Have you ever heard of dryer balls - you know, those tennis-ball-sized balls that work absolute magic in your dryer? The reusable balls that replace single-use dryer sheets? Yep, we’re pretty obsessed with them. Let’s look at exactly what dryer balls are, how they work, and why they’re the perfect replacement for dryer sheets during your weekly laundry routine.
What are Dryer Balls?
Dryer balls are just what you’d expect - balls (they can be made out of a variety of materials) that help you ditch single-use sheets in your laundry drying loads. Our dryer balls are about the size of a tennis ball and are made of alpaca wool and roving. Handcrafted by Standing Trees Farm in eastern Colorado, these dryer balls are made using alpaca wool from their farm alpacas, and come in white, brown, and fun patterns. (Our favorites? It’s a toss-up between the hearts and the rubber duckies.) Because they’re made in small batches by a local family farm, each is unique and has a handcrafted touch, rather than many mass-produced dryer balls sold at big box stores. These dryer balls are unscented, but we love adding Standing Trees Farm’s Dryer Ball Oil to them to give the load a floral and earthy scent that will freshen your clothing as your load dries. You can also use a few drops of any essential oil of your preference to scent your dryer balls and drying load!
How Do Dryer Balls Work?
Dryer balls have a few unique selling point for your drying cycle. They help reduce your drying time, decrease static cling in your load, and help to soften your clothes. How do they do all that? By adding between two and five dryer balls to your dryer, the balls bounce around in your load (don’t worry - they’re not too noisy) and create more air pockets between the fabrics you’re drying. These air pockets allow your dryer to do what it does best - dry your load quickly. We recommend about two dryer balls for smaller loads and up to five dryer balls for large loads, but it’s completely up to you!
Why are Dryer Balls a Better Choice Than Dryer Sheets?
We love dryer balls as a replacement for dryer sheets for several reasons. Dryer sheets are one-time use, so after each load you need to sift out the used dryer sheet, dispose of it in the trash, and throw a new one in your next load. Over time, this adds up to a lot of dryer sheets, and thus, more money spent on your laundry routine. Our dryer balls will last literal years. In our home, our dryer balls are still going strong after over two years in business, so we can’t even give an exact lifespan yet! (Which, by the way, we love.)
Dryer sheets also can contain harsh chemicals such as synthetic scents and perfumes that can cause skin and eye irritation, and can even set off allergic reactions. Dryer balls are constructed from just two materials - alpaca wool and roving (which binds the dryer balls together.) Thus, unless you’re allergic to alpaca, these dryer balls risk no chance of causing any adverse reactions. Plus with each dryer ball you purchase, you eliminate hundreds of single-use dryer sheets ending up in landfill. We think it’s a win-win!
Shop Plastic-Free With Us!
Where can you find these incredible handcrafted dryer balls? You know we’ve got you covered! Check out this great sustainable swap here and check out our Dryer Ball Oil as the perfect zero waste complement.
At Summit Sustainable Goods, we take extra steps while vetting products to ensure that all our zero waste household care and personal care products are truly environmentally friendly and plastic-free. No harsh chemicals or single-use items here! We work with our suppliers to make sure all the products we sell are truly safe for the environment and your body - because we believe that you and mother nature both deserve the best. It’s just another way we live into our values of being as environmentally and ethically conscious as possible.
Where can you find our curated selection of high quality and sustainable products? You know we’ve got you covered! Check out our website at www.summitsustainablegoods.eco or visit us at a local pop-up around town. (Info available through our website or socials.) Want to follow our journey and learn about future zero waste events and happenings? Adventure with us by signing up for our monthly email subscription or follow us on Instagram or Facebook to keep up-to-date on all things Summit.
Much love,
Carrie, Founder
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