How to Clean Wool Dryer Balls

Wool Dryer balls are the magic balls that intend to reduce the drying time of your laundry. If you generally needed an hour to dry a bunch of towels, you will save around 15-20 minutes with the use of a wool dryer ball.

Like that of the name, the wool dryer balls are purely made up of wool. They possess the shape of a tennis ball and are highly durable.

The quality of wool used for the balls has the potential to stay the same way for years to come. But you need to look after maintaining them actually to make them last!

How to Clean Wool Dryer Balls

Wool dryer balls have the potential to dry over thousands of your laundry loads magically. But, after a certain point of time, the wool dryer balls also demand some care to revive their efficacy in drying the laundry.

With the wool dryer balls in the laundry, you can expect them to bounce within the clothes and separate the pieces. It is to ensure that warm air can flow evenly throughout the clothing layers to speed up the drying process by 20 to 25%.

Therefore, it is important for you to preserve the drying capacity of these dryer balls. And for that, you can follow this guide to learn how to clean wool dryer balls.

The 2 methods on how to clean wool dryer balls are the following:

• Hand-Washing With Soapy Solution/Sanitizer
• Cleaning the Wool Dryer Balls in the Washer

Method 1: Hand-Washing With Soapy Solution/Sanitizer

There are few methods using which you can clean your wool dryer balls. And, hand-washing is one of those primary methods to help you avoid abrasive measures. Here are the steps that you need to follow in order to hand-wash your wool dryer balls:

Step 1: Arrange the Supplies

1. You will need a clean and lint-free cloth for this cleaning purpose.
2. A solution of soap or a sanitizer would work well to wet the cloth for cleaning.
3. You will need a tub with lukewarm water in it. (optional)

These are basic things that must surely be available at your home on usual days. So, you just need a little quantity of all, depending upon the number of wool dryer balls you have. When you have them all, you can move onto the next step:

Step 2: Get Started With the Cleaning Approach

1. It would be best if you wet the cloth with sanitizer or soap solution.
2. Now, take the wool dryer balls and gently scrub the surface of them with the cloth.
3. The dirt and dust will be out in no time.
4. If the balls still look dirty and dull, then you can prefer hand-washing them in a tub.
5. Take a tub and fill it with lukewarm water.
6. Now, add some soap solution to it and prepare the mixture. Stir and mix the water and soapy solution properly.
7. Now, take the dryer balls in hand, and submerge them in the tub. Your hands should constantly scrub the surface of those balls. It will give an intense hand-washing cleaning to the dryer balls.
8. Let the wool dryer balls dry out completely under natural sunlight or with the use of any hairdryer. They will regain the drying potential only when they are adequately dried.

Method 2: Cleaning the Wool Dryer Balls in the Washer

The following method is all about an easy and efficient approach. Even if you are not ready to take risks on deteriorating the potential of dryer balls by washing them in machines, you still need to believe that they are durable enough to withstand that.

But the condition is that there should be specific regulations while the wool dryer balls are being washed in a machine.  You just have to take your wool dryer balls and then throw them with your laundry in the washer.

Now, set the washer on a gentle cycle that runs with hot water. Over time, the dryer balls might have accumulated some of the fiber build-ups and lint. Hence, this washing method will help to remove that, and in the process, it will also rehydrate the balls.

Absorbing Moisture of Wool Dryer Balls’ Potential

You can ensure that the potential of the wool dryer balls in terms of absorbing moisture is improved. It will rejuvenate the wool fibers that are over-dried and will enhance the drying potential of these balls.

There is no such restriction of washing them alone or with a full load. You can do what pleases or suits you the best! The only thing you need to keep in mind is to set the washer at an appropriate cycle speed, depending upon the amount of load.

Drying the Wool Dryer Balls

The next step is to dry the wool dryer balls to make them usable again. And for that, you need to run those balls with the clothes over the dryer. And set it on high heat.

There is again no such restriction of running them alone in the dryer or with a full load. But it would help if you kept in mind that the load won’t dry faster with the presence of dryer balls, as they are wet for now.

The entire load will dry slower, as they might be waterlogged after the cleaning session.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Is It Essential for Recharging the Wool Dryer Balls?

The optimal reason for which you need to recharge your wool dryer balls over time is to reduce the stress over those balls.

When you over-stress the balls without recharging them or cleaning them, they lose a lot of their drying potential. And they become less absorbent and fail to dry the laundry load.

Hence, it is essential to wash and clean the wool dryer balls once every one or two weeks and know the right cleaning system of it, depending upon your laundry session.

How Will I Know That My Wool Dryer Balls Need a Recharge?

You will know that it is time for you to recharge or clean the wool dryer balls when they start to look rough. If not that, then you should check whether these balls are working well in serving their sole purpose or not.

If the ability of their drying is deteriorating, then you should consider recharging them. But, if they do not recharge by cleaning, you might need to go ahead and replace them, as they are of no use then.

How to Use the Wool Dryer Balls Perfectly?

Dryer balls are pretty much simple to use! When you put them into the dryer, they create spacing between the clothes to allow hot air to pass in. Apart from that, they also absorb some of the moisture content from the clothes and speed up the drying process.

Are Dryer Balls Better Than Dryer Sheets?

The wool dryer balls are somehow less effective in comparison to dryer sheets in some areas. Dryer balls lack proficiency in softening the clothes and eliminating static from them, and dryer sheets are better in it. But dryer sheets are pretty much expensive, and everyone cannot afford them.

Dryer balls claim to reduce the drying time, and there are scientific pieces of evidence to prove the fact.

How Can I Add Aroma to the Wool Dryer Balls That Can Be Passed on to My Clothes?

You can use essential oil to scent the wool dryer balls. In fact, you just need to add it to the dryer. All your clothes will have that aroma when you take them out of the dryer.

Conclusion

Laundry is a time-consuming task, and if you need more time to dry your clothes, then that is an unacceptable hassle, especially some of us may prefer doing laundry daily or on alternate days. Why spend hours drying the loads when you have a cheap remedy of using wool dryer balls?

It is better to drop some dryer balls into the dryer section and sit back. In fact, you will notice around a 20 to 25% reduction in drying time. Wool dryer balls can last for up to 1000 loads.

So, if yours have already passed that mark, then you should not consider recharging them, but instead, consider replacing them. After a point of time, cleaning and recharging cannot revive the lost potential of the dryer balls.