How to Keep Sheets From Balling Up in the Dryer

Unless you were born a laundry expert, you've likely found yourself removing a giant, tangled ball of bed sheets from the dryer after you wash them. Knowing how to keep sheets from balling up in the dryer can ensure they dry more quickly and evenly. Drying sheets properly can also reduce wear and tear on the fabric while helping you avoid losing items like socks and pillowcases that are easily trapped in the folds of large, tangled-up sheets. (Is there anything worse than getting a sheet on the bed, only to find out you've lost the pillowcase inside of it?)

The following hacks can help prevent you from finding that annoying mess of balled up sheets at the end of your drying cycle.

Remove clean bed sheets from the washer. Open the sheets, shaking them to remove any twists and to dislodge pillowcases or other items embedded in the folds. While the process is simple enough with a flat sheet, take a little more time to inspect the recesses of your fitted sheet for small items. Place the bedding loosely in the dryer.

Avoid overloading the dryer. If you have a small capacity dryer, it may work best if you dry one sheet at a time, especially if you have over-sized sheets for a deep mattress or a king size bed. The dryer needs room to fluff air throughout the items in the drum.

Add clean tennis balls or dryer balls along with the sheets. As the drum rotates, the ball is tossed with the sheets, helping to separate twists and folds in the fabric. These balls can also help make your sheets softer, which means you can ditch the dryer sheets, which reduce the breathability and absorbency of the fabric.

Place a clean, dry bath towel in the dryer with the sheets in lieu of a tennis or dryer ball. Untwist the damp sheets and unfold the towel completely, then tumble them together until dry. Adding a dry towel to your clothes dryer can also help reduce the drying time of your sheets.

Remove the sheets as soon as the drying process ends, and fold them or replace them on the bed. Even if you know how to keep sheets from balling up in the dryer, you'll still end up with wrinkles if you leave them crumpled up in the clothes dryer.

Manufacturers know people struggle with how to keep sheets from balling up in the dryer, which is why there are now many commercial products designed to address this problem. Aside from dryer balls, you might also consider buying the following handy laundry tools:

Simply put the device on the corners of your sheets before putting them in the washer to prevent sheets from tangling, twisting, and balling up in the washing machine and dryer.

The Laundry Buddy clips secure the tops of your sheets together, preventing them from developing giant pockets where things get lost or tangled up.