Permanent Press vs. Delicate cycle: Key differences

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.

Permanent Press and Delicate cycles both treat clothes more gently than a standard Normal Wash cycle. The difference is which fabrics they’re built for. The Permanent Press cycle is built to fight wrinkles at every step. In the washer, warm water and a slower spin relax existing creases. In the dryer, medium heat and a cool-down period help keep new ones from setting. The Delicate Wash cycle protects fragile fabrics like lace and silk with cold water, a deep fill and low spin speeds. It’s the right choice anytime a care label says “gentle.” Your dryer's Delicate cycle (sometimes called “Less Dry”) uses low heat to help prevent damage to delicate fabrics. Choosing between the cycles comes down to your garment’s fabric and care label. Below, we'll define each cycle, compare them side-by-side, help you match fabrics to the right setting and answer common questions, including which cycle is the most gentle.

Permanent Press vs. Delicate cycle comparison*

Permanent Press focuses on wrinkle reduction, while Delicate emphasizes reducing agitation to delicate clothing fibers to help prevent damage. See how they compare below, including run times, water temperatures, spin speeds and more.

Cycle	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
Agitation	Not as gentle as Delicate	Gentler than Permanent Press
Dryer heat	Medium heat with a cool-down period	Low temperatures

* Duration and settings vary by washer and load

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 help reduce the risk of clothes becoming tangled, which could result in 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. This cycle’s medium heat and final cool-down period work together to help relax fabric fibers, cutting down on wrinkles and potentially making ironing unnecessary. 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.

This cycle’s gentle heat helps keep your clothes’ fibers intact to help them look great for longer.

Permanent Press is ideal for keeping professional attire like blouses, dress shirts and dresses looking neat and presentable.

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—though the specifics can vary from model to model so always check your user’s manual when in doubt. This gentle approach helps keep your clothes looking their best. If you see “gentle” on the care label, this is the cycle to choose. Fabrics that need this kind of care may include fragile materials like silk, lace and lingerie, which could become damaged without the gentler agitation and cooler water this cycle provides.

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. Note that some dryers have a “less dry” cycle that signals you to remove clothing once laundry is mostly, but not fully, dry, which is different from a Delicate cycle. Consult your owner’s manual to double-check.

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.

When to use the Permanent Press vs. Delicate cycle

Both laundry cycles 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. Permanent Press also focuses more on helping to reduce wrinkles.

Your clothing’s care tag should offer guidance on which cycle to use. In general:

Use Permanent Press for wrinkle-prone synthetic or blended everyday clothing, like professional attire and button-ups.
Use Delicate for undergarments, knitted items, bras, lingerie, silks, cashmere and most sweaters.

Keep in mind that a Delicate cycle isn’t a substitute for hand-wash-only or dry-clean-only instructions. These items still need to be cared for by hand or by a professional, not run through the washer.

Clothes inside of the Removable Delicates Basket in a Whirlpool® Washer

Coming soon from Whirlpool brand
The first washer with a Removable Delicates Basket

Whirlpool brand's Removable Delicates Basket keeps delicates safe—with gentle agitation and slower spin forces—while regular, everyday loads wash around it. Available soon on select models.

Permanent Press vs. Delicate cycle FAQs

If you’re still uncertain about which setting to use for your clothing, read answers to common questions about the Permanent Press and Delicate cycles below.

Sometimes, you can, but you may not get the same results. As far as fabric safety goes, the Delicate cycle is gentler than Permanent Press, using cold water and a gentle spin, so it shouldn’t damage permanent press clothing—though you should always check your care tags to be sure. Just note Delicate skips the wrinkle-reducing wash action Permanent Press provides, so clothes may come out more wrinkled.

Since a washer runs only one cycle at a time, mixing delicate and permanent press items means picking the gentler setting—Delicate—to protect fragile pieces. Permanent press items can typically handle it, but always check care labels first. And note that the Delicate cycle doesn’t necessarily provide the same wrinkle-reducing benefits.

Permanent Press is not a 100 percent guarantee against all wrinkles. Some fabric fibers may still be prone to wrinkling and need other treatment, such as steaming or ironing. Also, clothes may stay wrinkled if they sit in the washer or dryer too long after the cycle ends. Remove clothes promptly for the best wrinkle-reducing results.

Yes, even in the gentle Delicate cycle, items like bras and lingerie can still snag on other clothes. Use a mesh laundry bag to help protect hooks, straps and delicate fabric from catching and tearing during the wash.

Explore all Whirlpool^® Washers and Dryers

Give your clothes the care they deserve with various cycle settings on Whirlpool^® Washers and Dryers. Wash with the Delicates Cycle for gentle care. Or, use the Wrinkle Control Cycle on select Whirlpool^® Dryers, to help minimize wrinkles.