Image by Tima
Having to deal with laundry wait times is a droll experience that makes watching paint drying look almost exciting. How do you cut down on wasted time when most of it will likely be spent waiting for your clothes to finish drying?
Well, you help things move along faster. How?
Here are a few tips to make that drying cycle less time-consuming.
Don’t Throw Everything In Together
Sort your clothes based on how easily they dry. You can look at the thickness and fabric type to get a sense of how much water a piece of clothing holds. If you pack all your clothes together, you will not let air flow, which leaves your laundry a sad and wrinkled mess. The weight can also stress the drum and motor, costing you a lot when repairs are needed when they break down.
Check The Lint Filter
Image by Steve
Clogged filters do what clogged filters do; They turn your dryer into a medieval torch. You didn’t know that? Well, every time you dry your clothes, some fibers break off and get caught in the lint screen.
These tiny fibers are highly flammable, and you don’t want them sitting in your 250-degree Fahrenheit drying box. With lint, your dryer works harder, gets hotter, and boom, you get a fire.
Clean the filter after every load to avoid being one of the over 15,000 home structure fire statistics.
Dryer Balls
If you are still using dryer sheets, then you may be missing out on the latest laundry room sorcery, which is dryer balls.
Once you stop snickering at the name, here are some things to know:
- They cut dry time by 25 to 40% (yeah, almost half)
- Softens clothes without chemical-coated dryer sheets
- Reduces static so the sweaters won’t zap you.
Wool dryer balls are the best option for absorbing some moisture, making them extra effective. Throw three or four in with your load to level up your dryer.
Set It Right And Shave Minutes Off Each Load
Dryers are not a one-size-fits-all solution, but most people treat them that way. You cannot just punch in ‘HIGH HEAT’ every time. It is a waste of energy, detrimental to your clothes, and doesn’t actually dry things faster.
Instead, use:
- Sensor Dry (if you have it)- This stops when the clothes are actually dry, not when the timer runs out.
- Low heat for delicates- They are called that for a reason. High heat wrinkles them easily and wrecks the elastic.
- High heat for towels and heavy fabrics- They can handle it, and you will actually speed up drying.
Experiment when you have time to figure out what else your dryer can do.
Ice Vs. Wrinkles
Ever leave your clothes sitting in the dryer until they crumple? Grab a few ice cubes, depending on how many clothes are in there, and run the dryer on high for 5 minutes. This will create steam, which will remove the wrinkles in a flash.
No need to iron. You can hop into your outfit and be out the door.
Now, go ye forth and master the dryer!
