One Big, Fat, Wadded-Up Mess and How to Fix It

If I’ve heard from one reader, I’ve heard from one thousand — all with the same problem: wadded-up sheets. I feel their pain because I have suffered this problem as well. So annoying. It can happen in the clothes washer but also in the dryer.

My best solution, which only slightly reduces the problem, has been to launder one sheet at a time and then stop the dryer to rearrange and unroll a couple of times during the cycle. And, really, that is no solution at all since it requires more time, energy and detergent. So ridiculous, especially because my washer and dryer are considered large capacity.

If I attempt to launder a set of sheets, daring to throw in pillowcases as well, here’s what happens: The sheets get twisted and tangled and then end up in a tight roll. The pillowcases wind up inside that big, fat wad, making me wonder if they even got washed.

Untangling the wet mess before putting them into the dryer doesn’t help much at all as the process only starts again. The end result? A big, wadded-up, wrinkled mess with random wet spots.

And now for the good news: I’ve discovered a fabulous solution. A very smart person has come up with a gadget (made in the USA, yay!) that solves this problem. It is a square piece of plastic with four locking clips — one for each corner of the sheet (fitted or flat). Cleverly named Wad-Free, it prevents the sheets from getting all wadded up.

Wad-Free comes in a two-pack, so I can launder a set of sheets in one load. And, yes, Wad-Free works like a charm!

This gadget keeps washer loads balanced and allows sheets to move and tumble more freely so they get clean and dry faster (the manufacturer says 75% faster) and with fewer wrinkles.

I enthusiastically recommend Wad-Free, available online at WadFree.com.

Such a great product to keep large items from getting all wadded up in the washer and/or the dryer. Saves time, energy and, most of all, serious frustration! Great stocking stuffer, am I right?

I love a good story, and Wad-Free is one of the best I’ve read in a long time. Cyndi Bray came up with the idea for Wad-Free, having herself long endured the dreaded sheet wad.

After brainstorming with friends with the same problem of sheets balling up and throwing their machines off-balance, Cyndi knew there had to be a solution, and she was up to the task.

With no background in product development or engineering, Cyndi taught herself how to use a modeling computer-aided design program. With that, she came up with a design that worked for her and her friends. And in June 2020 — right in the middle of a pandemic — Cyndi launched her business, and the rest is laundry history.

Thank you, Cyndi!