If someone told you that throwing balls of wool in your dryer would help get rid of static, soften your clothing, and cut down on drying time, you’d probably think it was an old wives’ tale. But the truth is, these exist — and they work.
These reusable dryer balls take the place of those disposable dryer sheets that end up stuck between sweaters sleeves and crumpled into corners of duvet covers. A small-to-medium load of laundry only needs three balls, while a larger one can take up to six.
While the ecological impact is noticeable (disposable vs. reusable), the economic impact is an added advantage. To put it into perspective, a box of laundry sheets will run you about $7 for 240 sheets. Let’s say you use an average of two sheets per large load, so you get 120 loads of laundry out of one box of dryer sheets. That means you’ll have to buy at least eight boxes of dryer sheets to come close to how many loads wool dryer balls can tackle. You can stand to save almost $45 just from switching.
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