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Permanent Press vs. Delicate cycle

Q: What is the Permanent Press cycle?

The Permanent Press cycle on your washer or dryer is designed to help reduce wrinkling. In the washer, it uses warm water and a slower spin cycle to gently relax and release wrinkles. In the dryer, it takes it a step further with medium heat and a cool-down period, helping to prevent creases for ready-to-wear clothes right out of the machine. Keep in mind that not all washers and dryers call it “Permanent Press.” You might see this cycle labeled as “Casual” or “Wrinkle Control” instead.

Q: What is the Delicate cycle?

The Delicate Wash cycle uses cold water, a deep fill and low spin speeds to gently care for fragile fabrics like lace or silk. This gentle approach helps reduce wrinkling and helps keep your clothes looking their best. If you see “gentle” on the care label, this is the cycle to choose. Your dryer may also have a Delicate cycle (sometimes known as “Less Dry”), which uses low temperatures as it dries to help prevent clothes from shrinking.

Q: When to use Permanent Press vs. Delicate

Both laundry cycles help reduce wrinkles and are gentler on clothes than a typical Normal Wash cycle, but uniquely fragile fabrics may benefit more from using the Delicate cycle, as Permanent Press may not be gentle enough for all types of clothes. Your clothing’s care tag should offer guidance on which cycle to use. A good rule of thumb is to wash undergarments, knitted items, bras, lingerie, silks, cashmere and most sweaters using the Delicate cycle and reserve the Permanent Press cycle for professional attire like blouses and button-ups.

Choosing the right washer cycle can be the key to keeping clothes vibrant. Whether you’re picking an outfit for a big meeting or a night out, use this guide to learn about the advantages of Permanent Press and Delicate cycles. It will help you understand when to use them so that you can keep your clothes looking sharp, wrinkle-free and ready for any occasion.

Clothing blurred while spinning during wash cycle

What is the Permanent Press cycle?

The Permanent Press cycle on your washer or dryer is designed to help reduce wrinkling. In the washer, it uses warm water and a slower spin cycle to gently relax and release wrinkles. In the dryer, it takes it a step further with medium heat and a cool-down period, helping to prevent creases for ready-to-wear clothes right out of the machine.

Keep in mind that not all washers and dryers call it “Permanent Press.” You might see this cycle labeled as “Casual” or “Wrinkle Control” instead.

Benefits of the Permanent Press cycle

This cycle is great for a range of fabrics—especially synthetics like polyester—but it can also help with natural fibers like linen or cotton that wrinkle easily. It uses a lower temperature to gently reduce wrinkles without harming your clothes. Permanent Press is ideal for keeping professional attire like blouses, dress shirts and dresses looking neat and presentable.

Orange- and pink-toned clothes inside of a Whirlpool® Washer with the 2 in 1 Removable Agitator

What is the Delicate cycle?

The Delicate Wash cycle uses cold water, a deep fill and low spin speeds to gently care for fragile fabrics like lace or silk. This gentle approach helps reduce wrinkling and helps keep your clothes looking their best. If you see “gentle” on the care label, this is the cycle to choose.

Your dryer may also have a Delicate cycle (sometimes known as “Less Dry”), which uses low temperatures as it dries to help prevent clothes from shrinking.

Benefits of the Delicate cycle

Thanks to the lower spin speeds and cooler water, the Delicate cycle can help reduce color fading in clothing and better protect embellishments like sequins or beading. Less agitation during a Delicate cycle can also help prevent damage to clothing fibers and help protect fragile fabrics from stretching. Keep in mind that, though the cycle is gentle, you’ll still need to wash items like bras and lingerie in mesh bags to help prevent snagging, and always check your care label, to make sure your garment is machine washable.

Comparing Permanent Press and Delicate cycles

See the chart below to compare the run times, clothing types, water temperatures and spin speeds of the Permanent Press and Delicate cycles.

	Permanent Press	Delicate
Run time	45 minutes	45-80 minutes
Clothing type	Casual business attire, blouses, button-up shirts, dresses	Sheer fabrics, lingerie, shoes, undergarments, sweaters, silk, knitted items
Water temperature	Warm water	Cool water
Spin speed	low	Low

When to use Permanent Press vs. Delicate

Both laundry cycles help reduce wrinkles and are gentler on clothes than a typical Normal Wash cycle, but uniquely fragile fabrics may benefit more from using the Delicate cycle, as Permanent Press may not be gentle enough for all types of clothes.

Your clothing’s care tag should offer guidance on which cycle to use. A good rule of thumb is to wash undergarments, knitted items, bras, lingerie, silks, cashmere and most sweaters using the Delicate cycle and reserve the Permanent Press cycle for professional attire like blouses and button-ups.

Explore Whirlpool^® Washers and Dryers

Give your clothes the care they deserve with various cycle settings on Whirlpool^® Washers and Dryers. Wash with the Casual cycle for no-iron fabrics or the Delicate cycle for gentle care. For fewer wrinkles, use the Wrinkle Control cycle on select Whirlpool^® Dryers, which uses lower heat and tumbles clothes after the cycle ends to help prevent wrinkles from forming.