Source: Real Goods catalog
By DannieB from Covington, WA
By
01/13/2011
I've been using mine for over a year. They are not quite as hard a plastic as I had feared, and have no rough places to snag the fabric (I saw another post citing that problem with one brand). They do bounce around rather noisily, especially with a small load, but I find the clunking a lot less irritating than the tinkle of a coin; in fact, I've learned to listen for it, to know when the dryer is finished (since I can't hear the buzzer from the next room).
When the first ball came apart in the middle, I thought they only had a use-life of about a year, but kept using it; now both of them have split, and I realize that I have four half-ball shells that are lighter, hence less noisy, than two whole ones. I've never tried tennis balls; it just seems to me that the knobbly surface of the dryer balls has got to be helpful in fluffing towels, at least.
I wasn't aware that they are supposed to speed drying. I guess they would, if your laundry tends to clump. If you shake out each item as you put it in, then I doubt that the dryer balls would help any more.
By
03/03/2010
I liked these, but my dogs kept getting hold of them and I kept having to clean them over and over before I could use them again. Finally they disappeared. While I used them, they worked.
By
12/20/2009
I have been using a set of dryer balls for several years and love them. I guess they don't get the laundry to smell good like fabric softener does, but I don't care because I hate the smell of that stuff and it makes me itch. I bought my dryer balls at a Walgreens for around $5.00. They were on an endcap display. I have also seen them on http://www.asseenontv.com.
By
12/18/2009
I have heard of these and wondered if they really work. From the post I see that they do, however, does it eliminate static? How do your clothes smell? I am a big one for having my towels and clothes smelling nice! Merry Christmas from NC
By
12/18/2009
Yes, these work well. However, I have found that tennis balls work just as well and are much cheaper. I can get a pack of two or three for one dollar at our local dollar store.
By
12/18/2009
I love my dryer balls and they make such a difference in the dryer. No, they don't really make noise. The only problem is they usually get tangled up in the sheets!
By
12/17/2009
Don't they clunk around in the dryer? I can't stand even a dime banging around in there I think i'd go nuts having to listen to something that big.
I read about some blue dryer balls that look like they have some spiky things on them. I would like to know who has used them. I saw these balls at Staples and in a mail order catalog that comes to my house. The information with the balls says that by adding these to laundry in the dryer that the drying time is less with them. Can you please tell me about your experience with these dryer balls?
By MarY from Denver, IL
By Susanfromhamilton
02/03/2012
I use them in the washer and the dryer. It helps get the tough dirt out by extra agitation. I paid $2.00 for them at a yard sale and it was well worth it.
They also sell them at JYSK which is a poor man's IKEA store.
The hard plastic dryer balls you can purchase to supposedly dry your clothes faster in the dyer don't work! My laundry takes about the same amount of time to dry in the dryer whether I use them or not.
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