Eco-Friendly Dryer Hacks to Speed Up Your Routine

No one has time for soggy or damp clothes. But waiting for them to come out of the machine crisp and warm can feel like you’re watching paint, well, dry. Fortunately, you can streamline your laundry routine so it seems as light and breezy as your clothes do while tumbling around inside your dryer. Better still, these dryer hacks are eco-conscious. Remember, convenience doesn’t mean sacrificing sustainability. In fact, small changes that will make your life easier can also count toward a cleaner future. Don’t believe us? Read on for ways to speed up your laundry routine the green way.

Upgrade your dryer

Even before you’re ready to turn up the heat, you can take action beforehand to speed up the process. Chief among them: upgrade your dryer to an energy-efficient model. These appliances consume less energy as well as reduce drying times, meaning they’ll save you time in the short term and money on your energy bills in the long run.

Maintain your machine 

No matter how old your appliance is, by keeping it in good working order, you ensure it operates more efficiently — and faster. Importantly, it also reduces the risk of fire or other hazards that can arise when a dryer isn’t properly maintained.

Use the high-speed spin cycle

Speeding up your drying routine begins in the wash. By using your washing machine’s high-speed spin cycle, you wring more water from your clothes, which in turn significantly reduces how long it takes them to dry. This is especially true when you’re tackling thicker fabrics like towels.

Use eco-friendly laundry sheets

Technically they won’t make your clothes dry faster, but by using SaltyLama laundry detergent sheets you’ll accelerate your routine overall. That’s because our sheets are pre-measured, eliminating the need to spend time measuring liquid or powder. Besides, using the sheets just makes the process feel like a breeze since, instead of lugging around a heavy plastic jug, you’re simply tossing a sheet into your wash from slim biodegradable packaging. No mess, no stress — and they’re kind to the planet. 

Sort your laundry efficiently

Want to reduce the amount of time your laundry takes from start to finish? Instead of digging through piles of clothes on laundry day, keep things organized as you move through the week. This means using separate hampers for items that are washed separately — towels in one hamper, light colors in another, darks in another, and so on. As you do this, you’ll also want to re-examine the garment. Check each item for stains. Evaluate if it actually needs to be washed. Not everything needs to be cleaned after one wear, particularly jeans and sweaters. 

Use timed drying

This feature lets you pick a specific drying time for your load, which curbs over-drying and reduces energy waste. Most dryers run longer than is really needed, so investigate how short of a cycle you actually require.

Enhance dryer balls

Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to your wool dryer balls. Not only will your clothes smell heavenly, but you’ll be avoiding synthetic fragrances and dryer sheets.

Dry similar items together

Don’t mix and match items. Rather, dry such lightweight garments as underwear and T-shirts at the same time. Use the same approach with towels and bedding. Similar items will dry at similar rates, shortening the overall drying time.

Opt for a dryer vent booster

If your home has a long dryer vent system — meaning it’s not near an exterior wall — install this device to boost airflow and shrink drying times. It will also save energy.

Dry clothes in batches

It sounds daunting, but tackle multiple loads of your laundry back-to-back. Why? Because this will allow you to make use of the residual heat in your machine. In other words, the previous load will help speed up the drying of subsequent loads.

Heavy load? Add towels

Adding dry towels to a heavy load of wet clothes can speed up drying times since the towels will absorb moisture.

Fold and hang up right away

If you’ve gone to all the time and effort to wash and dry your clothes, why would you then let them sit around and wrinkle? In the end, it will only mean more time spent ironing them. So, hang or neatly fold them as soon as they are done. 

Get into a routine

No one likes doing laundry — and when you don’t enjoy something, it can feel like it takes forever. But laundry day can feel a lot less of a grind if you establish a comfortable routine. Choose a day of the week that you will take care of your laundry loads, including washing your bedding and other household fabrics as needed.  Get your family or roommates involved to help speed up laundry day. You can even take turns doing the laundry, so you can each have a week off from this chore. 

Remember every small act counts in the journey towards a sustainable lifestyle — even when you’re tackling an everyday chore like doing laundry. So save money and energy by putting these eco-friendly dryer hacks into action — you’ll enjoy not only the spare time, but the satisfying peace of mind that making eco-conscious choices brings.