Choosing the best dryer ball on the market could be a complicated operation if you are not familiar with this type of product.
For this reason, we invite you to read this guide in which we will give you some excellent ideas on which to reflect on these very useful accessories that make the use of the appliance even more profitable. Read on for all the details.
How to Choose a Dryer Ball?
Materials
On the market, there are different types of balls to choose from—those in plastic, perfect for hanging laundry well inside the drum. Under their weight, they roll between one end and the other, replicating the effect of iron.
In fact, with their use, you can safely avoid ironing the clothes after drying, saving you time and money. Aluminum balls, on the other hand, have a very important but often underestimated task: they eliminate the electrostatic charge.
As you well know, the rubbing of fabrics, especially those containing synthetic fibers or wool, produce electricity. Inside the drum, in the presence of centrifugal motion and hot air, this electric charge is generated and is evidenced by the fact that once the clothes are dry.
They stick together, creating microscopic sparks when we try to separate them. That is the typical electrostatic effect and, by using the balls, you will reduce the effect by attracting the ions to them rather than to the laundry.
Last but not least, are those in wool, which contain all the advantages of the other types. Also, they are made of natural fiber, organic, and environmentally friendly.
Purposes
By focusing only on the wool balls, very often handmade and produced with the fleece of sheep from New Zealand, we try to discover their multiple uses and advantages.
For an almost negligible price, considering that, if treated with care, they can last up to 1000 cycles, you can take advantage of a set of balls that will improve the drying of your clothes.
First of all, in this regard, we strongly advise against its use inside washing machines and washer dryers since in contact with water they could become very heavy, become unusable, or even damage the appliance.
Therefore, having ascertained that these balls are to be used only inside the dryer, they are used to shorten the drying times by 20-30%.
Moreover, they limit the use of the iron since rolling the folds of the laundry already inside the appliance, thus saving you on the electricity bill. If you are interested in purchasing these products, please check our comparison table of the best items sold online.
How to Use the Dryer Balls?
The dryer balls are one more element that the market offers us to take care of the laundry. Let’s find out how to use these small but very useful objects best to obtain excellent results.
The Dryer
Many demonize it, and some consider it a further waste of electricity, others have still rooted the conception according to which the laundry should be spread exclusively in the sun.
But when you live in a city in northern Europe or northern Italy, the hot star during autumn and winter is only a vague mirage. And it is for this reason that in recent years the sales of dryers are increasing more and more, promising numerous benefits.
The absolute advantage of this precious but still little appreciated appliance is to optimize the drying times of the bulky laundry. Therefore, the times when the corridors, bathrooms, and terraces of the house were covered with clotheslines and clotheslines are long gone.
Days went by hoping to dry the sheets, the blankets, and duvets, making the environment damp and cold, forcing you to turn on the heating and making the cost of the bill rise. With dryers, all this is just a bad memory.
To further meet the owners of this new type of appliance and shorten the times of use, even more, these spheres have been placed on the market, which, inserted together with the laundry, do not shorten the times, separate it, and make it softer.
To find out how to choose a good dryer ball, please read the purchase guide in this article. To further meet the owners of this new type of appliance and shorten the times of use, even more, these spheres have been placed on the market, inserted together with the laundry, do not shorten the times, separate it, and make it softer.
To find out how to choose a good dryer ball, please read the purchase guide in this article. To further meet the owners of this new type of appliance and shorten the times of use, even more, these spheres have been placed on the market, inserted together with the laundry, do not shorten the times, separate it, and make it softer.
Quantity
As a rule, wool balls are sold in a practical resealable lightweight fabric bag. Some manufacturers package sets of six or seven pieces the size of about 7 cm in diameter, others instead sets of only three elements but with a larger diameter.
The latter is more suitable for use with sheets because, thanks to their larger shape, they can separate and eliminate the wrinkles of the wider fabrics.
But how many balls do you need to use for each drying cycle? This must be decided according to the volume of the load you are going to put in the basket.
If the laundry weighs less than one and a half kg, normally three or four is enough to obtain an excellent result and a time reduction of 20-30%. For larger loads, approximately up to 3 kg,
Essential Oils
Unlike other types of balls, such as those in plastic or aluminum, these in merino wool can have an additional use. It happens very often that the laundry, after the drying cycle, has an unpleasant stale smell, probably due to the hot air in contact with the internal iron basket.
With these you can perfume your clothes, giving them a more pleasant appearance and smell. Thanks to the carded wool that attracts moisture and makes the warm air spread better, just insert a few drops of essential oil or specific fragrance for laundry inside them.
To do it is very simple; it is necessary to drop a minimum quantity of fragrance on each of them and insert them in the basket. Don’t worry, the good quality and the structure of the wool will not stain your clothes. For more information,
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Dryer Balls For?
Many underestimate its practicality and usefulness but inserting the plastic, wood, or aluminum balls inside the dryer serves to decrease the creases created by the centrifugal motion of the appliance when it is running.
Furthermore, a further advantage of those in wool or aluminum, compared to the plastic model, is that of being able to eliminate the static effect that is created with the rubbing of the cloths and the warm air given off.
They are very useful when drying sheets and towels but, if you want, you can use them for any type of laundry. Also, users will help to decrease drying times, saving you both on the electricity bill and the gas bill during the winter.
How do dryer balls work? The balls, also called draw balls to have the task, move between the laundry inside the appliance, to separate the garments, and to ensure that the hot air circulates better between them by absorbing the humidity while the appliance is in operation.
The wool balls can also be used inside the washing machine to replace the fabric softener. This will limit the formation of the annoying creases that form mainly on the sheets, forcing you to spend precious hours struggling with the iron.
How many balls should I put in the dryer? These simple but equally precious objects serve to hang and improve the drying of the laundry inside the dryer. The number of balls to be used generally depends on the weight of the laundry.
For a load of clothes up to one and a half kg, just insert three of them to obtain an optimal result. For higher loads, for example, up to 3 kg of weight, it is necessary to use double, therefore, six.
Usually, a pack of draw balls contains six / seven pieces, to meet the needs of both users who load the appliance to a minimum, and for those who instead fill it for a total weight exceeding 3 kg.
How Are Dryer Balls Made?
On the market, it is possible to find four types of dryer balls. The most famous and ecological ones are made of wool. Their main characteristic is that of being able to better capture humidity by giving better drying of the laundry.
Another type is the hard plastic one. They have the advantage, being heavier than those in wool, of ironing the garments better, especially the sheets. Another type is represented by aluminum balls.
These manage to attract the electrostatic charge due to the rubbing of the clothes during the centrifugal motion of the dryer. Last and most particular, it is a plastic model with protrusions and small holes. Its property is to allow the air to evaporate better by filtering it inside the holes.
