Wool Dryer Ball Review

     You may remember in the fall post a few weeks ago I mentioned I made some wool dryer balls.
I am all about simplification, and lately trying to throw away less. Wool dryer balls fit in both those categories, and I had all the materials at home, so of course I jumped right on board.

Oh, what is that strange cardboard bowl? A spare globe half that was already in the basement.

     After using them however. I have retreated to the fence. The first load I washed with them was shockingly un-soft. I can't say I noticed much of a difference when wearing, but I noticed during folding. I was too scared to wash my pajamas without a regular dryer sheet. And I discovered Nathan has been cheating. So I will put an update on this post if I manage to suffer through many repeated uses. However here are my initial reactions.

Supposed Effects of Dryer Balls

• Softens clothes
• Reduces drying time

Experienced Effects of Dryer Balls

• No significant change in drying time
• Clothes not as soft as desired
• Louder dryer sounds 

     The benefits are marginal.
     I can't say dryer balls don't make clothes softer, but I can say my clothes are nowhere near as soft as with regular dryer sheets.
     I never really expected drying time to be effected, but it would have been nice bonus.
     The dryer sounds don't effect me, since the dryer is in the basement, but depending on the location of your dryer, I could see it being irritating.
     Overall, I'm thinking dryer balls might not be worth it. I haven't given up yet, but I'm not as committed as I started out. I'm not sure I really care enough to eliminate dryer sheets. Especially since I also use them for dusting.

What to Consider

• How much do you care about the waste produced by your dryer sheets?
• How much do you care about what dryer sheets are putting on your clothes and therefore your body?
• How important is softness to you really? Try a few loads with out dryer sheets and see if you notice a significant difference in wear.
• Will increased dryer noise bother you?​

Have you used dryer balls? What was your experience?