Dryer Max Laundry Dryer Balls

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Interesting concept.....

Could you still somehow scent your laundry? How do you suppose they save energy? What's this....made in China! YIKES!!
 
Interesting concept, and I'd like to give 'em a try, but not at that price!

I wonder if they're really any different than the spiky balls you can get at the doggie store for a buck or two?

veg
 
Too funny!

It's really ironic that the topic of these dryer balls was posted...

There's an 8-day Home & Garden show going on in Milwaukee--This past Weekend, then today, Thurs, Fri, Sat, and Sun... Anyways, Hoover has a booth at the show and directly across from our booth is the "Dryer Magic" booth. Her demonstration is mesmerizing! Allow me to repeat parts of her demonstration (After all, I've seen it a hundred times so far...)

All dryer sheets are petrolium-based. The 'softness' is, in reality, the petroleum and other chemicals rubbing off onto our clothes. She points out the warnings on the side of all dryer sheet boxes--to the effect of "Do not use on children's clothing or bed wear that is labeled as 'flame resistant', as the dryer sheets will reduce the flame resistance."

The residue that dryer sheets give off can also mess with the heat sensor in the dryer--leaving a filmy coating on it, and it may not work properly. Same goes for the lint trap. A lot of times, if you pull the lint trap out and try to run water through it, you'll find you can't. Because, again, that residue has built up on the lint trap.

She takes a dryer sheet, pours a bit of water on it, and rubs it around in circles on a mirror. It's pretty interesting what comes off of it--a sudsy soapy sort-of residue. Apparently, you can also take a dryer sheet, and put it in, say a pan that you've cooked something like lasagna in--fill it with hot water, add a dryer sheet, and come back in an hour or two... It helps break down the burnt on cheese/sauce/grease... and makes cleanup a snap.

She then goes into some statistics about how many dryer fires happen per year as a result of that lint-trap not working properly (15,000).

Then there's the mysterious greasy spot that magically appeared on your article of clothing--that wasn't there when your clothes went into the laundry... Caused by the liquid fabric softener or the dryer sheet (again, look at the warning about spotting on your liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets).

The balls are made out of food-grade PVC, and after a few minutes in the dryer, they stop clunking around, and soften up. They "lift and separate" the clothes, and help more evenly re-distribute the heat (and can reduce drying time by up to 25%). This naturally reduces wrinkles and static...

The dryer balls are unscented, but most laundry soaps are... so there really isn't a need for any additional scent.

The hook: If you think about it, you can spend upwards of $100 dollars per year on fabric softeners-liquid and sheets. So, a $20 dollar investment will really save you money in the long run.

Needless to say, I am now the proud owner of... count 'em--2 sets of "Dryer Magic" balls, and I've been pleased with them so far!

~Fred :)
 
Hmmmmmmmm.........

Well heck Fred...you've convinced me; especially the part about the mysterious oily spots on clothing! I threw away two American Eagle polo shirts yesterday because of these dastardly dots that refuse to clean up!

Are these available by internet only, or can you pick them up at the likes of a Bed, Bath, and Beyond?

Venus - a potential believer :-D
 
retromom: I've see these @ Bed, Bath, & Beyond for about $9.99.

My only question is this: how rough are these on fabric? I would think they would cause extra wear...
 
I can ask that question today...

About the extra wear.

At the home show, they're 2 sets for $20. I'd have no problem picking some up for you, if you want... I'll be there through the weekend.

~Fred
 
I was going to say....

I've noticed these at BB&B recently.

I have no interest in these, I prefer my mexican liqid fabric softner. Old habits die hard.

Besides, I would probably end up with fuzzy balls. LOL
 
Dryer Balls

After starting this posting, I ordered a set of these(hence the name....Gadget Gary). I am glad I did. Seems like they are worth it. Glad I was able to bring it to this forum.

GadgetGary(QVC shop-a-holic)
 
I'd like to see first-hand the results of a properly controlled test of identical loads dried with liquid softener in the rinse, dryer sheets, these balls, and nothing. Mostly testing of the balls vs. nothing. Call me a skeptic (or is that a Skeksis?), but I'm just not believing they make an appreciable difference.
 
...what about static cling?

I use unscented sheets strictly to eliminate cling. These balls don't appear to have any effect on that.
 
More info...

So, I asked some more questions tonight at the home show...

The static cling is caused by the items in the dryer 'knotting up', hitting the dryer wall, and sliding down the drum. The dryer balls in essence bounce around inside the dryer--off of the dryer wall and "lift and separate," thus keeping fabrics from knotting up, and going through that motion of sliding down the drum of the dryer. That helps to eliminate a lot of the static that would normally occur. Of course, naturally, there will always be a little; especially during dry, winter months.. which dryer sheets don't always eliminate 100%.

Pet toys: The problem with using a pet toy is they are made of rubber. So, if you want your clothes smelling of rubber, go ahead. Rubber could also
explode--if the dryer got hot enough. Again, the dryer balls are made of food-grade PVC, which are unscented, and won't explode. They also have a lifetime guarantee (unless the dog grabs it).

Energy Savings: Because the dryer balls allow the heat to more evenly flow through the fabrics, and keep the articles in the dryer from getting tangled--that heat and airflow will dry the clothes faster (up to 25% faster)--resulting in an energy savings.

~Fred
 
Somebody who has a dryer with a window needs to get a set of these and observe if there's any validity to this static-prevention process.
 
LOL..

No... they don't squeak. :)

They're actually pretty firm until they go into the dryer... I mean, if you whipped one at someone, it could hurt (with the spikes and all...).
 
Tennis balls

Not a health condition. When you read instructions for laundering down items, the drying instructions suggest adding a couple of tennis balls to break up clumps of wet down during the tumbling. Why would this new product be better, except for the manufacturer's income? If you want something that you will really know is working, try using an old pink Kenmore sprinkler ball half filled with some dried beans like can be used when you bake an empty pie shell. You won't even need to use the dryer's end of cycle signal to know when it has stopped. Or take those old Downy dispenser balls. Rip the stopper out, add a lead fishing weight or two and then fill it to cover them with JB Weld, a two part epoxy that will hold a broken engine block together. Making your own dryer ball is a lot more fun than just buying a few cents' worth of PVC. Just don't use any plastic ones in a combo other than the Bendix & Philco Bendix or in any older condenser dryer, whether Filtrator, water condensing or other high-operating-temperature, Hamilton-type dryers.
 
NO LEAD! Don't ever use lead. Even if Tom was joking, someone might take him seriously. If you have a bunch of lead rattling around, it will tend to wear away and deposit lead onto your clothes. Lead is majorly toxic, causes brain damage, very difficult to get it out of your system. You don't want lead anywhere near you if you can help it, much less in your underwear and socks.

As for the dryer ballz. What Gansky said. They're kinda' cute, remind me of those little rubber hedgehog toys that squeak when you squeeze them.

I imagine the way these work is, as they roll around in the dryer, the little spikes get traction and catch on the fabric and tug on it so it doesn't ball up as much. I'm going to guess they have more of an effect in dryers that only rotate in one direction, and less of an effect in dryers that reverse direction periodically.

Seems to me that dryer sheets have more minuses than pluses; gunking up the sensors ends up costing money for more electricity usage than necessary, and gunking up the lint filter can cause fires, and little splotches can ruin clothes.

I wonder about this: for people who like a bit of perfume on their clothes, is there some kind of device that would hold a water-based scent and let it disperse slowly? Or could a dispenser be installed inline of the air intake or the hot air output before it reaches the drum? Seems to me it wouldn't take much to do the job. Though one might have to be sure the perfumes didn't contain anything flammable.

As for softening: tumble-drying by its nature softens fabrics, by keeping them in motion as they dry. If I take my towels out of the spinner and hang them directly on the line, they will dry stiff and scratchy. But I've found that five minutes in the tumble dryer on air fluff (no heat needed) is enough to soften them up so that when they dry on the line, they come out every bit as soft & fluffy as if I'd dried them full cycle in the tumble dryer. And if you look at the early ads for tumble dryers, 50s and 60s, they always talk about how the drying action itself leaves fabrics soft and fluffy.
 
Higher end Kenmore dryers

I remember from the 60s to early 70s had an "air freshener" liqid option, the bottle was alongside the lint filter.

Don't know how well it worked, but I know they don't offer them now....

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
DG, If the lead is encased in epoxy and plastic, it's going nowhere. You could not have lead rattling around in the dryer; it would knock holes or big dents in the drum because it is too dense to use in large enough pieces. We will have the folks that produce the Guinness Book of Records come and take of picture of the cow.
 
toddler sized merrells work well too

I washed my son's feather pillow and have been looking for the tennis balls...weeks later, I had to wash the boy's shoes. I decided to toss the (now dry but limp, flat) pillow (that had been hanging over the laundry sorter for weeks) into the dryer with the two pair of Merrells and assorted other stuff. The pillow looked better than it had in ten years. Well fluffed indeed.

Never use dryer sheets and don't want extra scent, but I loved the fluff and am intrigue by the possible energy savings. Interesting thread--especially the demo info on the evils of dryer sheets.

Best,
Sarah
 
i was wondering

what these blue balls (tee hee) were that suddenly showed up in the dryer. My roommates said they were to be used instead of the dryer sheets after i kept taking them out of the dryer. I went back to the dryer sheets after the Downey Ball spotted up alot of my scrubs!! I like the downey smell of the dryer sheets before you put them into the dryer but i have to admit the clothes don't really smell that fragrant once they are dry. I did know about the residue build up on the lint trap though and kept that clean on a regular basis. So i'll give the balls a try.
 
another type of massage

I know the balls as "massage balls" over here in Germany. They are sold for about the same amount of money. Listed as hypo-allergenic and supposedly food grade??! People use them to give each other massages. Feels good if you don't press too hard.
I have my doubts about the fire safety and hypo-allergenic aspect. The Chinese do not have a good track record on heavy metals and organic compounds.
I used a pair to loosen up the down feathers in my winter coat after reading this here. Sure worked, but, I would be very worried about the dryer being too hot and starting a fire.
Must talk to my folks about this, since they switched to dryer sheets the lint build up in the exhaust pipe is much greater than before.
 

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