Dryer sheets reduce static build-up on clothes, remove wrinkles and soften laundry, and scent the washing as it dries in the tumble dryer. But how many dryer sheets should you use per load?
Most manufacturers state that you need to use one dryer sheet when drying small to regular-sized loads of laundry. You should use two sheets when drying large loads of laundry.
However, you can add a second dryer sheet to a small to medium-sized load if you want to make the washing extra pungent or want to reduce a lot of static cling. But this isn’t absolutely necessary.
In some cases, you can add a third dryer sheet to a dryer, but you should only do this if you have an extra-large capacity dryer or you’re using a large appliance at a launderette.
You generally won’t need to add a third dryer sheet if you’re using a traditional-sized home appliance.
As a guide, a ‘small load’ of laundry is when your dryer’s drum is filled up a third of the way. For example, if you had an 8 kg tumble dryer and you filled it up a third of the way, it would have approximately 2.5 kg of laundry in it.
A ‘regular load’ of laundry, also known as a ‘normal load’ or ‘medium-sized load’, is when your tumble dryer’s drum is filled up to the halfway point.
How much laundry it takes to fill your dryer to the halfway point depends on what size drum your tumble dryer has.
For example, if your tumble dryer has an 8 kg capacity, you’ll need to add around 4 kg of laundry to it.
In general, a tumble dryer that is filled with a regular load of laundry will look rather empty. And you’ll see that there’s a lot of room for the clothes to tumble around inside the drum.
A ‘large load’ of laundry, on the other hand, is when your tumble dryer is three-quarters full. This does not mean that you fill the dryer up to 100% capacity!
The drum should look much fuller when it is filled up with this amount of washing, but there should be enough room for the items to move around inside.
In this case, if your tumble dryer has an 8 kg capacity, you’ll need to add about 6 kg of laundry to it.
Here is a quick recap:
- Small to medium-sized loads: Add one dryer sheet, or two sheets if you want your clothes to be particularly scented.
- Large loads: Add two dryer sheets to large-sized loads.
- Large-capacity machines: Add three dryer sheets
See our guide to the best dryer sheets if you need to stock up!
Is It Okay to Use Two Dryer Sheets?
Yes, it’s okay to use two dryer sheets. In fact, you should be using two dryer sheets if you’re drying large loads of laundry (drum three-quarters full).
In addition to this, if you’d like a small to medium-sized load of laundry to smell extra aromatic, you can add a second dryer sheet to the drum. This will help to make the laundry smell more pleasing for you.
Can You Use Too Many Dryer Sheets?
Using too many dryer sheets at once will leave a waxy, chemical-ridden coating on your clothing and can also clog up and hinder how your tumble dryer works.
You must not add too many dryer sheets to a tumble dryer, and you must stick to using the right amount of dryer sheets instead.
How Many Times Should You Use a Dryer Sheet?
In general, dryer sheets are a one-time-use kind of product. This means that after one drying cycle, they’ll have transferred most of their chemicals and scent onto the laundry in the machine, so they wouldn’t be able to soften and pass any fragrance onto a second load of laundry effectively.
Is One Dryer Sheet Enough?
Manufacturers stipulate that you need to use one dryer sheet per small to medium-sized load of laundry. One dryer sheet should be able to soften and perfume the washing in question.
However, personal preference does play a role in whether or not one dryer sheet is enough. In some cases, dryer sheet users note that one sheet doesn’t make their washing smell enough, so they need to use a second sheet.
In addition, a regular-sized load (drum is half-filled) in one house will be different to what it is in another person’s home. And this needs to be taken into consideration because it will impact how well the dryer sheet works.
For example, House A has a tumble dryer that has a 6 kg capacity, so when it’s half-filled, it has 3 kg of washing in it. House B, on the other hand, has a 10 kg tumble dryer, so when it’s half-filled, it has 5 kg of washing in it.
As you can see, there’s quite a difference in what is considered a ‘regular load’ in both homes. So, you might find that House A feels that one sheet is enough to scent their 3 kg of laundry, but House B doesn’t think that one dryer sheet is enough to scent their 5 kg of laundry.
House B may need to use two dryer sheets to get the same effect from the sheets as House A.
You’ll have to keep this in mind when using dryer sheets.
Bethan has a passion for exploring, reading, cooking and gardening! When she’s not creating culinary delights for her family, she’s concocting potions to keep her house clean!
