It’s easy to just toss wet laundry into your clothes dryer without giving it a second thought.
Did you know that wadded and twisted wet clothes can actually increase your drying time? By leaving your clothes, towels or sheets in a bundled mess, you can end up with damp areas when everything else is dry. Not to mention, tossing your clothes in without a quick shake can lead to stretched materials, wrinkles and permanently set-in stains. When you transfer your clothes from your washing machine to your dryer, give your laundry a shake or two to separate your items.
This simple technique allows you to have a chance to double check any pockets for forgotten items that could melt or explode (like lip balm or a pen!), saving you one headache of a mess. Also, use this time to check over your clothing for any pre-treated stains.
If you catch your clothing with stains before you toss ‘em in the dryer, you have a chance to try to get the stains out before you really set them in during the drying process. Once you shake your clothes out, you can add a dry towel to your laundry to decrease drying time.
You can also use your DIY dryer balls too, speeding up the drying process. If you’re looking for another energy-saving alternative, simply hang your laundry on the line until they are partially dry and toss your clothes in for the remainder of the time—this helps reduce wrinkles of course.
As always, make sure to practice regular dryer maintenance: clean out your lint screen after each use to decrease a fire hazard (this speeds up the drying process, too).
Photo Source: Marcus T. Ward via Flickr
