Dear Hallee: Drying Sheets
I absolutely DESPISE washing bed sheets because inevitably they always end up wound in a ball with stuff inside and still wet. Do you have any tricks to fix this problem?
For a stupidly expensive price (quick online glance gave me a figure of about $18.99) you can get some “dryer balls” and put them in the dryer with the sheets, they will keep the sheets from balling up in each other while they spin around in the dryer.
But, I have a much more economical trick.
Tennis balls.
Seriously.
Place your sheets in the dryer.
I’m pretty sure Jeb’s cuteness doesn’t have anything to do with the effectiveness of the tennis balls. It’s just an added bonus.
Throw in a few tennis balls. I use 3.
That’s it. They’ll bounce around inside your dryer as the drum spins and keep the sheets from balling up in the process.
From what I understand, they’ll keep pillows from clumping up, too.
Once your sheets are dry, check out my vLog on How to Fold a Fitted Sheet and my trick on Storing Sheets.
Hallee
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Hey Hallee,
First of all I love your blog I have gotten a great many tips for changing my families diet and organizing our routine. I just wanted to let you know and if you would like you can pass along to your readers, we make our own dryer balls for our dryer. I buy a skein of 100% wool (the kind that should be hand washed and line dried) and wind a 2 in. circumference ball, starting around my fingers and then moving it off. It will be smaller than a ping pong ball. After you wind this first ball cut the yarn and stuff the end of the string in the ball or under some of the other strings in the ball. You then place this and any other balls you make into a tube sock tied between each ball (you can use panty hose or tights but they are harder to untie) place the whole sock into the washing machine (with or without a load of laundry) and wash with hot water. Then dry in the dryer on high heat. After they are dry untie the sock remove the small balls and wind more yarn around them until the new circumference is 9 inches. Place back in the sock wash on hot and dry on high again. Remove the balls from the sock. At this point they are done but you may add essential oils to them and they will slightly scent your clothes if you like. ( Recently a friend told me tea tree oil is a natural insect repellent so I will do this next time.) Drop the oil around the ball making about 10-15 drops all around each ball and place back in the dryer for 10 minutes alone to “set in” the scent. Then just leave them in your dryer all of the time to use in place of dryer sheets and they will also take out the static cling in your clothes and if you use enough dryer balls they will help your clothes to dry faster. Another blog I read says she keeps 12 in her dryer at all times. These balls aren’t quite as tough on the inside of your dryer as tennis balls but they do still make a little racket as they bounce around in the load. Hope this helps.
That’s fantastic! Thank you so much. I will definitely try this!
Hallee,
I make wool dryer balls. I don’t use yarn though. I use combed top and roving and felt the wool that way. I use anywhere from 3-6 dryer balls in the dryer and I NEVER use fabric softener. I only occasionally have problems with static, and that tends to be in really dry humidity and when the kids run off with my dryer balls.
This is a great idea. I have only two tennis balls; I could use a few more. I have never thought to use them with sheets—but I do get that bunching problem, so I’ll have to try it. I use them when I dry quilts, though, and it really cuts down on drying time.