5 Reasons to Ditch Dryer Sheets & Switch to Wool Dryer Balls
This review has been sponsored by Lovesmade. All opinions are my own.
Have you heard of wool dryer balls yet? I’ve been using mine for 8 months now and I love them. They are small balls of wool (about the size of a tennis ball) that I put in the dryer along with my laundry.
5 Reasons to Ditch Dryer Sheets
& Switch to Wool Dryer Balls
1) Dryer balls help your dryer run more efficiently. They fluff up your laundry, prevent clothes from clumping, increase air circulation, and cut down the amount of time it takes your clothes to dry.
Did you know that a dryer requires a ton of electricity? When we were shopping for a house, our very chatty realtor told us that he did an experiment to see what was using the most electricity in his house. He turned off everything and then turned on one item/appliance at a time. Each time he checked his electricity meter and took notes about which items used the most. He saw the largest spike when he turned on the dryer. He stopped using his dryer completely to cut down on his electric bill.
2) Dryer balls replace dryer sheets and liquid fabric softener, which saves money over time. Dryer sheets and fabric softener aren’t very expensive, but the same set of dryer balls can be used years.
3) Dryer sheets and liquid fabric softener are dangerous for your health. Did you realize that there are scary chemicals in fabric softener products? This article by Care2 lists 10 ingredients that I don’t want to have on my clothes! The article goes on to list several known side effects of those chemicals including central nervous system disorders, headaches, nausea, dizziness, pancreatic cancer, and more.
Negative health risks associated with wool dryer balls? None.
4) Fabric softener makes your towels less absorbent. The chemicals in fabric softener products leaves a film behind on your clothing. It feels nice, but it actually makes your towels less effective. This isn’t an issue with dryer balls.
5) Dryer balls can fluff up your stiff clothes-line-dried towels and clothes. Skipping the dyer and using a clothes line is the best way to save money and it is easier on your clothes, but it makes them stiff. Some people can’t stand that stiff feeling, but if you toss the stiff clothes into the dryer for a few minutes it really helps.
I did a little experiment to see how well the my Lovesmade dryer balls fluffed up my stiff, line-dried towels.
The towel on the left is straight off the clothes line. The towel on the right was in the dryer for a few minutes on the cool down setting with my Lovesmade dryer balls. The “dryer” towel still wasn’t as soft as if it had been 100% dried in the dryer, but it was significantly less stiff than the other towel.
Since I’ve started using dryer balls the only downside that I’ve found is that they don’t do a great job with static if I’m drying fleece. In the winter I tend to have lots of fleece clothes and PJs for my little ones. Otherwise, if don’t have any fleece in the dryer they do great with static.
Wanna buy your own set of dryer balls? Visit Lovesmade site or you can purchase these organic wool dryer balls on Amazon.
Have you ditched dryer sheets and switched to wool dryer balls?
Disclosure: Lovesmade provided me with a set of dryer balls to review and keep. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you enjoy reading silly fine print like this then be sure to check out my full disclosure policy.
I do use wool dryer balls…I made my own and it took some time…and I’m in need of some new ones1
Have you ever tried attaching a large safety pin to a dryer ball? It is supposed to help with static. My mom uses balls of aluminum foil to release the static in the dryer.
I have heard of that from several people, but I haven’t tried it yet. Once we move into cold, fleece-PJ weather, I’ll have to finally try it.
I usually hang them to dry in my apartment, then throw them in the dryer for a few minutes after to soften them. If I’m feeling lazy I just take the larger stuff out and hang it, but put all the socks, undies, rags, etc in the dryer. They take forever to hang and usually take more space than I have.
I always dry socks and underwear in the dryer. Like you, I just don’t have the space (or the time!) to hang up all those little things. Plus I use my neighbor’s clothes line. I’m not sure I want my underwear hanging in my neighbor’s back yard!
I’m currently using norwex balls; haven’t tried wool ones but would love to!
Are the norwex balls plastic?
One thing that we haven’t covered about plastic dryer balls is how overtime they damage your fabrics! If you think about the hard plastic ball banging against the inside of the metal of your dryer, it actually wears out the fabric much faster than just drying it or using soft wool dryer balls.
FWIW: I contacted Norwex; their reply:
“The dryer balls are made out of food grade PVC and would have to be on fire to give off any off gasses.”
the balls are not “hard”, per se; they are squishable….I’m not a rep for the company, just trying to take steps to remove chemicals from my home.
Norwex offers wool dryer balls. I love them !
I’ve never used wool dryer balls, but I’d love to try them. I’ve tried making my own dryer sheets, but they didn’t turn out so well.
I had no idea you could make your own dryer sheets! I’m impressed even if they didn’t turn out.
I’m kind of a fabric softener fanatic but I’ve been thinking about switching. I’ve heard some good things and your post really encourages me! I’ve got two little ones and would love to have fewer chemicals touching their precious bodies!
Oh, Katie. I hear ya! Several of my green changes have been motivated by my own little ones. I weaned myself off my conventional laundry products by switching to fragrance free options first. Every little baby step helps.
We use plastic dryer balls – really want to try the wool ones. The plastic ones make SO MUCH noise. Also, not happy with the fact that when plastic is heated/frozen it breaks down and releases chemicals. We are trying to be as chemical free as possible.
I didn’t even think about noise being a factor with dryer balls. I guess my wool ones are louder than if I wasn’t using anything, but it really isn’t that notice able.
Hi there, owner of Lovesmade here. I used the plastic ones in attempt to eliminate “chemicals” from as much as possible once my oldest was born. After a year or so of use, I noticed my towels started to smell funny…jumped online and started researching about plastic dryer balls and EEEEKKK!!! They break down with heat and give off all kinds of bad stuff. More research (and the advice of a very good friend) led me to wool dryer balls. Didn’t want to use yarn because I’m impatient and I figured they’d unravel over time. Few months of vendor experiments, rolling experiments and walla…Lovesmade was born 🙂
I use Norwex dryer balls too. I had been using aluminum foil crunched up a little which works great for static, except when I have all the fleece. What’s with fleece??!! Is there anything that takes static out of fleece??!! I had never heard of wool dryer balls–interested in trying them now.
I hang my clothes to dry – outside when possible otherwise on racks in the basement. I have never used wool dryer balls. I do have a dryer, apartment size, that I bought second hand almost 20 years ago.
I’ve never used dryer balls, although I’m definitely curious. I’ve been using vinegar as my fabric softener for a while now, but extra fluff (and some help with static) is always welcome!
Melissa, do you add vinegar to your washing machine? I haven’t tried that yet.
I add vinegar to my wash. I add maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of it to the fabric softener compartment. It works pretty well, and the clothes never smell like vinegar when they come out of the wash, just nice and fresh.
I own lovesmade dryer balls and they are awesome. They are so large and hold up great!!!
That is wonderful! How long have you been using them?
I believe it was around Mother’s Day, but let me add that I have two wild boys who find them all the time and I was really concerned that they could start to come apart with them playing with them and they are still perfect. And with 3 boys in my house (one too young to do damage yet). I do 1-2 loads of wash a day.
I have now bought sets for my mom and MIL. I have 6 and find that to be a great number as I tend to get a few in the laundry and so I have always have at least 4 in the dryer.
I have been using my dryer while waiting on my clothesline to be fixed. The balls would help a lot with my cloth diaper loads.
Natalie, Lovesmade says that wool dryer balls are perfect for cloth diapers! I think they are big cloth diapering fans. They also sell cloth wipes.
Natalie, owner of Lovesmade here, exactly!!! We love cloth diapering. I tend to line dry and then toss in the dryer (no heat setting) with 8-9 dryer balls to fluffen up and soften. Of course, the days when I do dry them in the dryer, I have all 9 bouncing around in there. Really helps them dry faster!
I use Norwex dryer balls. For fleece and other synthetic fabric, reduce dryer time more or you can squeeze some water in the dryer balls to steam dry! Norwex is also coming out with wool dryer balls in October! Also, to reduce line-dry stiffness, switch to a filler-free detergent (like Norwex Ultra Power Plus). Thanks, Rebekah, for posting the nasty truth about fabric softener and dryer sheets!
Thanks for the tips, Carrie! What do you mean by “filler-free?”
I use my dryer right now as we’ve had a very damp summer and everything mildews on me. I’d love to try wool dryer balls!
I still use dryer sheets. 🙁 I’d love to try the wool dryer balls though.
I used dryer sheets for a looooong time. It is all about the baby steps!
Lela, Hi there. Owner of Lovesmade here. If you do end up winning the giveaway or deciding to purchase wool dryer balls at some point, just be sure not to use them with fabric softener or dryer sheets! Fabric softener leaves a film on your fabrics and will do the same overtime to the dryer balls causing them to lose their ability to absorb the water and lessen your drying time.
I “treated” myself with a 3-pack of dryer balls last Christmas and I LOVE them. I think I’m going to give dryer balls to my sisters and parents this year as gifts.
We typically use our terrible coin-operated dryer. Yes, our apartment has its own coin operated washer and dryer. It’s one of those quirks that we’ll look back on and laugh about, when we’ve moved into a nicer place. But we actually both gave up dryer sheets before we met each other – him out of frugality and me because of the chemicals. Anyway I would love to win because we’re due with our first baby in December and we’re cloth diapering… so dryer balls would be a definite help!
I have not used dryer balls, but I sure would like to try them out! I have entered EVERY giveaway for them that I can find. Sooner or later, I hope to win a set! Thanks!
I use my dryer to dry my dresses/shirts/pants for about 15 min. to get the wrinkles out. Other than that I only use it in the winter for towels or when it is rainy for days on end for the same thing. I have a drying rack and a retractable clothesline. Yup, you can still line-dry clothes even if you live in the city!
My question is, do dryer balls reduce static? That’s the main reason I use dryer sheets (in the winter only) and my impression was that the dryer balls don’t really help with that.
I haven’t tried dryer balls – but I have put tennis balls in to help reduce drying time. Wow – it’s so loud!! I’m concerned by the chemicals in dryer sheets so very rarely use them. I’d love to try wool dryer balls! Thank you for the wonderful contest!
I’ve been using Woolzies for about 6 months now. I love love love them!! They definitely reduce drying time by as much as 25%. As far as noise goes, you can hear them in the dryer, if you’re listening for it. Otherwise, it’s not very noticeable. I’d love to win a set for my daughter!
I would love to try the dryer balls. Thanks for offering these.
I use the clothes dryer to dry the majority of our laundry. I am very interested in trying the wool dryer balls.
I’ve read so much about them but haven’t actually tried them as they are usually too expensive for my fixed budget. I once saw instructions for making your own but never could find those again!
I usually just hang my clothes up to dry
I would love to try these also!! My daughter has allergies to everything and we have tried as much as possible to reduce the amount of chemicals in her surroundings!
I use my dryer 99% of the time. My husband removed our washline for practical purposes, and honestly, I don’t know how much I’d use it anyway… I use my drying rack occasionally, but it doesn’t hold enough for me!… I would really like to try the dryer balls…
To further reduce static, create a ball of tinfoil the same size as your wool dryer balls and add this to your laundry.
Megan, Hi there. Owner of Lovesmade here, we are big fans of cloth diapers and have a little one in them full time. The dryer balls make a huge difference with fluffing and also speeding up the drying time!! Good luck on the giveaway! Our shop also has cloth wipes!
I’ve been meaning to try these but haven’t bought any yet. I’ve heard that they are great to use when drying cloth diapers. I’m still a dryer sheet user and sometimes a line dryer.
Hi Lisa, wool dryer balls are great with cloth diapers! I see a huge difference in drying time, especially with some of the thicker styles or all in ones. Are you line drying your diapers now?
At this point, I almost always line dry all our clothes. I have an outside clothesline and I have a clothesrack in our basement in the winter. We have a wood furnace we use some, so the basement is warm and dries the clothes quickly.
I’ve not used wool dryer balls, but would like to try them.
Did you ever say how many you put in one load? I’ve been using them and so far I’m really happy with the results. I use three. Also any idea for what to do with unused dryer sheets? I hate to just throw them away so they can sit in a landfill and leach chemicals into the earth.
Hi Katherine, at Lovesmade, we always ask about the capacity of your dryer. For example, someone with a stacking washer/dryer combo, might only need 3. In my family of 5, I use between 6-9, depending on the size of the load of clothing and what I’m drying. Towels and sheets always get 9 since it really helps to keep them from tangling around each other and speeding up the cycle time. With a regular size load of mostly cotton, I can get away with 6. Hope that helps. Here are some alternatives for dryer sheets. Personally, I would recommend all of these but many are great ideas!! http://www.curbly.com/users/chrisjob/posts/1602-25-alternative-uses-for-fabric-softener-dryer-sheets
If you put them in your purse and coat pockets they are there if you need to wipe down hosiery because of static. There are a million other uses including mosquitoes don’t like them.
At the moment, we mostly use the dryer with dryer sheets. I’d love to try the wool dryer balls!
Usually dry with dryer sheets. Would like to try these balls with my towels!
Never used dryer balls but I want to!
we live in an apartment that we thought was ethical when we moved in. As we go on, we find out they are less and less ethical. Water is free, so thats nice, however, the floor I live on has no washer and dryer hook ups. The first floor does, but it also cost 60 dollars a month more! That’s ridiculous! So I have no washer and dryer. They only have one washer and one dryer in the building. They are constantly broke, but when they aren’t broke the washer is $1.75 and the dryer is $1.25 except it doesn’t work! It takes at least $3.75 to dry a smaller than average load. And more because sometimes the washer doesn’t drain out the water well enough. So we wash the clothes in the washer, and hang them on various door knobs and over the shower rod to dry. Its no fun.
Boo!!! That’s miserable! Have you priced out a drop off service at a laundromat? We had to use it once when we lost power for a week and it was actually way less than I expected!
Thanks for sharing! I’m out of my favorite (safe) fabric softener but wanted to look for alternatives- I think I just found one!!
I would love these for my cloth diapers! Anything to save $ is great! I actually line dry on the net of my trampoline.
We use a bounce bar in the dryer, but I would love to try this out!
love them
my wife uses them
I usually hang our clothes on the line and I use balls that I bought at a craft fair.
I use the dryer to dry clothes and have never used a dryer ball.
I’m in an apartment and hate drying most of my clothes so we use a little rack and dry some with dryer sheets. We are moving soon and I’m hoping to have a clothes line AND as soon as I run out of my current stockpile of dryer sheets we are definitely going to use wool dryer balls!
since we live on a farm & have naturally-scented air, i usually dry our clothes in the dryer. recently, i’ve been using vinegar as my fabric softener, although i want to try making my own w/ essentials oil to make my laundry smell delightful
That farm “fresh” air would be a problem for line drying clothes!
I’ve only recently heard of this! I’ve heard wonderful things about using them in the dryer!
I just throw my clothes in the dryer!
I have been reading a lot about wool balls and other ways to do healthier things for my family. I would love to try wool balls. I’m going try to get some as soon as I can.
I ditched dryer sheets a while back, but haven’t made dryer balls yet and it’s not looking like I’ll be making time for it any time soon, so I would LOVE to win some! 🙂
I would love to try the wool balls. I have been reading different things on healthier ways to live.
I line dry whenever possible
Who won?
The winner was Marissa. Sorry you didn’t win! You can still use the promo code SR2013 to get 10% off your order through the end of September.
Hi! Every “green” mom should at least try using wool dryer balls 😀 I bought mine from http://allurewool.com/ and they’re simply amazing.
I attach a safety pin to my dryer balls to eliminate static.
If you are doing dryer loads back to back, do you leave the wool balls in for the next load, or do you switch to a fresh set?
Louise, I use the same set over and over. They will last for years and aren’t damaged by using the same ones back to back in the dryer.
Thanks, but I meant do you use them again immediately for the next load or let them dry first? I went to the Lovesmade site, and it said to store them in open air location so that they will totally dry between sessions in the dryer. I wasn’t sure if that meant individual loads or between laundry days.
I use the same set all day long. I do not dry them between loads on laundry day.
I noticed this was posted almost a year ago, and I’ve heard some types of wool dryer balls break down easy after a few months. Are you still using them and how are they holding up?
My dryer balls are holding up just great!
I hate to admit I am a HUGE Downey softner fan….and also Gain Dryer sheets. I am always looking for ways to live life chemical free but this one gets me every time. I would like to try the wool balls but pardon if I act like a whiney baby here….”Where is the scent???” It’s one of my downfalls I know….but clothes MUST smell good!! lol I do line dry most of my girls’ clothes because it helps reduce wear….but they always smell good because of the softner. I’m having a hard time getting around that I guess. What scent could you add that would not produce harmful chemicals? Aren’t essential oils basically the same thing as a softner? I can’t imagine that is any better to be putting on your body. I would LOVE to hear some ideas on how to scent the wool balls. I personally like the smell of clean cotton…but I imagine you could do something with vanilla…although I’m not a huge fan. 🙁
April, I do understand your frustration. I use fragrance free laundry detergent to cut down on toxins and the other day my husband said, “Can we please buy something that SMELLS good???” Personally, I don’t miss the smell, but I understand that it is a big deal for others.
My challenge to do you is to do without the scents for a month and see how it goes. I used a scented detergent after I had been using unscented for awhile and I was shocked at how STRONG the scent was. It bothered me. You might not have that same experience, but you could also surprise yourself and not miss it as much as you thought you would.
Essential oils are not toxic and they would be a good alternative for you. I don’t add them to my dryer balls, so I don’t have any advice, but I’m sure you could find information online.
Rebekah, I would like to visit with you the benefits of using Norwex to clean. Since you are passionate about breast feeding. Windex has shown up in mamma’s breast milk! I have an great product you clean WithJustWater! Best part it leaves behind a streak free shine and it is safe for those babies who grow up and like to press their face to the window!
Rhonda, feel free to email me about advertising options.
I did not receive an email address from you to contact you as you indicated in your reply.
I was just doing laundry today and cringing. I try so hard to not use anything with fragrance or nasties, but I still can’t seem to give up fabric softener. As I was pouring my last drops of softener into the washer, I thought of you and your picture of dyer balls from Instagram. I NEED THESE! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I have never been a fabric softener user, so I can’t really relate, but I am SURE the struggle to give it up is real. Clothing and texture is a big deal. It is understandable.
Here is an idea for you…. dry line ALL your clothing, but especially your jeans and towels. Do that for a month and THEN switch to dryer balls and using your dryer again. You’ll be so thrilled to have have towels that don’t crunch that you won’t even be thinking about fabric softener! Think that will work? haha!
I just wanted to make a quick comment about the static issue with fleece. Sometimes I find if you have a spray bottle of distilled water and use your iron on the lowest setting possible just to dry the water, it removes the static cling. Works for anything actually. Just water and a warm iron.
Thanks for the tip, Laura!
I just bought my first wool dryer balls. Is it effective to use a drop of essential oil on each ball? Does that lower the lifespan of the balls or stop them from working properly?
A lot of people add essential oils to their dryer balls. This isn’t something I have tried because I don’t miss the fragrance in my laundry. So I can’t speak to how many drops you should use, but I highly doubt this would lower the lifespan or effectiveness of the dryer balls. Some people add a safety pin to help cut down on static.
Norwex also has the wool dryer balls! A. MAZ. ING! Also the reason for the static on your fleece is over drying. Reduce your drying time and/or lower heat setting (which means saving more $) and no more static!