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Maybe everyone else in the world already knows this trick, but I just read it recently somewhere and it works. When loading the dryer, put a dry bath towel in also. It works. I've been able to switch from the longer drying cycle to the "normal" cycle.

Actually...no..I for one had not heard of this trick. Will certainly try it when I do laundry this weekend, thanks!

I usually add a bit of extra dry time to certain types of loads, so I will see if I can get by with just the normal cycle too.

I'd never heard of it either....but you wouldn't want to put that towel in with something that would attract any towel lint...at least I wouldn't think you would.

Did you know you can put liquid softener on an old wash cloth or clean rag & use that instead of dryer sheets? Works the same.

Actually, Fogbound, I had heard about that tip a long time ago (tried it and it worked) but had forgotten it so thanks for the reminder. I'll use it next time I have a load to dry!

Great tip. I do it all the time, especially when I am in a hurry and need an item to dry quick.

I've never heard of this, but I do agree about not using it for stuff that will attract towel lint. I might try it on denim, though.

I too have been doing this for a couple of years. No problem with lint (the dryer screen picks it up) so I use it even with dark loads.

I also use some old rubber balls or tennis balls in the dryer. I have about 6 or 7 and just toss in any number I like.

I'm trying to see the sense in this... so far cannot.

Here's what I'm thinking. Would love to know if there's a flaw in my logic:

You put a dry towel in with the wet clothes. Pretty soon, the heat of the dryer has turned some of the wetness into steam. The towel picks up a good amount of that steam and becomes wet itself. The dryer heat continues evaporating the water in the clothes and towel, until both the clothes and towel become completely dry. How does adding the towel make the process any faster? There was X amount of water in the clothes at the outset ... Some of that amount got transferred to the towel, making it wet, too. If you don't add the towel, it's still the same amount of water-turned-steam; the only difference is, none gets transferred to a towel first.

If anything, the process should take longer, because a damp terry towel takes much longer to dry than the lighter cottons or perma-press fabrics it would be mixed in with. It's the very reason I don't like to mix towels and sheets in the same load. Towels take 50 minutes, sheets just 20-25. The mixed load takes the same 50 minutes, so it's easier to keep sheet loads separate from towel loads.

The only time I ever add a dry towel to the dryer is when I have only one or two lightweight items to dry. The towel helps the tumbling action, keeping the small number of items from being plastered against the drum wall and coming out more wrinkled than if they had tumbled freely.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: nettiejay,

nettiejay, I can't tell you exactly how it works but it does... try it for yourself!

PS. I think the flaw is your logic is that some of the water gets transferred to the towel - making it wet/damp. Not so, the towel starts out dry and absorbs some of the water; these rest of the dryers' contents tumbles and dries faster! Not sure why, but it does. Try it!

I'm with you, nettiejay. It isn't logical... at least with the information we have. But worth a try.

I have one question. Does this work on any load or just small loads? Small loads (1 or 2 items) I can understand.

Well I tried it yesterday on two cotton loads. Regular/normal cycle (did not add extra cotton setting, as usual). The cottons were just barely a tiny bit damp, much better than without the towel. Same with jeans, just had to add a bit more dry time to them than I normally do. I think it helped. It may help a lot more with synthetic/blends....however those tend to dry super fast anyway.

It seems to me that the towel does absorb some of the steamy moisture, but the terrycloth is perhaps a bit better at dispersing it than some of the wetter/denser cotton fabrics that were in the dryer along with it?

I have been doing this for at least several years. My dryer is old (over 40 yrs) and before I started using the dry towel/balls thing a full load of laundry would sometimes need longer to run (over 70 minutes) Now it doesn't.

My dryer doesn't have lots of settings, just perm press and regular.

It has never occurred to me to analyze this in the way Nettiejay has done, anymore than I would analyze why a certain recipe works the way it does. Like cooking; results of other chores, sometimes lie in the "proof being in the pudding!"

quote:

Originally posted by lady of shallot:
I have been doing this for at least several years. My dryer is old (over 40 yrs) and before I started using the dry towel/balls thing a full load of laundry would sometimes need longer to run (over 70 minutes) Now it doesn't.

My dryer doesn't have lots of settings, just perm press and regular.

I understand that, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”,but what happens to the towel? Does it come out dry or damp? Do you have to use a white towel or can you use a colored towel?

It has never occurred to me to analyze this in the way Nettiejay has done, anymore than I would analyze why a certain recipe works the way it does. Like cooking; results of other chores, sometimes lie in the "proof being in the pudding!"

Does anyone have a moisture sensing option on their dryer? I was wondering if the dry towel would interfere with it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: still tryin,

quote:

but what happens to the towel? Does it come out dry or damp? Do you have to use a white towel

It comes out dry just like the rest of the load. I use a white towel. Actually it is just a piece of white toweling, maybe a little bigger than a hand towel.

Thank you LOS, you also answered another question I was wondering about, which is what size towel.

I used a colored, thick cotton, full size, bath towel. It came out with the same dryness as the clothes. Very slightly damp, if using the shorter time.

I will probably continue to use this when washing other cottons, especially heavy weight ones.

quote:

Originally posted by conrad:
I used a colored, thick cotton, full size, bath towel. It came out with the same dryness as the clothes. Very slightly damp, if using the shorter time.

Exactly what I used and what I'll continue to use - if I remember!

I never heard of this trick before. Can you use it when drying just dark-colored jeans too? Will they come out lint-free?
I was shocked when someone said they dry clothes for 70 minutes!!! Wow-Wee that's a really long time. The most it takes me is 40 minutes. Maybe the older dryers took longer to dry? (my dryer is 7 y.o.)

No lint issue with mine and jeans. But the towel I used was a good one, but not brand new either.

Seems relative humidity helps determine dry time too. Our things dry super fast in the mountains, compared to the more humid mid west.

quote:

Originally posted by lady of shallot:
I have been doing this for at least several years. My dryer is old (over 40 yrs) and before I started using the dry towel/balls thing a full load of laundry would sometimes need longer to run (over 70 minutes) Now it doesn't.

Still haven't tried the towel trick, but I 'm amazed a dryer over 40 years old! What brand is it, you should do commercials.
Or is that a normal age for a dryer?

Meischa, Older dryers are not that unusual! Years ago, they were built to last; not to be exchanged as colors, styles and trends changed. Although DH and I moved to a new (to us) home in 2004 that came complete with a "newer" 1998 washer/dryer set, we still own our first set that we bought in 1976 which remains at our old farmhouse.

That dryer is a Sears Kenmore, 36 years old and counting, and works as well as the day it was delivered. In all that time, the only "repair" needed was to stop by Sears for an $18 thermostat which we replaced ourselves in less than 10 seconds. Oh, can't forget to mention that it is harvest gold!

My problem keeping a washer/dryer is moving. I've moved and sold them with the house, so I keep getting new ones as I move.
I wondered if old was unusual, a dryer seems to be simple, heat and tumble.

Something some of you might try--those with very long dry time for towels.
Drying racks for all towels, wash cloths, hand towels. DO NOT DRY COMPLETELY.
Then toss in to dryer for half your normal time or less--dependent upon how dry you let them get--2/3s or better is great.
Wonderful. In warm weather hand bath towels outside until better than half dry; toss into dryer--wonderful outside aroma.
In winter in colder climates drying racks ADD much needed moisture to the house/apt.
My laundry is in the basement; I have four racks; I use them for all coloreds to dry completely, partially for towels (and some personals).
The moisture is picked up and does help in the winter. Warm weather--outside drying.

The front load washer does remove a considerable amount of moisture. All drying times are less. I do use dryer balls and have found that those do help a small bit.
It's energy conservation, folks.

quote:

Still haven't tried the towel trick, but I 'm amazed a dryer over 40 years old! What brand is it, you should do commercials.

Yes, Meisha and my washer is even older. In fact it is the only one I have ever owned. They are Maytags, as is my dishwasher.

I am the kind of person who does not like to replace things. Right now having a hard time saying goodbye to our old style t.v. so we can use a flat screen (which we do own)

M-ma, I have clothes lines in my basement. In winter I hang the sheets, shirts, pillowcases, table cloths there. Also have several drying racks for other things.

Well, I tried the dry bath towel trick again - twice today - it works!

Thanks for the tip. Never heard of it, but it makes sense. Can't wait to try it.

If I had the room, I wouldn't mind the half air drying and then finish off in the dryer.

I do the opposite with some items I don't want to completely dry in the dryer...Put item in the dryer for 12-15 minutes with the rest of the load and then pull out item(s) and hang dry for the rest of the time.

Hi, everyone. I'm glad that some of you tried the tip I passed along. We've been under construction in our house, and I haven't been keeping up with my internet surfing. I'm wondering if the people who talked about very long drying times have taken off the vent pipe from the back of the dryer and reamed it out with a big brush made for that purpose all the way to the outdoor vent outlet. I called a repairman once about my dryer's slow action, and he "repaired" it by going outside and pulling a wad of lint off the outside of the vent. I then cleaned out the vent pipe and OMG what a difference! I now do this about once a year for our small family.

Thanks, Fogbound, for reminding people to clear out that outside dryer vent. This discussion came up in a month of so ago and, yes, it's very important and can be very serious.

For myself, I started leaving a dry bath towel in the dryer for future loads and it did help dry things faster! But, then I realized it was one of my GOOD towels, so I've exchanged it for an old worn out one with plenty of substance. Working great so for....

To save energy, I often will simply hang towels over the dining chairs so they can air dry. But then they're stiff and rough after they've dried.

So when I heard about putting a dry towel in with a wet load to make the load dry faster/better, I'd put in one of the rough towels from the dining set. Figured I had a double savings on energy (wet towel to chair, then that same now dry towel to dryer) AND the towel then got soft from the dryer. Bonus!

Hope that made sense.

When we first moved into our house, we had lots of washing of stored items. After a few days of constant use, the dryer just got so slow!! Finally, since the thing was very old, we just bought a new one and had them haul the old one away. Guess What? Very same problem. Turned out the exhaust vent on the roof was packed with about 3/4 inch of lint. Once that was removed, worked like a charm. Coulda save the cost of the new dryer. Anyway, the vent gets cleaned about every 6 or 8 weeks now, but we gotta figure something else out. DH doesn't need to be climbing up on that roof.

I tried the towel in the dryer trick and it worked!! Great to know.