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Why You Should Put a Dry Towel in Your Dryer

A dryer in a laundry room has clothing spilling out of it.
Evgeny Atamanenko/Shutterstock.com

If you waited until the last minute to do laundry, you know about the agonizing wait for your clothes to be dry. You just want to throw them on and head out the door, and good news! There’s a way to speed up that drying process!

Placing a dry towel in your dryer can help speed up the drying process.

This recommendation might sound counterintuitive, but when you take a second, it does make sense. When you place a dry towel into your dryer, it’ll absorb some moisture in the machine and the dampness from the other pieces of clothing and linens.

Wool Dryer Balls

Dryer balls are another way to get items finished quickly.

But here’s the thing, you don’t leave it in for the full cycle. If you’re drying a small load, remove the towel after five minutes; if it’s a full load, take it out after 15. You don’t want the towel to become as wet as everything else in the machine. When you remove it, let it air dry.

Not bad, right? But it’s not the only clever way to make your clothes dry faster. You can also get them extra dry while they’re still in the washer. Run the spin cycle an extra time, and the washer will extract even more water from your clothes before you add them to the dryer. Of course, you should always check your lint trap (for your clothes’ sake and to prevent fires).

So what if your clothes are dry but sitting wrinkled in the dryer? Try this clever hack involving ice!

Shea Simmons Shea Simmons
Shea Simmons is the Editor In Chief of LifeSavvy. Previously, she worked as a freelance writer with a focus on beauty and lifestyle content. Her work has appeared in Bustle, Allure, and Hello Giggles. Read Full Bio »
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