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| Felted dryer balls - Weegrayz |
So far I've tried the following with mixed results:
1) Vinegar ball in old Downey ball - this has been quite useful, but the balls keep disappearing. The other problem has been static...not always effective on my clothes.
2) Crocheted fabric sheets. I was soaking these in vinegar before putting them into the dryer. The first few times they worked well, but was not very easy to use if doing multiple loads of laundry in a single day. The yarn did not have the ability to soak up enough vinegar.
3) Tin foil balls - These have been somewhat effective for static and reducing drying time, but not for softening clothes. To make these:
- Tear off 3 sheets of aluminum foil approximately 12" each
- Crumble the first sheet into a ball as tightly as possible.
- Crumble the next sheet over the first creating a bigger ball.
- Crumble the third sheet over the first 2 creating a final ball.
- Throw these in the dryer with your wet clothes.
Surprisingly, after each use, the balls continued to get smaller and tighter until they looked like giant marbles.
4) Wool Dryer Balls - I haven't tried these yet, but they look promising...softens fabrics without chemicals, adds fragrance (if added), and reduces static. They can be purchased from Heynacart.
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| Loving Touch Wet Bags - 6 Dryer Balls from Redhead and Blue |
Here's what you'll need:
- A few balls of wool. The amount of wool needed will depend on the weight of the wool and how tighly you wind. I used 1 ball of wool to make 1 dryer ball (including the core). Make sure that the yarn you're using is 100% wool or it won't felt properly.
- Old pantyhose or socks
- A small amount of non-wool string (cotton or acrylic both work fine)
- Scissors
- A crochet hook (optional)
If you've ever wound wool into a ball, this is pretty well the same thing but in two stages. Just make sure to wind the wool tighter than you ordinarily would.
Step 1: Starting the core
Start by winding the a bit of wool around two fingers
When you've got it about a half inch across (the size doesn't really matter), pull it off your fingers, let the loop close and then continue wrapping the wool around the middle of the loop. This is the start of your ball.
Step 2: Wrapping the core
Continue wrapping the wool around, turning the ball slightly every few loops or so. You don't need to be neat about this first bit since it won't be visible once your ball is finished. Once the ball is 4-5 inches around, cut the wool and tuck in the loose end. This can be more eaily done if you've got a crochet hook but can also be done with your fingers.
Step 3: Stuffing the pantyhose
Next, put your ball (or balls, depending on how many you're making) in the pantyhose. Tie them off between each one with your cotton or acrylic string.
Step 4: Washing the ball cores
Throw the balls in the machine with your laundry. The hotter you wash them, the more quickly they will felt. If you put them through on hot, it should only take the once. Put them through the dryer once, cut the strings tying them into your pantyhose and pull out your balls.
Step 5: Beginning the outer ball
Begin winding more wool onto the ball. You don't need to do anything to attach the wool to the ball. Just hold it down with a finger as you wrap until it stays on it's own.
Step 6: Winding the outer ball
Continue winding your ball until it is as big as you want it. I made mine to be slightly larger than tennis balls so that they would shrink down to tennis ball size as they felted. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 and your dryer balls are ready for use!
