Easy Chemical Cutting DIY: Cleaner Laundry with Wool Dryer Balls

Laundry. It just never ends. I mean really, how is there so much of it all the time? And is anybody else like me in that you're really really awesome at the actual washing and drying of the clothes, but folding and actually putting away is another story...

But let's talk some serious talk about laundry, since it's something that we all have to do all the time. Did you know that what you're putting into your washing machine and dryer could actually be harming you and your family? Scented laundry detergents, fabric softeners and dryer sheets are full of toxic chemicals that can cause a host of health issues. Some of these chemicals are even carcinogenic. 

I know there are some skeptics out there, I'm actually married to one of them. My wonderful chemical engineer of a husband is always questioning everything and wanting proof. So, here are a few links to articles discussing the yuck that's in our laundry products: CBS News Report  National Institute of Health - Environmental Health Perspectives

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, on to the fun DIY part :)

A super easy way to cut a lot of chemically-filled products out of your home is to just totally get rid of fabric softener and dryer sheets. They're both just full of yuck. But what to replace them with? And will it do the same job they did? The answer is Wool Dryer Balls and YES, they will!

I have been using my own wool dryer balls that I made myself for at least two years now. I followed the directions on this blog. And as you can see, they're well loved. I can honestly say that we don't have static in our clothes, they're soft, and they smell nice too [thanks to the few drops of essential oils that I add to each ball!] 

A few great things about wool dryer balls:

They save you money - no more buying fabric softeners or dryer sheets. This skein of yarn cost me $7.79 at JoAnn's (used a 40% coupon found online!) and it will get me at least 8 balls. The 4 balls I am currently using have lasted over 2 years and are still going strong!

They save energy & time - when you use 4 balls in your dryer, it's said to cut dry time down by 25-50% because the balls circulate and separate clothing and get the warm air right down to the middle of the laundry load. The more balls you add, the faster the dry time will be.

Your clothes will be soft - the balls are made of 100% wool, so the friction of the felted wool fibers against the clothing fibers will just make everything softer.

They are super simple to make too! Are you ready?!  Here we go :)

Materials you will need:
Skein of 100% WOOL yarn
Scissors
Pantyhose or knee high
Embroidery floss or string

Start with 100% WOOL yarn. I got this skein at JoAnn's for uner $8 (after using a 40% coupon from their app). This will easily make 8 or more dryer balls, depending on the size of the balls.

To start making the ball, you'll wrap the yarn around your four fingers about 20 times, then slip the yarn off of your fingers and wrap the yarn around the middle of that circle of yarn that you just made about 20 times. This is the beginning of your ball!

Then pinch the beginnings of your ball together and just keep wrapping! You need to make sure that you are wrapping it tightly with no loose pieces. 

Keep wrapping around and around until you get your ball to be the size that you want it to be. My ball could sit in the palm of my hand - a bit smaller than a tennis ball.

To finish the ball, you need to cut the yarn and weave/tuck the end under some of the other strands of yarn to secure it. Then just repeat these steps for the number of balls that you want to make. The more balls, the faster your clothes dry!

Now you need to felt the balls. This will get the fibers of the yarn to stick together and really make a ball. To do this, you need a pair of pantyhose or knee highs. Put the first ball into the toe of the pantyhose. Secure it with the embroidery floss or string by tying a knot (don't use the wool yarn to do this because it will felt too!) Then you can add other balls to this, securing each one separately.

Wash this pantyhose ball caterpillar in the washing machine in the hottest water that you can. The hotter the better. Then dry it in the dryer on the highest heat setting that you can. Again the hotter, the better because it speeds up the felting process. 

After you have washed them, the yarn fibers will stick together to make it tighter and smoother. If you want to make the ball bigger, you can add more layers of yarn and go through the felting process again. Over time the balls will get smaller with more use.

And that's it! You made wool dryer balls!

Now, if you want to make your clothes smell nice, you can add a few drops of an essential oil of your choice to each ball. I like to use Lavender, Orange, Purification or Stress Away essential oils on my balls. It depends on my mood at the time or condition of the clothes. And you do not need to do it every load. The scent will last several loads.

If you're looking to get essential oils, you can check out my Young Living oil kits in the link below. These are my oils of choice because of their seed to seal guarantee :)

Check out Essential Oils

And be on the lookout for a new post coming very soon - Essential Oils 101