How to Use a Dryer Rack in Your Dryer

Whether you can use one depends entirely on your machine, but the core method is the same across Maytag, Samsung, GE, and LG models. The rack sits still inside the drum, holds items that shouldn’t tumble, and keeps them off the rotating drum’s path. Get the seating right, pick the correct cycle, and you’ll extend the life of delicates that would otherwise pill, stretch, or warp in a normal tumble cycle.

What the Rack Is For

Maytag’s official guidance says the rack handles items you don’t want to tumble dry, like sweaters and tennis shoes. Samsung points to gym shoes and stuffed animals. The mechanism is simple: the rack stays stationary in the drum, so items rest in place while the drum spins around them.

The alternative to this appliance is a standalone folding dryer rack for air-drying, which works anywhere but takes hours. If you’re weighing your options, our tested lineup of the best dryer racks compares both styles side by side.

Step-by-Step Setup for Most Dryers

Maytag and Samsung publish nearly identical procedures, and the pattern holds for most other brands with compatible racks.

1. Open the dryer door and remove the rack if it’s already stored in the drum.
2. Align the two hooks on the rack’s front edge with the holes in the door opening and press down firmly until seated.
3. Rest the rear support on the back ledge of the drum—Samsung models have recessed areas in the back wall for this.
4. Press down on the center of the rack to confirm it’s secure.
5. Lay wet items flat on the rack, leaving space between them so air can move through.
6. Close the door, select the correct cycle, and start the dryer.

When the cycle finishes, remove items and the rack itself if your model’s manual instructs you to. Some dryers require rack removal after every use; others let it stay until the next load.

Which Cycle and Settings Are Safe?

The single rule that governs every brand: use a manual cycle, not an automatic one. Automatic and sensor cycles expect tumbling clothes to trigger the moisture sensors, and a stationary rack breaks that logic.

Maytag says the rack works with Timed Dry or Air Only on Low temperature. GE’s guidance matches: Timed Dry only, and never with other clothes in the drum. Samsung recommends Rack Dry when the model has that setting, otherwise Time Dry or Air Fluff. LG dryers with rack support should run at a lower temperature to reduce overheating risk while items sit still.

Safety Rules That Keep the Dryer Working

Four warnings repeat across every manufacturer’s manual, and skipping any of them can damage your machine or start a fire.

Never run the rack with tumbling clothes. Kenmore and LG both warn that loose items in the drum can collide with the rack, causing noise and damage. The dryer runs the rack cycle alone.

Keep everything inside the rack’s edges. Maytag, Samsung, Kenmore, and LG all say the same thing: fabric hanging over the side gets struck by the rotating drum. Overhanging items also block airflow and dry unevenly.

Never dry rubber, foam, or plastic with heat. Samsung warns these materials can be damaged and become a fire hazard. Maytag says items containing foam, rubber, or plastic belong on a clothesline or in an Air Only cycle. For feathers and down, use Air Fluff only.

Keep the lint screen in place while the rack is installed—Maytag is explicit about this—and replace it if you removed it. A missing screen lets small items reach the exhaust system, where they can block airflow or damage the blower.

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