How to Make a Clothes Dryer Run More Efficiently

Keeping your clothes dryer running efficiently doesn't have to involve much time, leaving you plenty of time to complete other important daily chores. Learn how you can keep your clothes dryer running at optimum capacity, using less energy and saving your time.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Points to Remember

1. Cleaning the lint filter after each load is an important but overlooked task. A surprising amount of lint gets trapped with every load and if it's not removed, the dryer may be overworked and run inefficiently, using more electricity and taking longer to dry each load. Omitting to clean the lint filter may cause your dryer to blow a fuse; this will add costly repair bills to your monthly budget. Cleaning the lint filter after each load will allow the clothes dryer to breathe and run more efficiently; the clothes will dry faster and electricity use will be kept at a normal level.

2. Make sure that the washer has completed its cycle before removing the clothes. Removing clothes that have not been spun properly may overload the dryer and cause it to malfunction. This can occur when the clothes are too heavy. Additionally, this will also take at least double the amount of time to dry these wet clothes, wasting your money and time.

3. Sort the clothes dryer loads carefully and avoid drying light clothes such as underwear and pastel colored summer blouses with dark heavy clothes; not only will the dark clothes leave streaks on your summer clothes, they will also cause your light summer clothes to wrinkle unnecessarily. Dry your light summer clothes separately from the heavier clothes; they will dry faster and keep their color.

4. Place normal sized loads into the clothes dryer; do not overload! Not only will an oversized load of clothes take double or triple the time to dry but it's a waste of electricity. Keeping the dryer loads a normal size will help the clothes dry faster and make your job easier.

Tips & Warnings

• Never place rubberized items or plastic coated materials into your dryer; the heat will cause spontaneous combustion and a fire may start within your dryer