So here’s what keeps happening: every time—like, every single time—I wash the sheets, I pull them out of the dryer and it’s just… one massive, wrinkled orb.

Not sheets. Not bedding. Not anything remotely recognizable as something that belongs on a bed.

Just a giant cotton meteor.

The comforter has somehow swallowed the fitted sheet, the flat sheet is twisted around three pillowcases, and one of the pillowcases is holding a sock hostage. I reach into the dryer expecting clean laundry and instead find what looks like a fabric-based crime scene.

And every single time I think, Okay. This time I’ll fix it.

This time I’ll separate everything.

This time I won’t overload the dryer.

This time I’ll remember to take the sheets out immediately.

And then, approximately seven days later, I forget all of that and do exactly the same thing.

The dryer wins again.

But apparently, there are actually some things you can do to prevent sheets from balling up in the dryer. None of them are especially complicated, and none of them require you to become one of those people who genuinely enjoys laundry.

The goal is simply to make the process a little less ridiculous.

Don’t Let Them Stick Together at the Start

I used to take the entire load straight from the washer and throw it into the dryer exactly as it came out.

Wet. Heavy. Twisted. Completely confused.

I figured the dryer would sort it out.

The dryer, unfortunately, does not sort things out.

Sheets—especially large sheets—have a talent for wrapping around themselves. Once they’re wet, they become heavier and cling together even more easily. If you put a tangled sheet directly into the dryer, the tumbling action can actually make the problem worse.

Instead of separating, the sheets can twist around each other and create one giant bundle.

So now, before I put them in the dryer, I try to pull everything apart.

Not neatly.

I’m not standing there folding laundry straight out of the washer like I have my life together. I’m just separating the pieces.

Flat sheet? Pull it open.

Fitted sheet? Find the corners and untangle them.

Duvet cover? Open it up and make sure there’s nothing trapped inside.

Pillowcases? Get them apart from each other.

That’s basically it.

The idea is to give the dryer individual pieces of fabric instead of one enormous wet knot.

And yes, it takes an extra minute.

But that one minute can save you from standing in front of the dryer later trying to figure out how a fitted sheet managed to become a rope.

Shake. Shake Like You’re Mad at Them.

This might be the simplest trick on the entire list.

Shake the sheets.

Seriously.

Before putting them in the dryer, grab each sheet and give it a good shake. Open it up as much as you can. Let the fabric fall loose instead of stuffing it into the dryer in a wet pile.

I know how ridiculous this sounds.

I’ve stood in the hallway shaking a queen-sized sheet and accidentally smacked something off a shelf. I’ve shaken a fitted sheet so aggressively that it basically slapped me in the face.

But it helps.

The more spread out the fabric is when it enters the dryer, the better chance it has of tumbling freely.

You don’t need to perfectly unfold every wrinkle. That’s not realistic. The goal is just to loosen things up.

And if you’re dealing with a duvet cover or another large piece, check inside it, too. Large covers can trap smaller pieces of laundry inside them, which means those pieces aren’t actually getting much air or movement.

Give everything a quick shake before it goes in.

It isn’t a guarantee.

But neither is anything else in laundry.

Don’t Overload the Dryer

This is probably the advice I ignore the most.

I always think I can fit one more thing in there.

There’s clearly room.

Look at all that empty space.

Surely the dryer can handle one more towel.

And then I add two pillowcases, a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, a duvet cover, and approximately half my household’s laundry.

This is where things go wrong.

A dryer needs room for clothes and bedding to move around. If it’s packed too tightly, everything stays pressed together instead of tumbling freely. Sheets are especially good at turning a crowded dryer into one enormous fabric ball.

You might also end up with laundry that takes much longer to dry.

The outside of the bundle can feel dry while the middle is still damp. Then you have to run the dryer again, and again, and again.

So if you’re drying a large set of sheets, don’t automatically throw in every towel and piece of clothing that happens to be waiting nearby.

If the load is huge, split it up.

Yes, that means another dryer cycle.

Yes, that means spending more time on laundry.

But it may actually save time overall because you won’t have to run an overloaded load three times.

I realize this advice is coming from someone who routinely overloads the dryer.

I’m working on it.

Dryer Balls: Yes, They’re Real. Yes, They Do Stuff.

For a long time, I thought dryer balls were one of those things people bought because the internet told them they needed them.

You know the type.

A little pack of wool balls promising to “revolutionize your laundry” while sitting there looking like oversized tennis balls.

But dryer balls can actually be useful.

As they tumble around with your laundry, they help create space between pieces of fabric. That extra movement can help keep sheets from sticking together as tightly.

Wool dryer balls are a popular option, although there are also plastic or rubber versions. You don’t need a ridiculous number of them, either. A few can be enough for a typical load, depending on the size of the dryer and how much laundry you’re drying.

And no, they aren’t magic.

Sometimes the dryer ball disappears inside the duvet cover.

Sometimes you find one several days later.

Sometimes you pull the sheets out and discover that all the dryer balls have somehow ended up in the same corner.

But they’re still doing something.

Think of them less as a miracle solution and more as another little thing that can help.

And honestly, if something makes laundry slightly easier without requiring me to do anything complicated, I’m interested.

Give Your Sheets Some Space

Here’s another thing I didn’t understand for a long time: bigger doesn’t always mean you should use a bigger load.

A king-size sheet can take up a surprising amount of space in a dryer.

Add a fitted sheet.

Add a flat sheet.

Add a duvet cover.

Add pillowcases.

Now add towels because “there’s still room.”

Suddenly you’ve created a dryer full of fabric that can’t move.

The sheets need room to lift, fall, separate, and tumble. If they’re constantly wrapped around other pieces, they’re going to stay wrapped around other pieces.

This is especially important with bulky bedding.

If you’re drying a duvet cover, comforter, or heavy blanket, consider drying it separately from your sheets if your dryer is small.

It might feel inefficient, but there’s not much point in saving one load if the load takes twice as long to dry.

Lower Heat Can Help

For years, I used high heat because I assumed high heat meant faster drying.

Technically, yes, more heat can speed things up.

But hotter isn’t always better.

Sheets can come out of a high-heat cycle feeling stiff, overly dry, and aggressively wrinkled. Certain fabrics can also be more sensitive to excessive heat.

For many sheets, a medium or lower heat setting can be a better choice, particularly if you’re trying to be gentler with the fabric.

And here’s the important part: don’t just choose a setting and walk away forever.

Check the sheets toward the end of the cycle.

If they’re still damp, give them more time.

If they’re already dry, take them out.

Because leaving dry sheets tumbling around for another hour doesn’t exactly improve them.

It mostly gives them additional opportunities to wrinkle themselves into something that resembles an ancient textile artifact.

Take Them Out When the Dryer Stops

This is the advice I know works.

This is also the advice I am least likely to follow.

The dryer beeps.

I hear it.

I think, I’ll get that in a minute.

Then I forget.

Twenty minutes later, I’m doing something completely unrelated.

An hour passes.

Eventually I remember.

And when I open the dryer, the sheets are cold, wrinkled, and twisted into themselves.

Leaving laundry sitting in the dryer after the cycle ends gives wrinkles plenty of time to settle in.

If you can get to the sheets soon after the cycle finishes, do it.

Take them out.

Give them another shake.

Separate the pieces.

Fold them, put them on the bed, or at the very least place them somewhere other than the bottom of the dryer.

This one small habit can make a surprisingly noticeable difference.

And if your dryer has a wrinkle-release or extended-tumble setting, that can also be useful when you know you won’t be able to unload immediately.

Don’t Throw Everything Into One Giant Ball

There’s a temptation after drying to scoop the entire load out at once.

I do this constantly.

Open dryer.

Reach in.

Grab everything.

Carry giant laundry monster to bedroom.

Drop it on bed.

Walk away.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t exactly help.

Instead, try separating the sheets from the rest of the laundry as you remove them.

Find the fitted sheet.

Find the flat sheet.

Pull out the pillowcases.

Shake everything out.

It takes maybe an extra minute.

And that minute can keep the sheets from becoming tangled again before they even make it to the closet.

You don’t have to fold them perfectly.

You just don’t want to turn clean laundry into another laundry problem.

Folding Is… Kind of a Scam, But Whatever

If you’re one of those people who can fold a fitted sheet into a perfect rectangle, I have questions.

Who taught you?

Why are you so powerful?

Was there a class?

Because I have never been able to consistently produce that beautiful little fitted-sheet square that appears in organizational videos.

Mine usually ends up looking like a fabric dumpling.

Still, you don’t need to achieve folding perfection.

When the sheets come out of the dryer, try to fold them while they’re still relatively warm. Smooth them out, line up the corners, and fold them loosely enough that you’re not creating another giant bundle.

For fitted sheets, the main thing is getting the elastic corners roughly together.

You don’t need to win a folding competition.

The goal is simply to keep the sheets from immediately returning to their natural state: chaos.

Fabric Softener Is a Whole Situation

Fabric softener is one of those laundry products that everyone seems to have an opinion about.

Some people swear by it.

Some people avoid it completely.

Some people have a bottle that’s been sitting in their laundry room for three years.

I am somewhere in the middle.

Fabric softener can make some fabrics feel softer and can help reduce static and wrinkles. But using too much can leave residue, and it isn’t a magic fix for sheets that are balling up in the dryer.

In other words, don’t expect fabric softener to solve a mechanical problem.

If your sheets are entering the dryer as one giant knot, making them softer isn’t necessarily going to stop them from becoming one giant knot.

The bigger factors are how much you’re putting in the dryer, how tangled the sheets are beforehand, and whether they’re able to tumble freely.

Better Sheets Might Help

There’s also the possibility that your sheets themselves are part of the problem.

Different fabrics behave differently in the wash and dryer.

Lightweight sheets can move around differently than heavier ones. Certain materials may wrinkle more easily, while others may be more resistant.

Good-quality cotton or linen sheets can feel completely different from inexpensive microfiber or blended bedding.

Of course, there’s a catch.

Good sheets can be expensive.

I’m not suggesting you go spend $200 on bedding because your current fitted sheet keeps turning itself into a burrito.

If the sheets you already have are comfortable and in good condition, keep using them.

You can work around the problem.

And honestly, most of us aren’t buying new bedding every time our laundry becomes annoying.

Check the Care Label

This is one of those boring pieces of advice that nobody wants to hear until something goes wrong.

Check the care label.

Different sheets can have different drying instructions. Some may recommend low heat, while others may be better suited to air drying or a specific temperature.

Following those instructions can help protect the fabric and reduce unnecessary shrinkage, fading, and wear.

It can also prevent you from accidentally treating expensive bedding like a load of old gym towels.

And yes, I know reading laundry labels isn’t exactly thrilling.

But neither is discovering that your favorite fitted sheet shrank just enough that putting it on the mattress now requires a wrestling match.

The Bigger Picture: Laundry Is Just Annoying

At some point, you have to accept that laundry is never going to become the most exciting part of your week.

There is no perfect system.

You can shake the sheets.

You can use dryer balls.

You can lower the heat.

You can avoid overloading the dryer.

You can take everything out immediately.

And somehow, one day, you will still open the dryer and discover a giant fabric ball staring back at you.

That’s just how it goes.

But these little tricks can make the problem less frequent and less annoying.

The biggest things to remember are pretty simple: separate the sheets before drying, give them room to tumble, don’t overload the dryer, use dryer balls if you like them, and take the sheets out when the cycle finishes.

None of that requires special equipment or some complicated laundry routine.

It’s mostly about giving the sheets enough space to behave like sheets.

And if you forget all of this next week?

Same.

So will I.

I’ll probably stand in the laundry room holding a giant cotton meteor and wondering how it happened again.

Then I’ll shake it out, put it on the bed, and pretend I learned my lesson.

Until next laundry day.