Clothes makers usually adopt standard symbols which they include on clothes labels to tell you whether an item of clothing is designed to be capable of drying in a tumble dryer.

Clockwise from the top left in the image above:-

1. The crossed out circle means the item is not suitable for tumble drying;

2. The plain circle inside the square means the item is suitable for tumble drying;

3. The single dot inside the circle means that the item of clothing should be dried on a low heat; and

4. The two dots indicate that a high heat may be used.

This is a non-exhaustive list of items which you shouldn’t really attempt to dry in your tumble dryer.

Swimming costumes. They tend to contain a material called Spandex which is rubberised and likely to disintegrate from exposure to heat.

Sports shoes, trainers/sneakers. If your sports shoes have support made from a rubber material, this might get damaged, rendering the shoes useless or much less effective. Using a low heat programme might be okay for other types of trainers which don’t have this kind of support but if you must do this, be careful! Inverting a damp trainer on a warm radiator might be a better idea!

Rubber-backed bathroom mats. The ordinary ones are okay, subject to weight and load considerations (they can absorb a lot of water!) but don’t tumble dry those with a non-slip rubberised back because it may break down when exposed to heat.

Bras. Bras often aren’t well cared for in dyers, even if there’s a dedicated programme for them.

Hosiery. The material is delicate and they tangle easily.

Clothing with lots of design elements like buttons or sequins. These can come off in the harsh dryer environment, damaging the look of the clothes and possibly causing problems with your machine.