DIY Your Way to a Healthier Laundry Room

finished dryer balls

DIY Your Way to a Healthier Laundry Room

By Emily Jansson, Nancy’s Notions guest blogger

Felt some static-reducing, fabric-softening wool dryer balls. It’s a quick craft that can save you a bundle.
These sweet little spheres can reduce allergens in the air and in fabrics, and they help your clothing dry faster. Less time in the dryer means less gas or electric usage, and more money in your pocket. It’s win-win! Plus, they won’t wear out. Make ’em once and that’s all you’ll need.
finished dryer ballsI read an article in Scientific American the other week about how harmful the chemicals in fabric softeners and dryer sheets can be. It was alarming to learn that dryer sheets especially, are swimming in such baddies as carcinogens, neurotoxins, and respiratory irritants.
The fact that our skin is the largest organ in our bodies should give us all pause on this matter—the clothing we wear acts as a loose compress, filled with whatever good or bad things may be in our laundering routine. Not to mention the irritants that become airborne as they tumble in our dryers.
Bonus: If you’re missing that fresh scent, try spraying your dryer balls liberally with some wardrobe spray you make yourself with natural essential oils. Hop on over to our Dec 2016 blog to learn how.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • One package of wool roving (0.7oz)
  • Aluminum foil
  • Dish soap (I prefer Seventh Generation for its lack of chemicals)
  • Sink

1. Tear off about an arm’s length of foil and crumble into a tight ball—the more spherical, the better. You want the diameter to be approximately 2″ (add more foil if you need to—it’s not an exact science). Make 3 balls of foil.
foil ball2. Fold your piece of roving so it’s divided into thirds. Cut at the folds so that you have three equal(ish) pieces.
cut roving3. Tear one of the pieces of roving in half, lengthwise. Wrap it around the foil ball tightly in one direction. You don’t want the edges to stray too far from the ball.
wool wrap 14. Now take the second half of the roving and wrap it tightly in the perpendicular direction. You shouldn’t see any foil at this point.
wool wrap 25. Go to the sink and run some warm water (I like it very warm, but not hot). Pour a little dab of dish soap in your hands, suds it up, and grab the wool-wrapped ball.
wrapped in wool6. Wrap your soapy hands around the ball and saturate it under the warm water. Turn the water off. Begin worrying the wool ball from hand to hand like a baseball pitcher. The dish soap should build a nice lather.
7. Keep passing and rolling, worrying the ball back and forth. All you need to get the felting process going are warm water, soap, and agitation. The wool will start to felt and tighten around the foil.
felting18. When the wool feels secure and tightened around the ball (this will take a few minutes), you can rinse the lather out.
Rinsing9. Repeat for the other two foil balls. Allow them to air dry on the counter overnight (or you can toss them into the dryer with your next load).
Throw them in your dryer—they can live there forever. No need for dryer sheets or fabric softener ever again!
Thanks to Emily Jansson and the Nancy’s Notions Team for sharing this tutorial!
Bye for now,
Nancy Zieman The Blog

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35 Comments

  • Eleanor Gibson
    May 31, 2016

    What is wool roving? Never heard of it.

    • Emily Jansson
      May 31, 2016

      Hi Eleanor!
      Lynn hit the nail on the head, above. It’s a clean, combed length of wool fibers that sit in one direction to be spun into yarn.
      It can also be used for felting projects. 🙂
      -Emily

  • Mary
    May 31, 2016

    Where do I find the wool. Good tip.

  • Rebecca
    May 31, 2016

    Does this cut down on static electricity? Is any of the wool left on the drying clothes? I know some people who are allergic to wool I would not want to cause them to have allergic reaction just being near my clothes.

    • Emily Jansson
      June 1, 2016

      Hi Rebecca,
      Yes, the foil helps to reduce static in your load.
      As for allergies, I couldn’t find much in the way of any hard research on the subject–just a whole lot of opinions.
      I was taught in school that most people who think they’re allergic to wool aren’t technically allergic–their skin is simply more sensitive and is abraded by the microscopic scales in wool fibers (so there is no antigen response within the body).
      I always prefer to err on the side of caution, so I would suggest trying just foil balls (make sure they’re smooth and tight!) in segments of an old nylon stocking. It’s not as pretty, and it won’t help to pull the moisture out of the load like wool will, but it’ll help to reduce static and keep those nasty chemicals out of your laundry. 🙂

      • Rebecca
        June 1, 2016

        Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I think I will give these a try 🙂

  • gail livingstone
    May 31, 2016

    Does anyone know how these work? is it the foil, or the wool?

    • Emily Jansson
      May 31, 2016

      Hi Gail!
      Both materials used are for different reasons. The foil acts as a conductor to reduce static.
      The wool is soft and super-absorbent, helping to draw moisture out of your laundry and allowing it to dry faster, while gently softening your clothes without damaging the fibers.
      Mechanical agitation from the weight of the balls softens your clothing simply by bouncing everything around. 🙂
      -Emily

  • Lynn Again
    May 31, 2016

    Nancy carries wool roving in the exact amount you need to make the dryer balls.
    http://www.nancysnotions.com/product/off+white+clover+roving+.do?extid=fbnz&code=NNOADV-1310
    You can also find wool roving at a shop that sells spinning wheels. Some of the specialty yarn shops may carry it as well. Roving is the stage of the wool just before it is spun into yarn. It can be plain or colorful. I would imagine that you would not want colored roving for your dryer balls.
    I don’t know about reducing the static but I imagine that is the main purpose of the dryer balls.

  • Debra Mowers
    May 31, 2016

    I have used my wool dryer balls for 4 years and they do cut down on drying time, static, and do make our clothes soft. Best investment for laundry you can make for your family.

  • Ginger
    May 31, 2016

    I was also wondering what the foil is for. Any ideas? Nancy???

    • Emily Jansson
      May 31, 2016

      Hi Ginger!
      The foil is a conductor and helps to remove static from the load. 🙂
      -Emily

  • BONNIE THIEM
    May 31, 2016

    Love the idea of no longer having to buy dryer sheets. (Although they do come in handy when removing sticky residue from the bottom of your iron and for wiping off mirrors and TV screens.) It would save a bunch of money and that’s important. Thanks, Nancy

  • Aileen
    May 31, 2016

    How does the wool effect type clothing? I’m allergic to wool.

    • Emily Jansson
      June 2, 2016

      Hi Aileen,
      I always prefer to err on the side of caution, so I would suggest trying just foil balls (make sure they’re smooth and tight!) in segments of an old nylon stocking. It’s not as pretty, and it won’t help to pull the moisture out of the load like wool will, but it’ll help to reduce static and keep those nasty chemicals out of your laundry.

  • Kay
    May 31, 2016

    Sounds like a fun craft for kids to make.

  • Gloria
    May 31, 2016

    I have felting needles, would they be helpful in making the balls?

    • Emily Jansson
      June 1, 2016

      Hi Gloria,
      Felting needles may be a little help for finishing (if you have a stray tail of wool, for instance), but they generally won’t be able to go into the wool far enough to felt properly without stabbing into the foil–which would probably wreak havoc on your felting needles. 🙂

  • Elizabeth Niblack-Sykes
    May 31, 2016

    I have “too many” pets (lol)- and pet hair and human hair sticks to the clothing- do these balls release the pet hair like softener sheets- especially on fleece items?

    • Emily Jansson
      June 2, 2016

      Hi Elizabeth,
      I can tell you that I have a cat, and I don’t have any fur stuck to my clothes when I use the dryer balls.
      HOWEVER, if I leave them in the basket folded and don’t put them away immediately, of course, all bets are off (insert mental picture of said cat on nice warm, clean laundry here). 😉

  • Rosana
    May 31, 2016

    Just FYI, dryer sheets work very well at killing wasps in an enclosed area. They don’t need to come in direct contact with the sheets, just breath the air around them. Makes you wonder what they’re doing to human lungs and brains. Thank you for posting this information Nancy.

    • Emily Jansson
      June 2, 2016

      Wow, that is crazy, Rosana! What an illustrative example of why I don’t want that in my house…

  • brenda
    June 1, 2016

    I am curious why the share tab for facebook always results in a 404 cannot find.Why bother to have it if the article is not to be shared ??
    a bit irritating.

  • Charlotte Trayer
    June 1, 2016

    Wow, thanks for explaining the reasoning for the aluminum foil at the center!! I’m one of those people who gets lots of little shocks, and whose hair flies up when brushed, when the weather is cold and dry, and stuff crackles and clings when I try to take it out of the dryer. I do use fabric softener sheets, but only the dye-free and fragrance-free kind (walking down the detergent aisle is sheer torture from all the strong fragrances….),and only half a sheet at a time. This sounds like something I could use. I’m bookmarking the page!

    • Emily Jansson
      June 1, 2016

      That’s fantastic, Charlotte! Hope you love them as much as I do! 🙂 -Emily

  • fyfee
    June 1, 2016

    What does the soap contribute to the process?

  • Mary Pattengale
    June 4, 2016

    Just tried making these with my daughter & granddaughter. Had a great time except we used too much soap & it took a long time to work it out of the balls! The term “worrying” was a new one to my daughter but we had fun with it! We really worried those balls!!!

    • Emily Jansson
      June 6, 2016

      Hi Mary,
      That is so funny! I’m glad you all had fun–it is a PERFECT craft for kids (and a good learning opportunity, as well).
      Thanks for sharing! 🙂
      -Emily

  • Dawn
    June 15, 2016

    I have learned that aluminum is a toxic substance to us. We shouldn’t cook with it, or expose ourselves to it often. That said, I would like to make these balls without aluminum. Would it be just as effective to use a copper brillowpad or scrubber instead of aluminum foil?
    Thank you

    • Emily Jansson
      June 28, 2016

      That’s a fantastic idea, Dawn! Copper is a super conductor–it should work very well. Just be sure there’s no residue of any kind on it (cleaners, etc.). 🙂

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