Dryer Balls

**Libby** · 12-11-2009, 12:43 AM

Has anyone here ever tried or used them? I got a set of balls (har-har) for Christmas and I decided to test them out tonight in the one load that I actually put in the dyer. As it stands, I may as well have put a few pairs of running shoes in there, its that noisy.

Is this normal?
What should I be expecting? Any tips?
What were your finding with this wacky laundry gadget??

**sinopa27** · 12-11-2009, 03:49 AM

I haven't tried it as I wondered if it would be noisy. Thanks for letting me know that they are noisy so that I dont waste money. I hope someone can help you.

**2ndGenGranola** · 12-11-2009, 04:44 AM

Mine were noisy but I liked them. The kids keep running away with the balls so I don't get to use them. I may try some tennis balls.

**Grainlady** · 12-20-2009, 04:41 PM

I used dryer balls before I got my indoor and outdoor clothes lines installed when we first moved here. Now I always hang clothes to dry, but I was VERY pleased with the blue dryer balls (purchased for $2 at Goodwill) because they reduced the amount of time it took to dry the clothes - anywhere from 25-50% less drying time. They didn't do diddly-squat on static, however. I would toss in a small damp towel the last few tumbles to discharge the static in the synthetic fabrics before taking the clothes out of the dryer. You can also spritz the clothes with water and give it a few tumbles to discharge the static.

Hubby had a "get 20% OFF anything you can fit in the paper bag" at ACE Hardware. After he jammed the bag with "man stuff", he noticed a pair of "new and improved" dryer balls that were designed to take care of static (these had 1-inch pink foam dots on the balls, plus the blue spikes) and got them. They DID work better than the blue dryer balls when it came to static. You might need more than 2 balls if you had a lot of synthetic fabrics in your dryer for the static dryer balls to work well. But overall, they were safe to use, since you aren't coating your fabrics with all kinds of fats/oils and chemicals, AND they are effective - towels were nice and fluffy. The bonus was the reduction of time needed to dry clothes.

**Luckybustert** · 12-20-2009, 04:57 PM

I think they work really well. They seemed noisy at first, but I got used to it and don't notice the noise any more.

**Libby** · 12-21-2009, 02:15 AM

Originally Posted by Grainlady

I used dryer balls before I got my indoor and outdoor clothes lines installed when we first moved here. Now I always hang clothes to dry, but I was VERY pleased with the blue dryer balls (purchased for $2 at Goodwill) because they reduced the amount of time it took to dry the clothes - anywhere from 25-50% less drying time. They didn't do diddly-squat on static, however. I would toss in a small damp towel the last few tumbles to discharge the static in the synthetic fabrics before taking the clothes out of the dryer. You can also spritz the clothes with water and give it a few tumbles to discharge the static.

Hubby had a "get 20% OFF anything you can fit in the paper bag" at ACE Hardware. After he jammed the bag with "man stuff", he noticed a pair of "new and improved" dryer balls that were designed to take care of static (these had 1-inch pink foam dots on the balls, plus the blue spikes) and got them. They DID work better than the blue dryer balls when it came to static. You might need more than 2 balls if you had a lot of synthetic fabrics in your dryer for the static dryer balls to work well. But overall, they were safe to use, since you aren't coating your fabrics with all kinds of fats/oils and chemicals, AND they are effective - towels were nice and fluffy. The bonus was the reduction of time needed to dry clothes.

Hey thanks Grainlady!

Didn't think to toss in a damp face cloth at the end of the drying cycle. I do line dry/hang dry my clothes except for one load of small items - socks & undergarments along with towels and the odd thick sweatshirt. If it's not dry when the one weekly load is done, it gets hung up to dry.

I didnt know they made antistatic dryer balls but after some research, a lot of reviews say the antistatic foam pads fall off too easily. I wonder if I would be able to get the same results by adding regular fuzzy green tennis balls?

I will admit...I've only discovered that these original blue dryer balls do make a lot of noise in the dryer and do shorten the drying time. A load that would take 30 minutes would come out super crunchy and stiff - over heated. The next load I had done took about 15 minutes...but I still had some static issues

**shoiji** · 12-21-2009, 04:07 PM

I use the dryer balls I bought at CVS. They seem to work but I also put in a dryer sheet.

I have used tennis balls when drying a down jacket. It was even suggested in the laundry directions. Worked well and the down did not settle in one place.

Yes it is loud, but I use the laundry room and leave once the dryer is turned on.

The main reason I use them is because the energyboomer website suggested them. I did see a tv show where they tested them out at a laundromat in the large really hot dryers. So obviously there was no difference.

**Grainlady** · 12-22-2009, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by Libby

I wonder if I would be able to get the same results by adding regular fuzzy green tennis balls?

I tried using tennis balls before I found the $2 dryer balls and couldn't stand the smell from the tennis balls.

You can also wrap WOOL yarn balls and use them in the dryer. I haven't tried it, but here are the instructions:

http://goodmama.typepad.com/goodmama...yer-balls.html

I bet the wool balls would be quieter....