> 2) do not use liquid fabric softeners. see #1. I use a fabric sheet on drying.
Have you tried vinegar in the wash and wool dryer balls? I pre-wash with vinegar and add an extra rinse cycle. It's way better than fabric sheets and the balls also speed up the drying process.
Vinegar is also good for dissolving lime, which builds up in the washer when you have "hard" water and will make it stink - not a mold stink, though, more some kind of bacteria that loves to live in lime. In this case it has nothing to do with residual water.
And vinegar is a pretty good cleaning agent all by itself.
Have you tried vinegar in the wash and wool dryer balls? I pre-wash with vinegar and add an extra rinse cycle. It's way better than fabric sheets and the balls also speed up the drying process.