• Don’t over-dry your clothes. If your machine has a moisture sensor, use it. Over-drying is also a leading cause of static cling.
• Periodically inspect your dryer vent to ensure it is not blocked. This will save energy and may prevent a fire. Manufacturers recommend using rigid venting material, not plastic vents that may collapse and cause blockages.
• Use the cool-down cycle to allow the clothes to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer.
• Dry towels and heavier cottons in a separate load from lighter-weight clothes.
• Clean the lint filter in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation.
• Drying a small load reduces the tumbling effect and consequently lengthens the drying time. Add several clean, dry white towels to speed up the drying of small loads.
• Turn your jeans inside out, so they won’t fade as quickly.
• Most dryers have delicate permanent press cycles, which have lower settings to protect fabrics which might be damaged by high temperatures.
• Don’t overload your dryer, as it can result in excessive wrinkling.

Down Items: Some manufacturers recommend putting new tennis balls in the dryer to keep the down from clumping. However, the Soap and Detergent Association does not recommend this practice. The neon dye on the tennis ball could transfer to the down-filled item, or the tennis ball might not be able to withstand the heat. To avoid clumping, it is safer to periodically remove the item and shake vigorously. Adding clean, dry towels to the dryer load can also help.

General Tip: cut down on your ironing by shake all of your clothes out before you put them from the washer to the dyer. You will be amazed at how well it works to keep things from wrinkling.

2008 Update: Recently we found dryer balls, I have seen them in several department stores.  They work unbelievably well! I can dry everything on low setting now and it does a great job.

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