Washers have come a long way in terms of their built-in features and functions. One popular function nowadays is the anti-crease setting, which sounds very helpful for our laundry needs. However, what exactly is the anti-crease on washers, and when should you use it?
The anti-crease function on washers is a tumbling setting that is activated after a wash cycle. It’s designed to reduce wrinkling when washing synthetic fabrics like spandex, polyester, and nylon. Avoid using this feature when washing heavy fabrics like cotton and denim.
If you want to know more about the anti-crease setting in your washer, read until the end to find out how it works, how it’ll benefit you, and when you should and shouldn’t use it.
What Is the Anti-Crease Function?
You may have found the “Anti-Crease” setting while doing your laundry and got curious about what it does and what it’s for. If you’re familiar with the terms “Wrinkle Prevent” or “Wrinkle Control,” know that they all serve the same purpose: to keep your clothes from creasing or wrinkling.
Basically, activating the anti-crease feature will change the duration, intensity, and speed of the spin cycle and water temperature. You can think of it as another version of the delicate cycle in terms of the specifics but specially designed for crease prevention. With this option, expect your clothes to come out of the washer smoother and neater, making way for little to no need for ironing.
The anti-crease function is just one of the many settings that you can find in your washer. If you want to know more about how you can use and make the most out of your washing machine, give this article a read for a full overview.
How Does the Anti-Crease Setting Work?
Depending on the brand and model of the washer you’re using, you can expect a normal wash cycle to take about an hour and a half using either hot or warm water (up to 140 °F or 60 °C) for most fabrics.
However, you can shorten your wash load cycle to 60 minutes with an anti-crease setting.
Depending on how heavy your laundry is, it can be much shorter or longer, but the duration will generally be shorter than that of a normal cycle. This specific function reduces spin volume, so the fabrics experience less stress and agitation.
Moreover, it prevents wrinkles and creases from forming in the clothes, which gets rid of another one of the main factors that cause the issues in the first place — heat. Instead of warm to hot water, anti-crease uses cold water for the load, though other washers use alternating water temperatures to achieve the same wrinkle-free effect.
Benefits of Using the Anti-Crease Feature
Evidently, the anti-crease feature’s main highlight is the reduced wrinkles on freshly washed clothes. However, it can come with more benefits, especially for your laundry routine, electric bills, water usage, and even the actual clothes.
Here’s a list of the benefits of using the anti-crease feature:
- Shorter laundry times. Since one of the ways that the anti-crease feature works is by cutting down the spin cycle duration, you can generally enjoy shorter laundry times. That means more time to relax or spend on your other chores.
- Lower utility bills. Since the function uses lower water temperature to tumble the clothes, you can expect lower utility bills from your washer. Cold water is generally more cost-efficient when it comes to laundry since it costs only four cents per load, while hot water comes up to about 68 cents.
- Prolonged clothes’ lifespan. The settings that come with the anti-crease feature are almost as gentle as the delicate cycle, so you can count on it to extend your clothes’ lifespan. The shorter and gentler spin cycle, along with the use of cold water, will help preserve the clothes’ color, fabric runs, and structure.
Of course, you have to remember that you’ll only get to enjoy these benefits if you use the setting properly, that is, by using it at the right time and type of clothes.
When Should You Use the Anti-Crease Function in Washers?
There’s a right time to use the anti-crease function. Just because it offers a lot of benefits doesn’t mean you should make it your default washer setting. That said, your anti-crease feature will come in most handy when you’re washing the following:
- Clothes made out of synthetic fibers, such as spandex, polyester, nylon, and rayon, to state a few
- Vibrant-colored garments that are at risk of fading if washed regularly
- Tumble-dry-labeled fabrics
- Clothes with a “Do not iron” tag on their care card
Bottom line: If you’re washing clothes that are not that delicate but still wrinkle easily, the anti-crease cycle is your friend.
When Should You Not Use the Anti-Crease Function?
Now, here’s a list of when you should NOT use the anti-crease function on your washer:
- If the majority of the clothes you’re washing are considered “heavy” or those with thick fabrics, such as cotton and denim
- Clothes with stubborn stains, as the power of an anti-crease cycle can’t handle it
- Clothes and fabrics that need to be washed with hot water
To add, make sure that you know the difference between an anti-crease cycle and the delicate cycle. While both are gentler compared to the normal wash cycle, the former can still cause damage to extremely sensitive fabrics.
Final Thoughts
The anti-crease setting that you see on your washer is designed to reduce or totally keep your clothes from being wrinkled after a wash cycle. This will also help maintain the vibrancy of your clothes’ colors and overall condition.
When activated, it will enable the clothes to tumble intermittently under slower spin speeds, lower water temperature, and shorter cycles.
This function is best used if you’re washing clothes made out of synthetic fibers since these are usually the types to crease easily. On the other hand, avoid it if you’re washing heavy fabrics and those with stubborn stains.
I’m an expert wardrobe organizer and a bit of a clean freak. I created this website and its YouTube channel to share practical guides about laundry and organizing. My teachings have been featured in multiple large news publications, and I’ve self-published two wardrobe organizing books and an entire course on the subject.
