Dryer balls: something I've come across time and time again when perusing cloth-diapering blogs, yet not something I've ever used. Here's the little I do know about them.
Plastic Dryer Balls: I've seen these at the grocery story in the laundry section. They come in a package of two, they're blue and they look like they belong in the aisle with the pet toys. Seriously. The package says they naturally soften clothes (by pummeling them around, I suppose?) and will decrease drying time up to 25%. I've never even been moderately tempted to buy any, maybe because I don't use
fabric softener and I'm perfectly happy with the softness of my clothes without it and maybe because I'm skeptical.
Wool Dryer Balls: I've also come across dryer balls in green living blogs because they also supposedly soften clothes, require less drying time and decrease static electricity. Living in a dry climate we do have some static once in a while but it seems to go away after I fold the clothes. I've never dealt with "fabric cling" but that could be because I wear jeans and yoga pants and uh, little else. Since I can make them myself or maybe because they look like giant colorful
Christmas ornaments or toys, I am tempted to try wool dryer balls. I'm not sure if they do anything different or better than the plastic balls but they are more earth friendly and cost-efficient if I make them myself.
Aluminum Dryer Balls: When searching "dryer balls" I also came across a site that claims that aluminum dryer balls are the way to go: easy to make from heavy duty aluminum foil and a great way to cut down on static cling. I can see how aluminum might help to cut down on static electricity and apparently they aren't any more difficult to make than balling up some tinfoil into some tennis-ball sized forms. Because I use only
Thirsties Duo Fab Fitteds with Cooper right now, if I am using the dryer, it takes about an hour. In the summer, thanks to the hot sun and dry air in Colorado, my diapers actually dry faster outside, especially if I turn them inside after about half an hour. If dryer balls can help cut down on the time my diapers are in the dryer, that would be great. And from what I understand, they soften clothes and diapers by the motion and gentle pounding they create. Do you use dryer balls? Which kind do you use and how well do they work? Should I give them a try. Tell me what you think and Happy Holidays!
Thanks for this article! We just got inspired to make our own wool dryer balls, realizing $7 each is a bit ridiculous compared to how easy and cheap they are to construct DIY style.
Thanks for this! I’ve been dryer ball curious since I started CDing 2 years ago and gave up dryer sheets. I’m seriously considering picking some up now.
I have used wool dryer balls for over a year. I had previously tried the plastic version, but they are noisy and any hard plastic on the ends breaks off after a while. I much prefer the wool dryer balls. They are an investment, but so is anything worth while. They do help with dry time. I don’t typically have static cling, so can’t say if they help or not. I have used the Woolzies Dryer Balls for about 5 months, and they are holding up wonderfully! I previously used a homemade farmers market dryer ball, but they did not hold up for very long. I think the quality is very important when choosing the brand. You can find out more about where to buy them and how to make them on my article: http://www.thirstiesbaby.com/blog/detergent-additives-softeners-and-cloth-diapers/
I made my own with a couple of thrift store sweaters and a bit of yarn. They’re not as pretty as ones made with bright wool roving, but it only cost $6 to make a set of ten. They’re fantastic; not noisy like tennis balls and they really seem to get rid of wrinkles.
As others have confirmed, dryer balls really do work! It’s just through mechanical action rather than chemical action. For the user who made her own, how did you do it?
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