DIY Wool Dryer Balls: How to Make Them and Why You Should!
Looking for an easy way to save money on your energy bill? Or are you looking for a unique and inexpensive handmade gift for the holidays? Wool dryer balls may be the answer!
Above: DIY wool dryer balls made with scrap yarn. All images copyright Golden Peak Media.
You may have seen dryer balls at fiber festivals or through sustainability retailers for years. But if you’re like me, you were hesitant to make an investment in them and didn’t fully understand how they work. In this article, I’m explaining all the details, and showing you how to make them for very little cost. Make them for yourself or as a creative gift.
How Do Wool Dryer Balls Work & How Long Do They Last
You may be wondering: how is tossing a baseball-size wad of yarn in my dryer going to save me time and money? It all comes down to the magical properties of wool fiber. As wool dryer balls bounce and tumble in the dryer, they lift and separate the items being dried. This allows the air to circulate more effectively. Wool naturally absorbs moisture, too, which further speeds the process. Plus, as they’re pulling out excess moisture and allowing air to flow, they are reducing wrinkles and softening the fabric as well. So, you can say goodbye to needing fabric softener and dryer sheets.
Commercial wool dryer ball manufacturers say their dryer balls will last for 1000 loads. I’ve not tested yarn-made dryer balls to be sure the same is true. However, if history is a teacher, wool fabrics and fibers have lasted for centuries in the severest of conditions. Yes, eventually wool will breakdown, but it’s going to take a very long time. I would venture to say these will last for more loads than I can do in my lifetime.
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How to Make Dryer Balls from Scrap Yarn
Wool dryer balls are very easy to make. The supplies are simple, too. You need 100% wool yarn, something to hold them as they felt, and a washing machine with a hot water setting. Note: It’s vital that the yarn is wool. Cotton fibers, for example, will not felt and will not speed up your drying time. For the something to hold them as they’re made, there are several options. You can use an old pair of pantyhose, a cotton tube sock, or a compression sock. You’ll want to make a half dozen or so. Use at least 3 balls when drying a small load of laundry and as many as 6 for larger loads.
Here’s how to make them:
- Gather your supplies. You’ll need scrap yarn and a fabric tube such as a sock or stocking. If you’re making these as gifts and want to purchase yarn in the recipient’s favorite colors, make sure you purchase 100% wool.
- Take your scrap yarn and wind it by hand into a tight, compact ball. The ball should be about the size of a baseball, or 3-3.5″ in diameter. Tuck in the tail of the yarn so the ball won’t unravel.
- Place the yarn ball into fabric tube and secure the ball inside with a knot. If your tube is long enough—such as a stocking or knee-high compression sock—you can secure more than one ball at a time.
- Wash the tube of yarn balls in the washing machine 3-4 times on the hottest setting. If you don’t want to waste running with machine without laundry, I suggest throwing a load of towels in with the balls. Dry the balls in the dryer. Then, remove them from the tube and they’re ready to use!
Beyond The Basics
Wool dryer balls made with yarn are the easiest to make, but you can take things as step further. If you have a collection of swatches from projects that used 100% wool, you can add interesting patterns and textures to your dryer balls. Follow the same basic steps to make a ball. Then, needle felt your swatch to the surface of ball before washing and fully felting it. The end result can be colorful when using a stranded-colorwork swatch! Or, it can be richly cabled, covered in texture, striped … whatever your swatch is. Why not have a little beauty when washing football uniforms or bed linens? Just take care not to needle felt your fingers. Needles are sharp!
Those with sensitivity for the scents added to dryer sheets and fabric softener will appreciate that wool dryer balls are unscented. However, if you like the scent that comes with using traditional dryer sheets, you can add essential oils to your wool dryer balls. Simply add a few drops of your favorite essential oil scent to each ball before tossing it in the load. Recharge the scent when you notice it begin to dissipate. Depending how many drops you’ve used, that can be before each load or after several.
Scrap busting, cost saving, energy reducing, colorful, and fun—do you have homemade wool dryer balls? Share your experience with others in the comments below.
I have found that some wools felt better than others, yes and it has to be non superwash. I have had some that unravel even after you felt them.
On another note,iIf you make them a bit smaller, they make great cat toys.
Just thought it might be a good idea to remind folks that SUPERWASH wool won’t work (the whole point of superwash is that it won’t felt if you machine wash it!)
What a great idea! I already use commercial wool dryer balls – and love them. This is a great way to use yarn whose colors I don’t care for that much that won’t really work for socks because they are 100% wool. By the time I get through using my scraps I’ll probably have a whole dryer full of wool balls!
This is a fab idea! However, I’m allergic to wool, sigh, any suggestions?
I would steer clear of red yarn, red seems to be a color that sometimes shares its color and also home dyed yarn. If you use either I would go thru several dryer cycles with rags or old towels to make sure there is no bleeding of colors.
Thank you for the explanation as to how these work … it will be handy to add a little information card with these to give as gifts