I get towels fluffy from using the plastic hedgehog things. However, I only use them for towels or sweats bc I’m afraid the spikes will create wear and tear on more delicate items. Natural dryer sheets coat items with lanolin, which makes towels crunchy if you keep using them. Occasionally washing the towels with vinegar is supposed to help remove the crunchy softener coating, whether it’s lanolin or another substance.
I think the idea of softening comes from the natural lanolin in the wool. But I’m not sure how long that lanolin would last. I basically use them (6 or more) to cut the drying time in my small, slow non-vented dryer.
This is so helpful. How many do you guys tend to use for a full load of laundry? I have three right now and I douse them with lavender oil for lovely scent. I'm trying to decide if I need to buy additional ones. Thanks!
I will second what drbabs wrote. I have been using dryer balls for about 5 years and although they may not make your clothes and linens soft and fluffy, I would rather have towels that actually dry me off than ones that merely push the moisture around on my skin. Then there is the cost factor and the idea that all those the used sheets end up in our landfills, not to mention the overpowering scent many of the dryer sheets leave behind. I rarely encounter static cling, but then most of my clothes are cotton or other natural fibers and not man-made fabrics that will get clingy.
I’ve been using dryer ball so for quite a while, and they’re great, but the experience is definitely different than using dryer sheets. The dryer sheets have a chemical that actually coats the fabric so it feels softer and has less static cling. The balls just bang everything around. The instructions from Food52 below are good, but it just is t going to feel the same.
Hi there, happy to help. A few things you can do to make sure your clothes come out soft (and static-free):
— Make sure the lint trap is totally cleaned out (this blocks airflow) — Use enough dryer balls for a larger load (we'd throw in six!) — Only fill the dryer to an appropriate level (if it has been overfilled, the dryer balls can't bounce around, which they need to do to work properly) — Be careful not to over-dry (this can lead to static!)
Let us know how it goes! If you're still not seeing results, you're welcome to reach us directly at [email protected] and we'll do our best to get to the bottom of it.
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— Make sure the lint trap is totally cleaned out (this blocks airflow)
— Use enough dryer balls for a larger load (we'd throw in six!)
— Only fill the dryer to an appropriate level (if it has been overfilled, the dryer balls can't bounce around, which they need to do to work properly)
— Be careful not to over-dry (this can lead to static!)
Let us know how it goes! If you're still not seeing results, you're welcome to reach us directly at [email protected] and we'll do our best to get to the bottom of it.