During a conversation a couple months ago, the topic of Wool Dryer Balls came up. Random topic, right?! I didn’t know what they were at the time.  I now know they’re a non-toxic, all natural, money saving laundry product that is also said to save drying time and energy.  As weird as it sounds, the topic came up several more times over the next week or so.  After being mentioned multiple times in such a short time and the benefits promised, I was sold on finding and trying them out. I bought a set online have been using them for almost two months. After testing them out, I wanted to share why I think these Wool Dryer Balls are something you need to be using as well.

What are Wool Dryer Balls?

Wool Dryer Balls are exactly what they sound like. Balls made of wool used in the dryer.  More seriously though, they are an all-natural, chemical free alternative to fabric softer sheets or liquid. They are made of felted wool, making them durable for many loads of laundry.

How to Use Wool Dryer Balls?

After putting your clothes, sheets, or towels into the dryer add the dryer balls and run your dryer cycle as you normally do.  The wool dryer balls work by separating the fabrics and allowing the hot air to circulate more efficiently through dryer contents allowing for shorter drying time. While working through the fabric, the balls continue to agitate the fibers of the items you are drying making those towels, jeans and more feel softer when you take them out of the dryer.

The Not So Good about Wool Dryer Balls

Why am I listing these things first?  Because before you get the product you need to honestly know what to expect.

Drying Time – In my opinion, the 25% reduced dryer time is debatable.

Some loads of laundry seemed to take less time to dry but I haven’t noticed a difference on all loads.  Different load sizes and materials, how much water your washer spins out of the clothing, and the efficiency of your dryer all play a part in the drying of the clothes. Keeping that in mind, faster drying time may be happening but I didn’t log it or chart it out to see if the drying time was less.

Static Electricity – Static is not removed completely when using the wool dryer balls.

Loads of laundry containing  items made of synthetic fabrics like nylon, polyester, and rayon had more static. Think about your activewear, some underwear and other quick drying items here.  Resolving this nuisance is easy when you understand what causes static electricity in the dryer.

Static Electricity is caused by friction. The fabrics rub together and build up electrostatic charges. In other words, the positive and negative electrons get to partying. It’s easier for them to party harder when the environment they are in is dry. That’s why you notice static electricity more in winter as opposed to summer or when they come out of a nice, warm, dry, dryer. Now that you know that moisture is the issue this how you stop that one sock from attacking your dress shirt.

• Stop Over Drying – You don’t want your clothes wet but slightly damp is ok especially for items that hang. The more times you hit “tumble” the more time you’re allowing static to build.
• Similar Fabrics Play Well Together – Separate your synthetic items from your natural fiber items.  Since the synthetic clothing is usually the clothing not playing nice, separate it from the group.
• Air Dry – Drying fabrics naturally keeps the friction between the other fabrics. Synthetics like to be air dried or tumble dried on low. Heavy cottons can take more heat.
• Use Wool Dryer Balls – They absorb some of the water left in your clothing as they dry. This keeps a little more humidity in the dryer to prevent static electricity.

The Good about Wool Dryer Balls

There are only two things on the not good list. We certainly beat that number with the good list.

• All Natural – They’re 100% felted wool. Dryer sheets are synthetic material and the liquid is chemicals.
• No Fabric Softener Build-Up – Fabric softener builds up causing towels to become less absorbent. Cooling Activewear can’t absorb moisture properly and keep you comfortable. Buildup also locks in odors and causes towels and clean gym clothes to smell musty.
• Non-Toxic – Again, they’re just wool. There are no chemicals added to the product.
• No Fragrance – Some people are sensitive to scents on their clothing. These don’t have any scent at all.
• Longevity – Wool Dryer Balls are good for 1000+ loads of laundry. Even if you do 3 loads of laundry every day it would take you a year to dry that many loads.
• No Lint – In my experience, using the Wool Dryer Balls, they do not leave lint on clothing.
• They SAVE YOU MONEY! – Fabric softeners cost between $4-$10.  Cost varies depending on variables like liquid or sheets, package size, and  brand.  What didn’t vary was the fact that the Wool Dryer Balls were cheaper and more cost effective. You need 5 boxes of 240 count sheets to dry 1000 loads or 11 bottles of 90 load liquid. Using a $7-10 range for the package size equals anywhere between  $35-$100.  The Wool Dryer Balls I bought cost under 10.00. That’s a HUGE Savings!

A Few More Things to Note

Scent – If you want to add scent to your dryer balls you can do so by adding a few drops of essential oils to the wool dryer balls. Start with 2-3 drops and go from there for a stronger or lighter scent.  We haven’t used the essential oils on ours yet but may in the future.

Cost – The cost of dryer balls varies. After a couple days of research and comparing the products I found that the ones under S10 didn’t seem to be any better or worse than the ones costing $15-$20.

Noise Level – I don’t notice a noise level difference in using the wool dryer balls. It doesn’t make the clothes in the dryer any louder than it would be without having them in with the clothing.

Final Thoughts

Now that we’ve looked at the good and not so good, it’s time for my final thoughts on the Wool Dryer Balls.  The drying time isn’t the best benefit and the minimal static cling concern has some easy work arounds. They save money, reduce waste, and are all natural. They are healthier for our clothing and our own health as opposed to fabric softener liquids and sheets.  Even with the drying time being debatable and some static cling, wool dryer balls are a win.

You can get the Wool Dryer Balls that I’ve been using by clicking HERE.