How to Easily Make Homemade Dryer Balls (A Natural Alternative)

Change how you wash your clothes

There are two main things that I implemented into my laundry routine, and I'm honestly not looking back. The first thing I do is when I throw my clothes in the washer.

For the wash cycle, I substitute fabric softener with vinegar. 

This helps keep my clothes soft without having to use chemicals. 

Make homemade dryer balls

Recently I learned how to make homemade wool balls for the dryer. You can easily buy these at the store if you're not interested in making them. If you're interested in making them, it's super simple. 

Buy 100% wool yarn or another yarn made out of animal hair, like alpaca yarn. 

Once you have your yarn, you're going to want to wrap it around your fingers about ten times in one direction. Then do it in the perpendicular direction and keep wrapping the yarn until it forms a ball. 

Make each ball about the size of a softball. 

When you get to the end of your ball, just take the end strand and use your scissors to tuck it into the ball. It will all eventually felt together. 

Now that you have three completed yarn balls, take each ball individually and drop it into a stocking. 

Once you drop the yarn balls into the stockings, make sure to tie them off after each ball. Be sure to use a thicker pair of stockings, or the wool will felt to the stocking, and it'll be stuck to the pantyhose forever. 

Felt the wool balls

Once you have your dryer balls in your stockings, run them through the washer and dryer for a few cycles, using both hot and cold water. This allows them to felt. You can either wash them alone on their own or with laundry that you're already doing. 

The balls will shrink and become stiff and solid. 

It is recommended to use three dryer balls for small to medium loads and five to seven dryer balls for larger loads. Then you can take them out of the stockings. 

Now that you have your dryer balls, you can use them instead of dryer sheets in the dryer. As an added bonus, you can put a few drops of your favorite essential oils on the dryer balls prior to throwing them in the dryer. 

Dryer ball fun facts

• They are good for up to a thousand uses. They reduce dry time, and when they're at the end of their life, you can still give them a new life as a pin cushion, therapy ball, or compost them. 
• Dryer balls help prevent laundry from clumping together by bouncing around in your dryer. So as they're bouncing around, they're reducing the static, reducing your dry time, and adding that essential oil scent to your laundry. 

Homemade dryer balls

Finish off the dryer sheets you have and make some homemade dryer balls. Don't forget the vinegar in the wash cycle. Do you have money-saving laundry tips? Share in the comments below.