Dryer Balls?
I'm working on getting a thin crust pizza recipe post ready(we'll have Wednesday Baking on Thursday this week, apparently), but for today, I wanted to ask you, dear readers, about dryer balls. I picked up a twin pack today at Aldi, and I'm curious to know if any of you have used them with success.
For those of you wondering what in the world dryer balls are, here's a brief rundown. The idea is that these funny looking little balls help to lift and separate your clothes in the dryer, thus allowing more air to circulate between then. This is supposed to soften the clothes, reduce wrinkles, and cut down on the amount of time it takes to dry a load of clothes(which obviously would save money).
Mine are just like these but I only paid $6.99 for mine(which I now see is a very good price!).
I do a lot of air drying, but there are some things that I dry in the dryer, even in the summertime(like bath towels), and in the wintertime, I use my dryer more too. So, I thought these things could be a worthwhile investment.
However, before I crack the package open, I'd love to hear about your experiences with dryer balls. Do they live up to their claims? Please share!
I've been eyeing some of these myself, please let us know what you think of them!
I've been using dryer balls for years. I'm allergic to all-that-I've-tried dryer sheets and fabric softeners (I break out in hives) so the dryer balls do a nice job substituting for those. I did have one ball crack at one point, so now I'm down to one ball, but it still does a great job. And it keeps my clothes from getting static-y. They fluff up towels nicely too!
My parents swear by them.They have had theirs forever
I'm not a big fan. I bought some, with great intentions. But, I didn't notice any difference with, or without them. Hopefully you have better luck! 🙂
I was JUST reading reviews of As Seen On TV products. What they said about the dryer balls was...
Dryer Balls
Stars: 3 out of 5
Cost: $9.95
Claim: Environmentally-friendly, hypoallergenic alternative to chemical fabric softeners that reduces drying time by 25 percent.
Pros: Shorter drying time, no more spending on softeners or chemical-laden dryer sheets.
Cons: Laundry isn't as soft or static-free as with chemical fabric softeners. It's easy to lose track of dryer balls between loads of laundry.
I have been using them for a few years - they seem to work well to cut the drying time. Sometimes sweaters (that probably should have been air dried anyway) can still be full of static , but everything is fine. Regardless, i think they are better than bounce sheets or fabric softener- these products just reduce absorbency of towels. My in-laws insist on using smelly bounce for sheets which makes sleeping there even more of a headache 😉
My review of dryer balls? They make great kids toys. Seriously, my mom bought me these, I used them once, took the laundry upstairs to fold, my kids saw them in the basket (I made the mistake of not taking them out) and I haven't seen them since.
I haven't tried dryer balls (I looked everywhere for them a couple months back, and couldn't find them anywhere!) but we add a little bit of white vinegar to our detergent when we wash our clothes, and it works just as well as fabric softener for much cheaper! We haven't noticed any funny smells or anything like that, either.
I used them with great success until one cracked in half. Had a bit of a problem with them getting lost, especially in the fitted sheets. I've heard that you can use two tennis balls (new of course) with the same results. Have not tried that yet.
I've always wondered about these, too. I can't tolerate the smells of dryer sheets and fabric softener (besides, they are so un-frugal and un-green in my opinion!) so stopped using them 10 years ago. So since then, our laundry has not been soft and smelly, and yet we have survived.
I can't wait to hear how it goes!
I used them for a while but had the same problem as tobye. One of them got caught up in some sheets I brought upstairs to fold and I lost one of them (I think they are with all the missing socks in the gnome hole). I think they did a pretty good job but they are too hard to keep track of.
I have a dog who has allergies, so I stopped using dryer sheets and softener. These don't remove as much of the static as the dryer sheets, but for no chemicals and such a lower cost, they work great! I bought mine at WalMart - best of luck!
I had never heard of these. My son and I both have adverse reactions to all scented fabric softeners. Unscented Bounce sheets for clothes (NEVER use fabric softener or dryer sheets on towels - the chemicals coat the fibers so they don't absorb water and it takes 5-6 washes to completely wash the chemical off) have been a reasonable alternative, but I don't like the waste. These seem like a great idea, and there's an Aldi's near us - I think I'll give it a try! In the winter I'll probably still use dryer sheets for our more static-y clothes (it gets VERY dry in MN, so static is a big problem), but for summer and most clothing, dryer balls it will be!
If anything could possibly reduce static in the winter, I'd be all for it. We bought a humidifier to try and cut down on static. I untentionally ZAP the poor dog quite freqently in the cold months...
I'd love to know if these work. I don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets.
I don't have a dryer (I try to line dry) so have never used them, but a few reviews seem to have a downer on them. I have heard that throwing a tennis ball in the wash does the same. But who knows?
On my old blog I tried washer balls, they worked really well.
I have not tried these yet, but have been socking away my pennies to get them.
For static reduction without the smelly perfumes on dryer sheets and fabric softner I use vinegar while washing (1/4 cup with 1/2 cup water in the liquid fabric dispencer in my washer). It doesn't smell and reduces static and works fine for "softness".
I have seen these before but never knew that they were suppose to cut down on your drying time - that is great! I have just switched to using vinagar in my rinse cycle instead of liquid fabric softener and it seems to be doing the trick. I read that vinagar is suppose to help reduce static as well. What are you currently using???
I use the static eliminator fabric things - they are reusable. I think they work better than the dryer balls. My kids have eczema and are allergic to all dryer sheets, even ones without scent. The chemicals stay in the dryer for 5+ cycles, so I can't even use dryer sheets for my clothes. Our clothes aren't as soft, but using the static eliminators are much better than using nothing.
Here's some info on wool dryer balls:
http://www.buddhabunz.com/store/WsDefault.asp?Cat=WoolDryerBalls&Sub=85&isThumbs=No&Thumbs=
Christine, I don't currently use a fabric softener. We don't have hard water, so our clothes really aren't stiff(esp. out of the dryer!).
Good question.
I purchased some last year to hopefully eliminate the softener requirement. I thought they worked alright. The clothes came out static free and they did seem to dry faster. The only problem I have with them is the banging racket in the dryer. It is very irritating and it can't be good for the inside of the dryer either.
Hope this helps.
I use white vinegar in my rinse water and line dry, works well for me.
We have been using dryer balls (got them mostly to reduce drying time) and have found them to be good. We are also using Ecoballs along with a magnoball in the wash. This has been the biggest positive in doing our wash. We have eliminated detergents by using the eco balls. They work well. It comes with a eco stain remover that I have found better than traditional stain removers. The magno ball in the wash eliminates the need for fabric softener and it really works well! We live in a hard water area and it reall makes a difference. We also use the same magnoball in the dishwasher and same results there. I'd highly recommend. It's so nice to know that we're eliminating these chemicals from the water and also it's been nicer on our skin and budget!
I've never used dryer balls - I just use clean tennis balls! I have about 5 in my dryer usually.