Washing bedding together with towels makes it take longer to dry inside, according to bedding expert James Montgomery-Castle, buyer at Soak&Sleep. As colder weather arrives, drying laundry indoors becomes harder, and the expert has shared advice on how to speed up the process.
Why towels should be washed separately
Montgomery-Castle recommends never washing bedding alongside towels. He said: “The towelling material can damage softer materials like linen and cotton, as the lint clings to smoother fabrics like cotton and linen, which can cause pilling over time. They also hold a lot more water, so it’s best to wash them separately.”
Before putting bedding into the machine, all poppers and zips on duvet covers and pillowcases should be closed. This prevents items from tangling or bunching up inside. Anything caught inside a duvet cover or pillowcase will not spin properly and will come out wetter than the rest of the load.
How to reduce moisture and speed up drying
Overfilling the drum should also be avoided. Larger items need room to move to spin properly, and if they twist into a ball, they can throw the machine off balance and slow the spin cycle. A good rule of thumb is to keep about a hand's width of space at the top of the drum.
Once the wash has finished, an extra spin cycle helps remove as much water as possible. Wet bedding should not be left sitting in the drum for too long, as this can cause it to smell damp.
Drying large items over radiators is one of the biggest causes of condensation and damp during the winter months, so reducing water content before hanging laundry is key.
