Homemade Wool Dryer Balls

Supplies:

• wool yarn (Fisherman's Wool is great since you want it to shrink!)
• old knee high nylon stocking
• optional- essential oils of your choice
• optional wrapping- an old orange net bag if you want to 'gift them' to someone

Steps:

I found a skein of wool yarn by keeping my eyes open at yard sales. One skein makes about 5 balls.

1. Start by wrapping the yarn around your hand about 20 times.

 
2. Then continue wrapping the yarn around the center about 20 more times.

 
3. Fold in half and continue wrapping it into a ball shape. The ball will shrink to about 3/4 the size it is when done wrapping, so keep that in mind. I made two different sizes...just experimenting!

 

 

 
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4. Finish by sticking the end of the yarn as deeply into the center of the ball as possible.
5. Slip the balls into an old knee high nylon and tie them in between each one so they don't fall out of the stocking. This will help them hold together and help form them when they shrink down.

 
6. Drop them into a hot wash of laundry. Or if you don't use hot water for your laundry, like me, I just dropped them into boiling water on my stove. This starts the shrinking process.

 
7. They should go into a warm/hot dryer after they cool down.
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8. I let mine cool, stepped on them gently to squeeze the excess water out of them and added my dryer balls to a load of clothes I was going to dry.
9. I'd say to do this wet and dry for two washes to maximize the balls' shrinkage.

 
10. Now your dryer balls are ready to be thrown in the dryer each time!
11. I added a few drops of essential oils. I love lavender and peppermint. There are tons of great scents! You could even designate certain balls for certain scents/people!
    Even Kmart and Walmart now sell the oils (in their health and beauty section).
12. I am going to make some for my family members and add a bottle of essential oil to it (as shown) as little gifts! Just drop them into one of those netted bags that come with some produce or make a little cloth bag and slip them in with a ribbon!

 

 
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I've seen these dryer balls is specialty stores for quite a bit of money and they didn't include the essential oil idea!

attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts

July 27, 20170 found this helpful

I think the wool ones are better overall. They cut drying time and don't have chemicals in them like tennis balls do.

Judy
Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts

July 28, 20170 found this helpful

They are supposed to be good. I Heard the white ones leave lint on dark clothes, so the black is better

cybergrannie
Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 949 Feedbacks

July 28, 20170 found this helpful

I have used tennis balls and some type of hard ball and I did not notice any chemical smell but I do not ever use hot heat in my dryer, in fact I dry a lot of clothes outside and finish on no heat in my dryer. I would be afraid to use hot heat with tennis balls.

My daughter uses homemade wool dryer balls and loves them but she only uses dark wool so I think you will be happy with your wool balls and no chemical problem.