is hung up to dry or run through tumble dryers without the use of fabric softener, it may be more prone to shrinking, since the fibres have a greater tendency to constrict.

As a result of advancements in technology, tumble dryers do not consume as much energy as they used to. Some units referred to as high efficiency which is particularly geared towards energy conservation. New units, even those which are not labelled this way, will tend to consume less electricity than the older units when they were first invented.

Most manufacturers recommend that the user of their tumble dryer models clean out the lint filter as often as possible, in order to keep the machine working at its maximum capacity. The lint filter collects excess fibres and other particles that may come loose from the exterior of the clothing as it dries. It also picks up lint, dust and loose material that are in pockets or which may accidentally have made their way into the unit when it is loaded. Without the convenience of tumble dryers, consumers would need to dedicate a much greater period of time each week to their laundering activities.