Pinterest Review: Wool Dryer Balls

I had not imagined how much extra laundry I would be doing for each of my little ones. They are so little.... yet still so much laundry! And the thing about laundry is that it is a never ending vicious cycle. As soon as I finish a few loads the next ones are already piling up. Yuck. Oh well... lucky I love hanging up their cute little clothes so for now it's not so bad.

I noticed a couple months ago that our dryer was taking too long to dry clothes. Each load is large but needing two drying cycles isn't normal. Aside from a quick dryer tune-up (cleaning out the lint), I found a simple DIY for wool dryer balls. They are used to create a more efficient drying cycle (the ball itself) as well as used to soften clothes (vinegar) and give them a fresh scent (essential oils). I made four from two skeins of wool yarn. I also used lemon instead of lavender. A couple things to note about this little DIY:
  - It takes a long time for the balls to dry after dunking in the vinegar mix. Give yourself at least 24 hours but probably 48 is best.
  - I did not find that the clothes smelled like a fresh lemon scent. There was no lemon-smelling-goodness to be found.
  - Beware of one unraveling! If you even see just a little string unravelled tie double triple knots all over. I had one that slightly unravelled and I thought I put it back together well enough.... I had a tangled mess after the next drying cycle.
  - I no longer needed extended drying times... they helped dry the clothes much faster than without. In that respect they worked great!

For a small amount ($10 for wool and I used the vinegar and essential oils I had on hand) you can have better drying times and softer clothes for a long time... years even. I think it's worth it over those dryer sheets that have nasty chemicals and leave a film on your dryer screen and clothes.

Try them out and let me know how they work for you!

<-Kassy->