The Solution for Wadded-Up Bed Sheets, Blankets, and Duvet Covers
If I’ve heard from one reader, I’ve heard from a thousand—all with the same problem. Wadded up sheets. I feel their pain because I have suffered this problem as well. So annoying. It can happen in the washer, but also in the dryer.
My best solution, which only slightly reduces the problem, has been to launder one sheet at a time and then stop the dryer to rearrange and unroll a couple of times during the cycle. And really, that is no solution at all since it requires more time, energy, and detergent. It’s ridiculous as my washer and dryer are considered large capacity.
Big Fat Wadded-Up Mess
If I attempt to launder a set of sheets daring to throw in pillowcases as well, here’s what happens: The sheets get tangled and then roll themselves in a tight roll. The pillowcases wind up inside that big fat wad, making me wonder if they even got washed.
Untangling the wet mess before drying doesn’t help much, as the process only starts again. The end result? A big wadded-up, wrinkled mess with random wet spots.
Meet Wad-Free for Bed Sheets
And now for the good news. I’ve discovered a fabulous solution for wadded-up sheets. Some very smart person has come up with a gadget (made in the USA, yay!) that solves this problem. It is a square piece of plastic with four locking clips—one for each corner of the sheet (fitted or flat). Cleverly named Wad-Free, it prevents the sheets from getting all wadded up. Wad-Free comes 2 in a package, so I can launder a set of sheets in one load. Works like a charm!
Now For Blankets, Duvet Covers, Too
This new addition to the Wad-Free family works in much the same way on most lightweight blankets and Duvet Covers when there is ample room in the washer and dryer, much like using Wad-Free for bed sheets. With a couple of exceptions.
The Wad-Free disk for blankets and duvet covers is beefier, with 8 tabs. And that’s good because of the weight and bulk of these larger items. The manufacturer recommends laundering one large item at a time with the washer set to a gentle/delicate cycle.
Having tested this new option for bulky bed items, I can report that used as directed, the new Wad-Free for Blankets and Duvet Covers is a godsend, and so easy I find that I’m laundering my larger items more frequently.
Buh-Bye, Balled-Up Bedding!
These gadgets keep washer loads balanced and allow sheets, blankets, and duvet covers to move and tumble more freely so they get clean and dry faster (the manufacturer says 75% faster) and with fewer wrinkles.
Who, what, where?
I love a good story, and Wad-Free is one of the best I’ve read in a long time. Cyndi Bray came up with the idea for Wad-Free after having endured the dreaded sheet wad for a long time.
After brainstorming with friends who had the same problem of sheets balling up and throwing their machines off-balance, Cyndi knew there had to be a solution, and she was just the woman who came up with it.
With no background in engineering, product development, or manufacturing, Cyndi taught herself a modeling computer-aided design program. From her kitchen table, she created different versions, sharing prototypes with friends until she zeroed in on exactly what she wanted. In June of 2020—in the middle of a pandemic!—Cyndi launched her business, and the rest is laundry history.
Thank you, Cyndi!
EverydayCheapskate™ is reader-supported. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate advertising programs, which are designed to provide a means for publishers to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and other affiliated sites. Thanks!
More from Everyday Cheapskate
Please keep your comments positive, encouraging, helpful, brief,
and on-topic in keeping with EC Commenting Guidelines
Last update on 2024-04-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
I’m definitely going to buy some Wad-free clips. Now, any suggestions for another problem? In my washer, which does have a center agitator, the sleeves and pant legs twist together so badly that it’s a challenge just to empty the washer. I load it carefully and never had this happen so badly before I got my current washer a couple of years ago. Any suggestions?
You might want to consider zippered mesh laundry bags. They come in many sizes. How it works is you place the tangle-prone item into the zippered mesh bag. Now throw that in the washing machine. The shirt, socks, or what have you will get washed as usual, but will be isolated in the bag. I think that might be the answer to your problem.
I bought the wad free package and tried it multiple times. It was always more work and took longer than expected with the hooking and unhooking etc. and sometimes they came unhooked in the dryer. I went back to just dryer balls. Too much trouble for me.
Just received a set and returned them. Didn’t work AT ALL! Very disappointed. Maybe my small capacity tumble washer & dryer?
That would absolutely be the problem, Cate. Are you drying sheets individually? Overloading any dryer creates these kinds of problems and a lot of wrinkling.
I just saw these on Shark Tank!
I ordered these and tried them yesterday. I read the instructions. Unfortunately, they did not work well for me. My sheets were balled up even more than usual. Bummer.
I suggest you give this another try. Also please read the instructions because your results are quite unusual.