How to Make Wool Dryer Balls — and Slash Your Drying Time

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Living on the Cheap.

Here’s a project that will help you save on electricity used by your dryer and eliminate the need for fabric softener, which has harmful chemicals and perfumes.

Fabric softener can be expensive, isn’t recommended for certain articles (towels, cloth diapers) because it reduces absorbency, and it can leave a film on your clothing or irritate your skin.

Wool dryer balls are simple to make and can cut your drying time by 25% to 50% by separating clothing and allowing warm air to circulate more evenly (saving you money and reducing that annoying static shock!).

Wool dryer balls are simple to make while you’re watching television, environmentally friendly and will last about five years. And if you use recycled wool (old unused yarn or deconstructed sweaters) you help the planet by keeping it from the landfill.

For best results, use four to six wool dryer balls per load of laundry.

Making your own felted wool dryer balls

To make these balls, use wool yarn, wool roving or a deconstructed old wool sweater or two. I use inexpensive wool yarn I find at craft stores using 40% off coupons that come weekly in the newspaper.

A skein of wool yarn will make two to three dryer balls, depending on the weight of the yarn and how large you make the ball. You can also use wool fabric scraps balled up on the inside and wrap the rest with wool yarn so you don’t have to use as much yarn.

The most important thing to remember is to use 100% wool — no blends, no “superwash” wool, no machine-washable wool — otherwise your ball won’t felt and stay together.

Gather your yarn, scissors, a pair of old pantyhose, tights or a long sock, and some cotton or acrylic string or dental floss, and sit down to watch your favorite show and make some wool balls.

Essential oils for dryer balls

If you prefer slightly scented laundry, scent your dryer balls by adding a couple of drops of essential oil to the yarn in the middle of the wrapping process.

Once that scent wears off, you can add a few more drops to the ball by pushing a little dropper of essential oil into the center of the ball.

Don’t put the oil on the outside of the ball as it may transfer to your laundry.

How to use dryer balls

To use your new DIY dryer balls, toss four to six into each load you put in the dryer.

You don’t have to rewash the dryer balls unless they get dirty (if the kids or a pet gets a hold of them) or if they seem to be coming apart and you want to refelt them.

I hope you find these wool dryer balls as easy and useful as I have. They make great gifts, so considering making these as Mother’s Day or Christmas gifts.

What do you do with old wool dryer balls?

Don’t throw them away! Here are some ways to use those dryer balls outside the laundry room:

• Add a few drops of fragrance for a room freshener.
• Use for toss and catch practice for kids.
• Roll them under your feet to ease cramps.
• Use them to stuff dog toys or stuffed animals.
• Place them in a wooden bowl as decoration.