washing/drying a crochet knit cotton hoodie?

Question

i got this 100% cotton crochet knit hoodie from pac sun... and on the care tag it says to machine wash in cold water and then dry flat... but i was wondering would putting it in the dryer damage it?
there's a very similar hoodie at forever 21:
http://www.forever21.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=FOREVER21&category%5Fname=sweaters&product%5Fid=2041623279&Page=1#
and for this hoodie it says to tumble dry low.
so what could happen if i put my hoodie in the dryer? would it collect those little fuzzy balls on it? or something worse?
thanks for your help. =]

here is the hoodie i have:
http://shop.pacsun.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&productId=73168&parentCategoryId=10002&categoryId=31060&pageNumber=-1&sortBy=0
(sorry, i couldn't find the link for it before)

Answer 1

I always wash 100% cotton by hand in cold water ...guess you could use delicate on machine but always cold water then I put it on a towel and let it dry flat to keep the shape.
I should add before I put it on a dry towel I wrap it up in a large clean towel to get rid of excess moisture..

Answer 2

One thing that will help, no matter the color, is to turn the hoodie inside-out when you wash it (drying too…if done in a dryer). That will keep the visible side from rubbing against other clothing which can cause a worn look. This is a GREAT way to keep dark and vibrant colors looking good. This applies to all washable clothing.

You won’t get a lot of fuzzy balls on your hoodie. Cotton clothing actually does form fuzzy balls like polyester or acetate clothing but since the fiber isn’t as strong they break off which makes less work for you!

I think you can probably trust the “tumble dry low” instructions but if that makes you uncomfortable then try using the “air only” option on your dryer. It can take quite awhile. You don’t have to wait until it is completely dry if you aren’t completely comfortable with using the dryer. You can then lay it flat and shape the sweater to finish the drying process. One great thing about using the dryer option, as you know, is that you will end up with a softer sweater in the end which is always nice!

My 7yr old daughter has a cotton sweater that has “dry flat” instructions. We are fortunate to have an island style kitchen counter that is large enough to lay it out on so it can dry faster than it would on a towel. I did that first and the towel got wet which meant that the sweater AND the towel would have to dry which would take longer so I then just put it on the counter and it worked out really well. I do wish that sweater had "tumble dry low" instructions!

In the end, you can’t go wrong by following the directions. If you have problems you can tell Pac Sun and they should replace it. Manufacturers write the care instructions to suit not only the fiber, fabric & garment construction but also to save their own fannies! Basically, the care instructions are written on the conservative side so they don’t get a bunch of angry customers that end up with ruined clothing.

Good luck, happy washing/drying & enjoy your hoodie!