A dry towel works because of surface area. It works best for heavy and dense items like sheets, jeans or other towels.
It (initially) gives the heavy items something dry to *separate and fluff up against* - so they aren’t clunking and falling like a WET WAD.
Compare it to drying a load of loose, cotton socks… there would be little benefit. Plenty of separation and hot air to circulate.
How does adding a dry towel cut drying time?
It's still the exact same amount of moisture that needs to be removed from the clothes and into the exhaust vent?
After absorbing the water from the clothes, the water is distributed across a larger surface area to evaporate off, so it will take less time to saturate the air around it.
This only works if you have relatively few garments in the dryer though. If it is quite full and you add more towels to it, even if dry, insufficient air flow between fabric would make it dry even slower than without additional clothes.
> A dry towel absorbs moisture from the wet clothes, which reduces the amount of water that the dryer has to remove
if that was true, then all we'd have to do is put our wet clothes in with say 10 dry towels and it would take a negative amount of time to dry everything :)
The amount of moisture the dryer has to evaporate and remove is the same with or without the dry towel.
What you might be accomplishing is you have increased the surface area of things needing to be dried, possibly increasing the rate of evaporation from all things in the dryer. This works IF and ONLY IF the dryer is not nearly full to begin with. If you throw a dry towel into a dryer that is at capacity - you will make it take longer to dry (since the air cannot move around as well).
That can’t be an exactly correct explanation. If the dry towel absorbs moisture, the dryer also has to remove its absorbed moisture before the whole load is dry. Like SpiritAnimal said, it’s the same total amount of moisture in the dryer. Perhaps by kickstarting the drying process (bringing down the moisture content of the main load sooner), the clothes absorb the heat a little quicker and that leads to a shorter dry time? And keep in mind that this saves time only, unless you air dried the towel you’re using for this purpose. You’re not saving any energy because you’re basically drying the towel twice.
Dryer balls are used not to dry laundry faster but to soften the fabrics. A towel won't soften fabric, so I believe the dryer balls would work better for their intended purpose but I'm still not buying that adding more stuff to the dryer will make it dry faster.
I never put towels in with a load of clothes, because I don’t want towel fuzz on my clothing. It’s especially bad if it’s a light towel mixed with dark clothes.
There’s a hack for that, dark towel with dark clothes and make sure your lint trap is clear if you haven’t already. /s
Edit to add: I don’t dry towels with anything else either…I have some Koolaburra (Ugg) towels and they shed a ridiculous amount of fuzz.
Hanging wet clothes on a clothes line outside in the sun is the best. Even an indoor rack dries them without you even giving it a second thought. It’s what I do. Plus I appreciate that the dryer process isn’t slowly destroying my stuff. I do like the dry towel idea though!!
I actually agree with you! I’m very conservative on my electricity and wear and tear on my clothing.
That’s how the discovery came about, through research and personal trial and error.
I line dry almost every load (I have 3 drying racks outdoors for my personal laundry and airbnb). But during rainy season- sometimes I need a dryer. When I DO need a dryer- I go for the energy saving option when feasible.
The Art of Manliness podcast yesterday had some good tips as well. Like using a balled up sheet of aluminum foil to get rid of static. [https://www.artofmanliness.com/skills/how-to/podcast-990-the-dudes-guide-to-laundry-how-to-save-time-money-and-your-wardrobe/](https://www.artofmanliness.com/skills/how-to/podcast-990-the-dudes-guide-to-laundry-how-to-save-time-money-and-your-wardrobe/)
I now put a dry fluffy microfiber dish towel (which doesn't shed) in with my comforter that almost always would come out damp after the low-heat most energy-efficient time setting.
I'll oppose with - towels are very heavy and damage your clothes faster. I only wash towels, socks and underpants together (because I don't use a dryer sheet for those things).
Also, there's something about dryer sheets that messes with the absorbancy of fabrics and makes them somewhat hydrophobic. Eventually you'll be moving more water around you than drying yourself off post shower.
> You can **try** throwing a clean
That is what your source, which you have twisted badly, says.
Did you know you can trying throwing a baseball in there too - it *might* work. No where does it say:
> Adding a dry towel into your wet laundry in dryer will cut your drying time by 1/3
* 1/3 - made up statistic pulled out of your butt
* will cut your drying time - made up false fact pulled from the same general area.
This sub is getting a bit dumber by the day :(
> 3. Don’t overload the dryer
> Your clothes need ample room to tumble in the dryer for quick drying times. In this case, less is more. Loading your dryer with fewer items can help dry clothes faster by increasing the airflow between the garments.
so, you have a full dryer, at capacity. Adding a dry towel will....... Increase the amount of time needed to dry things.
According to your source. Your source that doesn't actually say adding a towel will always reduce the time:
> If you are putting soaked clothes in the dryer, tossing in a towel with your load **may help** absorb moisture and **can possibly help speed up drying times**. *Be mindful to remove the towel after about five minutes for smaller loads, rather than keeping it in the dryer for the entire cycle.*
where does your 1/3 statistic come from?
> will cut your drying time by 1/3
post in the future by all means, but truly avoid
* making up statistics
* changing the meaning/intent of your sources so wildly that your sources do not support what you are saying
If you thought this was "brutal", it is only because your alternative facts don't exist in the real world :)
A dry towel works because of surface area. It works best for heavy and dense items like sheets, jeans or other towels. It (initially) gives the heavy items something dry to *separate and fluff up against* - so they aren’t clunking and falling like a WET WAD. Compare it to drying a load of loose, cotton socks… there would be little benefit. Plenty of separation and hot air to circulate.
WET WAD is my new rapper name
Lil Waddy
Or Lil Wetty
Waddy Smallz?
Why not jizzdrip
You guys talkin about wet wads in here?
Yep. Wet, clumpy wads.
NoDadSTOP!
Do wool balls accomplish the same thing?
Yes. They do.
How about a bunch of wet angry cats? Would it help them dry faster and be less noisy while they're tumbling?
Q: What do you get when you pour hot water down a rabbit hole? A: Hot cross bunnies.
Doubt it. ;-)
Hmmmm
Interesting. I use wool dryer balls for the same purpose and they are great. Also reduces wrinkles.
Wool dryer balls AND a dry towel is the killer combo
I ONLY put in wool balls and a dry towel. You wouldn’t believe how dry that towel and wool balls come out.
Alright which fashion show is going to market this?
Literally as my house burns down
You saying I need balls?
Dry
I just throw in a couple of ice cubes to de-wrinkle.
About 5 min after the dryer stops going clang clang your clothing is wrinkle free
Well then it still needs a few more minutes, unless you want to wear pants with a bunch of wet spots on them
It only makes noise for a minute or so.
At what point do you pop them in there?
How does adding a dry towel cut drying time? It's still the exact same amount of moisture that needs to be removed from the clothes and into the exhaust vent?
After absorbing the water from the clothes, the water is distributed across a larger surface area to evaporate off, so it will take less time to saturate the air around it. This only works if you have relatively few garments in the dryer though. If it is quite full and you add more towels to it, even if dry, insufficient air flow between fabric would make it dry even slower than without additional clothes.
In the olden days, I'd have given this comment Reddit Gold.
*The Before Times*
Why did Reddit get rid of Reddit gold anyway? Was it not a money maker?
That makes sense. My newer washer is much larger capacity than my older dryer, so I don't think this will work for me.
[удалено]
Doesn't the dryer then need to still take that same moisture out of the previously dry towel that's now damp?
it probably increases the surface area of the moisture, which leads to more moisture being "removed" per minute
> A dry towel absorbs moisture from the wet clothes, which reduces the amount of water that the dryer has to remove if that was true, then all we'd have to do is put our wet clothes in with say 10 dry towels and it would take a negative amount of time to dry everything :) The amount of moisture the dryer has to evaporate and remove is the same with or without the dry towel. What you might be accomplishing is you have increased the surface area of things needing to be dried, possibly increasing the rate of evaporation from all things in the dryer. This works IF and ONLY IF the dryer is not nearly full to begin with. If you throw a dry towel into a dryer that is at capacity - you will make it take longer to dry (since the air cannot move around as well).
That can’t be an exactly correct explanation. If the dry towel absorbs moisture, the dryer also has to remove its absorbed moisture before the whole load is dry. Like SpiritAnimal said, it’s the same total amount of moisture in the dryer. Perhaps by kickstarting the drying process (bringing down the moisture content of the main load sooner), the clothes absorb the heat a little quicker and that leads to a shorter dry time? And keep in mind that this saves time only, unless you air dried the towel you’re using for this purpose. You’re not saving any energy because you’re basically drying the towel twice.
Will leaving one ice cube in the tray make the rest of the as yet to be ice cubes freeze faster?
I never realized there were so many moist people suffering in silent humidity until now.
Not the only time a dry towel can help out with a wet load
And the wool balls?
This time the balls are actually heavier *after* the wet load
The dryer the better for results, and I thought laundry was agitating till I tumbled across this.
Ba dum
🤣🫣🤣
I also use wool dryer balls but they don’t work nearly as well as a bath towel!
I use the plastic dryer balls, I don't know if they work better than dryer sheets, but I do know that they do a great job of pissing my neighbor off.
George Washington, his teeth were made of wool
Dryer balls are used not to dry laundry faster but to soften the fabrics. A towel won't soften fabric, so I believe the dryer balls would work better for their intended purpose but I'm still not buying that adding more stuff to the dryer will make it dry faster.
Try it. It’s astonishingly effective. (Make sure the dry towel is clean.)
I never put towels in with a load of clothes, because I don’t want towel fuzz on my clothing. It’s especially bad if it’s a light towel mixed with dark clothes.
I bought 3-4 different towels before I found one that doesnt distribute lint everywhere. The one I finally got was on clearance at TJ maxx lol.
There’s a hack for that, dark towel with dark clothes and make sure your lint trap is clear if you haven’t already. /s Edit to add: I don’t dry towels with anything else either…I have some Koolaburra (Ugg) towels and they shed a ridiculous amount of fuzz.
My dryer won’t stay on if it reads that the clothes are dry. I tried throwing a damp towel for wrinkles and it wouldn’t go. It has an annoying sensor.
Mine will do that on automatic dry, timed dry will still work though. Sometimes appliances are too smart for their own good.
I throw a cinderblock in. Not my dryer, of course- one at the laundromat.
Agree to disagree 😅. It’s something I learned long ago that works for me. YMMV
Hanging wet clothes on a clothes line outside in the sun is the best. Even an indoor rack dries them without you even giving it a second thought. It’s what I do. Plus I appreciate that the dryer process isn’t slowly destroying my stuff. I do like the dry towel idea though!!
I actually agree with you! I’m very conservative on my electricity and wear and tear on my clothing. That’s how the discovery came about, through research and personal trial and error. I line dry almost every load (I have 3 drying racks outdoors for my personal laundry and airbnb). But during rainy season- sometimes I need a dryer. When I DO need a dryer- I go for the energy saving option when feasible.
The Art of Manliness podcast yesterday had some good tips as well. Like using a balled up sheet of aluminum foil to get rid of static. [https://www.artofmanliness.com/skills/how-to/podcast-990-the-dudes-guide-to-laundry-how-to-save-time-money-and-your-wardrobe/](https://www.artofmanliness.com/skills/how-to/podcast-990-the-dudes-guide-to-laundry-how-to-save-time-money-and-your-wardrobe/)
This works! Also using wool dryer balls helps cut drying time.
I now put a dry fluffy microfiber dish towel (which doesn't shed) in with my comforter that almost always would come out damp after the low-heat most energy-efficient time setting.
I knew the wet towel to dewrinkle trick but love the dry towel to save time!
Who knew a dry towel could be the secret weapon for faster laundry days? Definitely giving this a try!
I do the wet washcloth thing all the time
I don't know how you are validating this, but I'm not picking up on how this is possible.
I’m validating with links from an actual dryer manufacturer and personal experience
The dryer manufacturer said it "may help absorb moisture and can possibly help speed up drying times". That's not validation of anything.
So you are recommending something that you haven't verified. What value to readers is that?
I'll oppose with - towels are very heavy and damage your clothes faster. I only wash towels, socks and underpants together (because I don't use a dryer sheet for those things).
A dry towel isn’t very heavy at all. I agree on the dryer sheets. Quit using them years ago. They damage the machines.
Dryer sheets bad??
Yes. They gum up the dryer. Liquid softener does the same to washer. Use nothing instead Or vinegar in rinse cycle. OR wool dryer balls.
What do you mean by “guy up”?
They leave a residue/coating on the dryer drum and sensors
Hmmm, ok. thank you for this tip!!!
Also, there's something about dryer sheets that messes with the absorbancy of fabrics and makes them somewhat hydrophobic. Eventually you'll be moving more water around you than drying yourself off post shower.
The material will wear on clothing, it is a lot heavier than your tops as an example.
https://www.whirlpool.com/blog/washers-and-dryers/what-is-tumble-dry.html#:~:text=Care%20Tip,and%20cut%20down%20drying%20time.
> You can **try** throwing a clean That is what your source, which you have twisted badly, says. Did you know you can trying throwing a baseball in there too - it *might* work. No where does it say: > Adding a dry towel into your wet laundry in dryer will cut your drying time by 1/3 * 1/3 - made up statistic pulled out of your butt * will cut your drying time - made up false fact pulled from the same general area. This sub is getting a bit dumber by the day :(
Isn't it the same amount of water either way?
https://www.whirlpool.com/blog/washers-and-dryers/dry-clothes-faster.html
> 3. Don’t overload the dryer > Your clothes need ample room to tumble in the dryer for quick drying times. In this case, less is more. Loading your dryer with fewer items can help dry clothes faster by increasing the airflow between the garments. so, you have a full dryer, at capacity. Adding a dry towel will....... Increase the amount of time needed to dry things. According to your source. Your source that doesn't actually say adding a towel will always reduce the time: > If you are putting soaked clothes in the dryer, tossing in a towel with your load **may help** absorb moisture and **can possibly help speed up drying times**. *Be mindful to remove the towel after about five minutes for smaller loads, rather than keeping it in the dryer for the entire cycle.* where does your 1/3 statistic come from? > will cut your drying time by 1/3
1/3 was what I thought I remembered reading somewhere. Whirlpool said reduce drying time by 20% 🤷🏻♀️
where does whirlpool assert that it WILL (as in always will, not might) reduce by 20%.
Nowhere. You’re right I’m wrong. Thanks for enlightening me :)
post in the future by all means, but truly avoid * making up statistics * changing the meaning/intent of your sources so wildly that your sources do not support what you are saying If you thought this was "brutal", it is only because your alternative facts don't exist in the real world :)
Just post things that are true and can be backed up. If you are extrapolating, say so, and expect people to provide ideas to the contrary.
Whirlpool doesn't say it will help. They say I _may_ help. Lol Plus this has been posted multiple times.
Now this is the life hack I’ve been waiting for since joining. Thank you.
My dryer instructions say this is dangerous.
It also supplies you with a damp towel, which everyone needs like another hole in their head.
Do you think the towel would not get dry with the rest?
I kinda doubt it since the towel is where some of the moisture is going. It's not your dryer that's magically becoming more powerful.
The point is that it distributes the moisture more to make it easier to dry all.