Okay, I’m going to confess – that blog title was a little bit of “click bait” on my part. It sparked a whole bunch of visual ideas for you, the reader, didn’t it. I can pretty much guarantee that NONE of your visual ideas that popped in your head will be what this blog post is actually about.
For that, I’m not sorry …. why? Because I love you – thanks for reading!
So- the balls I love are a product that I tell all my friends about … dryer balls.
I know – pretty anti-climatic on all accounts isn’t it.
I found these little gems when I went to wash a big comforter. The comforter instructions (yes, I read instructions) said to put tennis balls in the dryer with the comforter to fluff it and help it dry faster. Tennis balls? I didn’t really want to put tennis balls with its chemical smell in with my comforter. There had to be something better.
To find something better, I did what I always do, I “Google”! And Google gave me Amazon with an item called Woolzies! Woolzies are wool balls (now you know how the name came about). They remind me of Tennis balls before they have the rubber and color added to them.
THE DRYER BALLS I FELL IN LOVE WITH!
What I love about these balls is that you can add your own scents to the dryer balls via essential oils! It’s a pretty natural way to add some great smells to your laundry while drying. I love to use these especially with towels and sheets. I use Lavender like it’s going out of style. It makes showers and sleep so much better for me. I like to think my guests appreciate the calming scents as well.
I also learned that using these dryer balls in your dryer with your laundry can reduce drying time by 25%. I don’t know how you measure and find out it’s 25% faster to dry with these balls… but there is a study that proves it here if you’d care to follow up on that. For me – I’m not that concerned about drying time. I just wanted a way to have fluffier towels (which I feel it does) and be able to put scents I like on my laundry.
There are of course the “Woolzies” brand to purchase if you like, but there are some other versions out there too. Other versions like the one I showcase from Amazon below can be bit cheaper. I purchased the brand below for my second home while I was staying there temporarily for a few months this year. It’s a bit cheaper, which was important to me since I would be tossing them after my stay. The balls worked just like the brand named ones for me. However, I did not have extended use time with them.
How many times can you use dryer balls? I’ve seen a wide range of usage times quoted – up to 1000 loads by some brands. I found that mine got a little “used” looking by way of black link forming on it. I also had one start to pill just like a wool sweater. That was the deciding factor for me to get a new set.
WHAT ESSENTIAL OILS CAN YOU USE WITH THESE BALLS?
As I mentioned earlier – I use Lavender essential oil with these like no one’s business! I’ve also used Ylang Ylang and Lavender together for sheets. Why Ylang Ylang? According to Ylang Ylang WikiPedia – it can help with blood pressure for one of its uses. Other sources* say it’s an antidepressant, antiseptic, aphrodisiac and can help with insomnia.
I’ve also added sweet orange and eucalyptus – but not together. I would imagine that lemongrass might be a fun one to experiment with too!
Protip: Make sure you put your oil on the balls and allow the oils to soak in before using them right away. I’ve found that if I put oil on the dryer balls and immediately toss them in the dryer to dry with sheets – they tend to leave oil spots on my sheets. I will usually put oil on the dryer balls and then toss them in with towels for the first drying load. The second drying load I’ll dry them with sheets and I never have an issue with oil spots.
Have you used these dryer balls with essential oils? I would love to learn what oils you’ve used and any combinations in the comments below!
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