How to Prevent Sheets from Balling Up in the Dryer (And Finally Win the Laundry War)

There is a specific kind of heartbreak reserved for laundry day. You wait for the buzzer, open the dryer door expecting warm, fluffy linens, and instead, you are greeted by a single, massive, wrinkled orb. It’s as if the comforter tried to absorb the fitted sheet, and now they’ve fused together into a warm, damp cotton meteor.

We’ve all been there. Every single time, you tell yourself, “Okay, this time I’ll fix it. This time I’ll outsmart the dryer.” And then, you forget, and the dryer wins again. It always wins.
But it turns out, there are actual, scientifically backed ways to stop this from happening. Or, at the very least, make it slightly less of a joke. Let’s break down how to tame your linens and finally stop the great sheet tangle.

Step 1: The Pre-Dryer Ritual (Separate and Shake)
I used to just take the entire wet, clumpy mess straight from the washer and dump it into the dryer. But sheets—especially large, heavy ones—have a natural tendency to wrap themselves around other items. If you put them in the dryer already twisted, they’re going to come out looking like a giant, woven basket.

The “Un-Balling” Technique:
Peel them apart: Before they even go into the dryer, take the time to physically pull everything open. You don’t need to fold them neatly—just separate them. Peel the fitted sheet off the flat sheet, one piece at a time.
Shake them out: This is the most crucial step. Stand in the hallway and shake those sheets like you’re mad at them. Snap the fabric hard a few times to get air inside and unballed the corners.
Embrace the silliness: It’s not an elegant look. You’ll probably be standing there in your sweatpants, whacking a queen-sized sheet against a bookshelf or the wall. But if you don’t do it, everything ends up in a tangled mess again.
Pro Tip: If you are washing a duvet cover, button or zip it completely shut before it goes into the washer and dryer. An open duvet cover is a black hole that will happily swallow your pillows and fitted sheet whole.