woman removing clothes and towels from clothes dryer

This is Why You See Dryer Lint—You’re Drying Your Clothes to Death!

If you routinely pluck giant wads of lint from the trap of your clothes dryer, you should be wondering—where does all of that come from? You emptied all pockets and certain you did not wash a bag of pillow stuffing!

Horizontal photo of female hand taking the lent out from dirty air filter of the dyer machine

I’ll tell you what it is because I face the same thing and am not happy about this: It’s visual proof that the dryer is prematurely wearing out our clothes and household linens. Those fibers were neatly woven into these clothes only 30 minutes ago. A clothes dryer’s convenience can come at the price of having to replace clothes much too often if used improperly.

You don’t have to machine dry your clothes to death to end up with comfy jeans and fluffy soft towels. Overdrying clothes causes them to shrink and not only the first time they’re washed. Sleeves and pant legs continually get shorter and shorter when machine-dried improperly. There are simple tactics to counteract the abuse suffered by a clothes dryer, and you don’t have to go back to the days of hanging wet laundry outdoors.

 

How to Dry Clothes and Linens Properly

Get the soap out

Residual detergent in fabrics causes them to feel rough. It can turn white things dingy gray. The solution to this problem is to measure carefully, erring on the side of too little rather than too much detergent. Then add 1/2 cup white vinegar to the last rinse. This will help remove the residual detergent from the fabrics. Even when air-dried, they will be softer.

Using inexpensive distilled white vinegar in the laundry will whiten, brighten, reduce odor, and soften clothes without harsh chemicals. When added to gallons of water in the washer, the 5% acetic acid in distilled white vinegar is so mild that it will not harm washable fabrics or the washing machine itself. Unless prohibited by the manufacturer (check your owner manual), a small amount of vinegar released into the last rinse is safe to use in both standard and high-efficiency washers. Even more, it is beneficial to septic tanks and the environment.

No high heat

Repeated trips through a dryer set to High, are hard on clothes and linens. It weakens and breaks down fibers, weakens and eventually causes fabric to fail. A much better option is to select Medium or Warm, then removing the items before they are completely bone-dry.

Semi-dry

Overdrying is hazardous to clothing. Removing items from the dry about 10 minutes before they’re completely dry is the path to longevity and fewer wrinkles, too. Never machine dry jeans completely. Ten to 15 minutes is sufficient for denim to remove the major wrinkles. Then hang them from a clothesline or an indoor clothes rack if you’re lucky enough to have one.

Hang from the ankles

Remove partially-dry jeans and all other pants from the dryer and hang them on hangers by the hems on pant hangers equipped with clothespins or clamps. The weight of the pant will pull the fibers into place and keep the pants from getting shorter every time you launder them.

Emergency speed dry

When you need something to dry in a big hurry, here’s a great tip: Place the wet item and one dry bath towel into the dryer. Set on the highest temperature safe for that particular item. You will have dry jammies (or whatever) in less than half the time because the towel will absorb a great deal of moisture.

Never in the dryer

Any item with a rubber backing, like a bath rug, should never come in contact with the inside of a dryer. Lay it flat to air dry, and that rubber backing will last a long time. Put them through a drying cycle or two and expect that backing to crack, flake, and finally crumble off—what a mess.

Don’t kill the spandex

Fabrics that contain spandex, latex, elastic, or have painted or silkscreened logos should not meet the heat of a clothes dryer. Even the elastic in pajamas, underwear, and so on will break down quickly if dried on “hot.” Make sure you always read the labels to determine fabric content and laundering instructions. Get a portable drying rack or install a few extra towel bars so you can air-dry these more delicate fabric types.

Close zippers

If you’ve ever encountered the mystery of tiny holes in T-shirts, we can probably solve that right now. Zippers, especially the metal type on jeans. When left unzipped, the zipper turns into a tiny chainsaw as it agitates and tumbles through the wash and dry process. Those open teeth! The solution is to always close zippers before they go into the washer and dryer.

Turn clothes inside out

When some types of fabric agitate and tumble during washing and drying, they rub against each other, creating a condition known as”pilling.” Those tiny little balls make fabric feel rough and look less than lovely. If a fabric is going to pill, there’s not much you can do to stop it other than hand-wash and dry. But you can discourage if not prevent it altogether when you turn clothes inside out. This way, the wrong side of those shirts and jeans will receive the agitation and rub down, while the right side is getting a much gentler treatment on the inside.

Wool dryer balls

Imagine a big load of wet bath towels going into the dryer. You hit “start,” and that massive wad of wet fabric will flop around and stick together for quite a while until the layers become dry enough to separate and allow warm air to circulate. That slows the drying time, wasting time and energy.

Now imagine six wool dryer balls bouncing around (I use my entire set of six in every load), working their way between the layers of fabric, separating them so the warm air can circulate efficiently from the very start of the cycle.

I’ve tested drying times with and without wool dryer balls, and the results are quite amazing. Wool dryer balls cut at least 25% off the time to dry a load of laundry, saving time and energy. I have also found these balls stuck tightly in the long sleeve of a tee-shirt and the pocket of a pair of jeans! They work their way into tight spaces, making them so awesome.

Because dryer balls also agitate against the fibers in clothes and linens, everything feels softer coming out of the dryer. Used properly dryer balls can also take care of static cling.

Updated 1-20-22


 

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  1. Karyl says:

    Been following you since I heard you speak in Great Falls, MT. It is now common for family members to say, “I suppose you learned that from Mary!” Often, the answer is “Yes”. Thanks for your wonderful posts.

    Reply
    • Mary Hunt says:

      Karyl! How nice to see you here. I remember that event—it was awesome! And as I was leaving, I was gifted with a large bag of wool yarn—from naturally black sheep. It is so beautiful; I still have a lot of it (made a couple of the beanies and boy are they warm!). xo m

      Reply
  2. N3 says:

    DFW- thanks Mary. You have been a wealth of information for years and years. So just want you to know how much you have blessed me. Especially during the pandemic which is a call to get back to basics. Thanks

    Reply
    • Mary Hunt says:

      N3 … Isn’t that the truth! Back to basics … and so happy to know I have such a big, awesome EC Family here with whom to make this journey. We need to stick together, that’s for sure.

      Reply
  3. Judy S. says:

    Loooong time reader and tester of Cheapskate Tips. I try them and pass them on to everyone I know! Haven’t found even one that doesn’t work as described. Thanks Mary. You’re the best!
    Judy S. In Tucson, AZ

    Reply
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