I made myself a set of dryer balls. I have been feeling very crafty lately and it gave me a little project during peak gardening season. The theory is, the lanolin in pure wool reduces or eliminates the static cling in the dryer. The balls bouncing around keep the clothes apart which substantially reduces drying time by 30-50%.
How to make dryer balls:
Buy 100% pure wool yarn that says "hand wash only". I used Paton.
Wind them into tennis sized balls. Be sure to tuck the ends in so they don't unravel. I used a large crochet hook. You can use a plain inexpensive wool for the core and then wind the outer layer with more expensive pretty coloured wools. You can make them in people's favourite colours as gifts. You can also scent the balls with their favourite essential oils.
I tried several ways of felting the balls. What I found worked best was to simply pop them into a big pot of boiling water. Keep an eye on the water level. I boiled them for about an hour. Then I spun them in the washer spin cycle. Into the dryer on HOT for about a half hour. Done!!
UPDATE: I used four of the dryer balls in my drying today. I had several pieces that always cling with static. The balls worked. No static. Also, I now keep them in a bowl above the dryer. That way you count them as your using them, and then you know how many to look for when the drying is done.
1 comment:
Sorry to be pedantic, but "dryer-balls", surely? (as opposed to "dryer balls"). There could be a significant difference! :)
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