Wool Dryer Balls FAQs

What Are Wool Dryer Balls?

Wool dryer balls are pretty much just what they sound like. They are balls of solid wool designed to be tossed into your dryer each time you dry a load of laundry.

Ours are made of 100% pure organic New Zealand wool. They're hypoallergenic and free of chemicals and fragrances, making them perfect for users with even the most delicate skin.

What Are Organic Wool Dryer Balls?

Organic wool dryer balls are, frankly, the best dryer balls on the planet! Unlike harsh rubber or plastic balls, organic wool dryer balls are an all-natural, eco-friendly, and skin-friendly way to get your clothes soft and static-free every time.

We use 100 percent organic New Zealand wool to make our dryer balls - no fillers involved! Our wool is sustainable, renewable, and biodegradable.

It's also the strongest wool in the world. (Seriously, it's so strong people turn it into surfboards!) That means that our organic wool dryer balls are among the longest-lasting dryer balls you can buy.

Do Dryer Balls Work?

YES. They absolutely work. Every time.

What Do Wool Dryer Balls Do?

We're so glad you asked! As it happens, wool dryer balls do lots of great things. Here' the short list:

Help your clothes dry faster
Save you time
Save you money
Reduce your home energy demands and costs
Reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals
Help your clothes and linens last longer
Protect the environment

How Do Wool Dryer Balls Work?

How do wool dryer balls do all the awesome things we claim? Let's take a look.

Mechanics

First, let's talk about mechanics. Dryer balls do absorb some of the dampness from your wet clothes. But their real magic lies in the way they bounce around your dryer.

All that movement means that the balls get in between wet clothes that would normally stick to one another and force them apart. That newly created space kills static, allowing your clothes to dry static-free with no chemicals required.

That same space allows your clothes to be more evenly exposed to the dry air of your dryer. This allows everything to dry more quickly, reducing the length of time they need to spend in the dryer to get completely dry.

Bonus Effects

Now let's look at all the downstream effects of that faster drying time to account for all the other great benefits of using dryer balls.

Saving Time: When your clothes dry faster, you spend less time doing laundry. Less time doing laundry means more time doing things that are actually fun!

Saving Money: Using your dryer means using energy, and energy costs money. Wool dryer balls make your clothes dry faster, so you can run your dryer for shorter periods of time. In fact, experts estimate you'll cut your dryer time and associated energy costs by 20 to 25 percent.

Less dryer time equals lower bills which means more money in your pocket!

Using dryer balls also reduces the amount of time your clothes spend in the dryer. That, in turn, reduces wear and tear and keeps your clothes in great shape longer. That means you need to buy new clothes less often, saving you even more money!

Ditching the Chemicals: Organic wool dryer balls have none of the toxic chemicals and fragrances that plague dryer sheets. Switching to dryer balls takes all those chemicals and their ugly side-effects out of your life, helping you live happier and healthier every day.

Helping the Environment: Unlike dryer sheets, wool dryer balls are reusable and waste-free. Made of renewable materials and compostable, wool dryer balls are the picture of sustainability.

How Do You Use Wool Dryer Balls?

Using dryer balls is easy. Simply throw a few into the dryer with your clothes each time you run your dryer.

For smaller loads, use about three balls. For larger or heavier loads, use up to six.

Between uses, store your wool dryer balls in their conveniently provided storage bag with the rest of your laundry supplies.

How Long Do Wool Dryer Balls Last?

On average, organic wool dryer balls last for approximately 1,000 uses. For most households, that works out to between 2 and 5 years worth of regular use.

Wool dryer balls remain safe to use even when they start to deteriorate. You may notice bits of wool beginning to shed off when the balls reach the end of their life. When that happens, simply compost them and order a new set.

Are Wool Dryer Balls Cost-Effective?

The short answer is absolutely. Let's look at the numbers.

An average box of dryer sheets costs $10 and provides enough sheets for roughly 200 loads of laundry. So to do 1,000 loads of laundry would cost you $50 in dryer sheets.

If you use all six balls in your set every time you do laundry, using dryer balls will cost you less than half of that amount. If you typically run smaller loads and rotate through your balls, using organic wool dryer balls will cost you less than one quarter as much as using dryer sheets!

Plus, you'll save money on your energy bills and clothing bills. You'll likely extend the life of your dryer, too. That sounds pretty cost-effective to us!

Do Wool Dryer Balls Remove Pet Hair?

Yes! Organic wool dryer balls are just as effective at getting pet hair off your clothes in the dryer as dryer sheets, without the chemicals.

How Do You Recharge Wool Dryer Balls?

If you feel like your organic wool dryer balls have lost some of their oomph you can easily give them a boost.

Stick each ball to be recharged inside a clean sock. (Push it all the way down into the toes.)
Run the ball-filled socks through your washing machine on a hot cycle using your favorite eco-friendly laundry detergent.
Throw the socks and balls in your dryer. Run them on the highest heat cycle available until they are completely dry.
Done!

How Do You Clean Wool Dryer Balls?

Wool dryer balls are easy to clean! Just follow the same procedure outlined above under How Do You Recharge Wool Dryer Balls?

Can I Use Wool Dryer Balls If I Have a Wool Allergy?

Most people with wool allergies can use organic wool dryer balls. This is because the balls do not lint or pill, which means that no wool comes off on your clothes or lingers to irritate your skin.

Only a very small percentage of individuals with wool allergies will find that using wool dryer balls bothers them.

If you have a wool allergy, however, you will need to take care not to directly touch the balls themselves. Consider using a pair of tongs or just using one of the pieces of clothing you're throwing in the dryer with them to pick the balls up and to put them away when using.

You will also need to discard your balls promptly when they begin to show their age to prevent stray strands of wool from ending up where they can cause irritation.

Can I Use Essential Oils With My Wool Dryer Balls?

Maybe you miss the way that your clothes used to smell coming out of the dryer. Maybe you saw a tip about using essential oils on a blog or Pinterest and are curious. Either way, you find the idea of using essential oils with your organic wool dryer balls tantalizing.

But is it safe? Yes, but only if you do it right.

Dry your laundry completely using unscented dryer balls
Apply essential oils to your dryer balls 10 to 20 minutes before you intend to put the balls in the dryer
Allow the oils to fully dry
Add oiled dryer balls to the dryer
Run your fully dry laundry and scented dryer balls through a full or partial unheated tumble dry cycle

Voila! Perfectly dry, chemical-free, and delightfully scented laundry.

Never use oiled dryer balls while they are wet or in heated cycles. Doing so can cause your dryer to catch on fire.

Also, be sure to use real essential oils.

Synthetic fragrance oils are full of toxic chemicals. They may stain or damage your wool dryer balls, you clothing, or your dryer. They may also increase the risk of a dryer fire.

What If I Have Other Questions?

Are you new to using dryer balls? Do you still have questions on how they work, how to use them, or why wool dryer balls are the best dryer balls you can buy?

We're here for you! Check out the rest of our site for more information or use our contact form to ask us any other questions you have. We look forward to hearing from you!