Every time we do a laundry video, it seems like we're always talking about the
washing machine. But there is indeed a dryer involved in the laundry pair and I
feel like we haven't given the dryer enough do, kind of like Robin to Batman.
So this week, I'm going to tell you everything you need to know about being a
drying wizard so you can fully and completely ace your laundry. The first
thing and I would say the most important thing about understanding your dryer is
knowing that you have to empty your lint trap every single time you finish doing
your laundry or right before you put a load in. But the reason this is so
important is twofold. First of all, this is a major fire hazard. I don't know if
you've seen this online but people actually collect this to use for tinder
for campfires. So really, when people have dryer fires, it is because of this stuff.
It builds up in here and it can get really dangerous. Some people even vacuum this
out every now and again. The other reason it's really important to get rid of lint
is because all of this can clog up the air flow of your machine and it will increase
drying time, which will make your machine less efficient, your clothes won't come
out as dry and as wrinkle-free as you would like them to and they'll also come
out with a lot of the lint. The next thing to keep in mind is to check your fabric
care labels. And if it makes sense, you want to dry your clothing in the dryer but
always dry it inside out. And the reason this is really important is because this
prevents pilling and fading of your garments. Let's talk about dryer sheets,
fabric softener and dryer balls for a minute here because a lot of you guys ask
questions about this and I really want to clear things out for you.
If you put fabric softener in your washing machine because you like it, great.
All it does is softens up some of the clothing
that you have in there and it can coat the fibers to help reduce static
when you put things in the dryer. A dryer sheet is a product that you
put directly into the dryer. It provides a nice smell and it also provides that same
coating onto your clothing to prevent static and also to soften things. It
doesn't actually make things fluffier. Well, at least from my experience, but
what I can tell you is that you do start to notice a film in your washing machine
and on your filter. So you'll eventually have to scrub the inside of your drum
and the filter to get rid of that film. Other people don't like the scent
of fabric softener or dryer sheets. They find it really strong.
So what I've done for years is use dryer balls
and there are several different types that you can use. This is
a wool dryer ball. It's perfect to use for any of your natural fibers. And the thing
I love about wool is that I actually can drop a few drops, say five drops of my
favorite essential oil. So I always use lavender in the laundry room, onto this
ball, throw it in and it disperses the beautiful lavender scent throughout the
drying cycle without obviously using any additives. So that's a really great bonus.
I also have these dryer balls. You can get these at the Dollar Store or any sort of
home goods store. You can also find them on Amazon. I've had them for years.
They're really loud when you throw them in that but the idea with this sort of
hedgehog style is that it fluffs and bounces the clothing around. It really
helps that tumbling motion, that tumbling cycle that beats out all the static that
fluffs things up and it also speeds up drying. So these are actually really great
and you can throw like three, four or five of them in your machine. Go for it.
You can also use balled up tin foil if you can't find either of those options,
and this is sort of like one of those made for TV products
that I found a long time ago. You fill up this interior core
with liquid and it's steam... I don't know. I don't really buy
it but I just use it if I'm in need of a lot of dryer balls. So if I'm doing towels
or something I'll throw this in. The point is there's definitely an alternative to
fabric softener and dryer sheets if that isn't the thing that you like to do. These
work just as well. They get rid of static. They fluff things up. You can even make
your stuff smell really nice in the dryer and you didn't have to use anything extra.
If you've stained a garment, you've pre-treated it, you've put it in your
washing machine and you're pulling it out, think twice before you put it into the
dryer. The reason is your dryer produces heat and heat will set a stain. So you better
be like 100% certain that your stain is out. If for whatever reason you're not
sure because you know when your garments are wet, it's often times really hard to
see if that stain is gone or not. I recommend that you just hang a garment to
dry until you know for sure that that stain is gone and then you can place it in
the dryer as usual. Otherwise you're going to have a permanent stain and don't
come complaining to me. On the topic of drying but not necessarily on the topic of
dryers, it's important to know what garments can and cannot be actually placed
in the dryer, and secondly, you also want to think about whether or not you want to
place something in the dryer. For example, some clothes, even though they say that
they're safe for the dryer, you actually put stress on them each time you put them
into the dryer because of the tumbling and heat. So often times I'll opt to hang dry
most of my stuff, and you can see that over here. I lay it on a rack. There's all
my underwear but you know what, I'm over it. You guys have seen enough of that on
the internet. But a lot of times I'll just hang dry garments, pants, underwear,
cotton, anything, and also if I'm doing a smaller load, there's no need to waste
electricity and run through an entire dryer cycle if I can just hang a bunch of
things. It wouldn't be a Clean My Space video if we didn't talk about how to clean
something, and the dryer is no exception. It's really important to maintain the
inside as well as the filter, and some of the areas outside and around the dryer.
Fortunately we have a great video on that which I will link down below. It's really
important to maintain your dryer especially because it's dealing with heat,
which can of course be a safety hazard and also you want to make sure it's venting
properly, A, for that safety hazard reason but B, because you want to make sure that
it's being energy-efficient and not costing you extra money and time. So make
sure you check that video out. I hope this explains why the dryer plays an integral
part in the overall laundry flowchart. So now that you're a dryer wizard, I would
love to know, do you have any dryer tips or drying tips that you can share with me
and the Clean My Space community? Let me know in the comments down below. That also
goes for questions. Please of course let us know, and I have another question for
you guys specifically because I hung a bunch of stuff to dry the other day,
including a wash cloth and it came out so matted, and I just haven't been able to
figure out how to get it nice and fluffy when I don't put it into the dryer, and I
notice that's something that a lot of you guys deal with. So if anybody has a
solution on how to get your stuff more fluffy if you're hang drying it,
particularly towels, please let us know in the comments down below. You can also find
me on Instagram. I can show you things that I'm up to during the week and I'd
love to see what you're up to. Trust me, it goes a little bit beyond laundry. I'm a
little bit more interesting than that. I'm @melissamaker. He is @thechadreynolds and
we are @CleanMySpace. There's a button down there that lets me know you care. So
click it if you liked this video and click this button right here to subscribe and
begin your journey to a cleaner life. Thanks so much for watching and we'll see
you next time. Now it's that crazy time of the week where I get to throw you to two
other videos I think you're going to love. The first one, I mentioned earlier, is how
to clean your washer and your dryer. It's a great video. I highly recommend you
check it out. And the second video has to do with five great laundry tips. So just
things that will help you make your laundry go a little bit faster, kind of
like today's video but not exclusively about the dryer. All the links for that
will be down below. You can also click or tap or do some interactive thing to get
yourself to the video, it'll work, whatever you do. There's also a link down
there to cleanmyspace.com which is our blog, which is full of cool, crazy
articles, printables, product reviews and all kinds of other great stuff. So make
sure you check it out. Thanks guys and we'll see you next week.