If you need to use a clothes dryer, anything you can do that reduces drying time is important, because it saves money and time. If you can do it in an eco friendly way, even better. This is where wool dryer balls come in.

How do wool dryer balls work to cut down drying time?

Unlike dryer sheets, whose job is to make your laundry smell nice and reduce static, dryer balls take your wet laundry and reduce their drying time. The action of the balls bouncing around in the dryer creates air pockets in the machine and hot air gets to your wet clothes quicker. This cuts down on drying time as it provides far superior air circulation in each load. It also stops really wet clothes, and towels in particular, from clumping together and creating an uneven tumble, which makes drying time so much longer. Better air circulation = quicker drying time = less energy usage.

What are the other benefits of using wool dryer balls?

The main benefit of using wool dryer balls is because it reduces drying time. By reducing time you're using less energy, making your electricity bills cheaper, saving you money, and even more so if you do it in off-peak times. It's certainly not the only benefit.

They also act as a natural fabric softener which in turn, can reduce wrinkles in many types of fabric. The best thing about this is that it's not advisable to use fabric softener with towels, because it makes them less absorbent, but the dryer balls make them soft without creating a problem. The same thing goes for lycra and sports clothing.

They will also significantly reduce the static in your clothes which is incredibly annoying when you get them out of the dryer.

Do wool dryer balls make your laundry smell any different?

On their own, no. If you just want the benefits of the shorter drying time, less static and softer clothes with no smell, just throw the balls in and let them do their job. If you want your laundry to smell nice like you would with dryer sheets, simply grab your favourite essential oil blend and place a few drops on the dryer balls before you put them in the dryer.

How many wool dryer balls do I need to put in a load to be effective?

When packing a tumble dryer, it's important not to over fill them when using wool dryer balls. For them to work effectively, there needs to be some empty room in the dryer. We sell 2 different brands of dryer balls. One is from That Red House, who we buy our soap nuts from. The other is our home brand, The Happy Sparrow. When we got ours made, we chose to have them made around 20% larger in size. For an average load, you can put 3 of the smaller dryer balls in, or just 2 of larger dryer balls.

How long do wool dryer balls last for?

Let's just start off by saying a very long time! They will last at least 1,000 loads, so even with pretty regular use, we think you're getting at least 5 years out of them, and since you only need half the set per load, you should get around 2,000 loads out of every bag. Since most people use dryers only when they need to, this is one of those products you buy once and forget about for years to come.