How To Make Wool Dryer Balls

Never buy fabric softener again with today’s feature from Good Mama: Make Your Own Wool Dryer Balls, how cool are these! The balls will cut your drying time yet leave clothes soft, fluffy and static free without the use of chemicals or dryer sheets. Based on the old “tennis ball in the dryer” trick, but without the tennis balls!

What You’ll Need

• Wool Yarn: Use 100% wool or a good felting yarn for best results. . . Great yarn stash buster!
• Old Pantyhose: You can also use a sock
• Cotton or Acrylic Yarn or String: Use to tie closed the hose (or sock). Don’t use wool yarn for this part–scraps are good for this too.
• Scissors
• Small Crochet Hook
• Measuring Tape
• Optional – Sachet of Dried Flowers or Herbs: Make your own scented dryer balls by winding your ball around a little sachet of fragrant dried herbs & flowers. The scent doesn’t last forever, but still a nice touch!

Basic Steps To Making The Balls

• First make the core by winding small balls of yarn (tight), then tie them off in a nylon stocking or sock. Wash the batch in preferably hot water and dry to felt them (keep the balls attached together in the stocking, you don’t need to cut them off to separate at this point). Wash and dry again if you want to felt them more.
• Next cut the balls loose from the stocking, wind more yarn around the balls to the size you want, tie them off in a nylon stocking again and wash then dry to felt. Doing this in two steps keeps the inside of the balls tight and will hold together better than a ball done in one step.
• Once they’re at least slightly felted, the balls are good to use. They will continue to felt and get harder as you use them.

Tips For Wool Dryer Balls

• If the yarn is machine washable, don’t use it for this project.
• Use a crochet hook to tuck in the ends of the yarn so the ball stays tight and doesn’t loosen up through use.
• Wind the balls about 10-10.5 inches in circumference prior to felting, they will shrink as they felt.
• When first making the balls and felting them, you can toss them in with loads of laundry to save water and time. Be aware there may be some dye bleeding though if it’s not colorfast yarn–throw them in with a load of towels in similar colors.
• When ready to use, start with a couple balls in the dryer then work your way up to the amount of balls that give you the best results.
• The wool balls may get pills on them with use, just give them a shave with a sweater shaver as needed (if you want–otherwise ignore!).

Please visit Good Mama for a complete set of details that include a lovely set of photos outlining the entire process for making the dryer balls (link at the top), also note her copyright and the licenses and restrictions.

More Dryer Goodies: Frugral Fabric Softener Recipes & Dryer Sheet Tips and Homemade Herbal Lavender Dryer Bags.

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