The most difficult part about taking care of bedsheets? Getting them nice and dry. I know — folding fitted and flat sheets is more annoying for many homeowners. For me, however, nothing is as frustrating as pulling a bedsheet out of the dryer, only to find that it’s twisted and wet in the middle. Washing sheets one at a time is a simple solution — but does anyone really have time for that?
Enter Lora McLaughlin, an influencer who creates home-improvement TikToks for her followers. Her cleaning and cooking tricks have saved me time and time again (those tips for getting rid of toilet bowl rings will stick in my mind for life). Now, she’s back with a quick hack for wad-free bedsheets: tennis balls.
How To Use Tennis Balls in the Dryer
According to McLaughlin, the easiest way to keep sheets untangled (without reducing the load size) is to throw in two or three clean tennis balls. Run the dry cycle as you normally would, and you should have dry, tangle-free sheets when it’s done.
Why does this work? The balls add a little extra weight, which keeps things moving and loose in the dryer. They also hold onto heat, which circulates more heat throughout the space and shortens the drying time.
As an added bonus, tennis balls help soften sheets. This is helpful if you don’t want to use fabric softener, which is water-resistant and builds up in fabric over time. That waxy coating created by softener eventually breaks down fibers, and makes it harder to get fabric truly clean. So, replacing your fabric softener with tennis balls is a simple, long-lasting, money-saving, and eco-friendly solution.
Don’t have any clean tennis balls on hand? Try rubber or wool drying balls instead. We like S&T Inc. Reusable Laundry Dryer Balls (Buy from Amazon, $9.99 for pack of 6) and New Zealand 100% Wool Dryer Balls (Buy from Amazon, $14.98 for pack of 6).
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This article originally appeared on our sister site, First for Women.