Are you ready to transform your laundry routine with a simple, eco-friendly solution? Homemade dryer balls are a fantastic alternative to commercial dryer sheets, providing a natural way to soften your clothes and reduce drying time. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of making your own wool dryer balls, complete with tips on adding essential oils for a fresh, chemical-free scent. Embrace a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle with this easy DIY project. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Benefits of Homemade Wool Dryer Balls
Wool dryer balls are all the rage, but what makes them so popular? You might be surprised to learn that this simple DIY can…
- Reduce energy use by cutting down drying time as they absorb excess moisture and allow better airflow through the load. Over time, this will lower your electric bill. This may be especially appealing if you live in a warmer climate, where dryers can make the house feel sweltering.
- Cut out the need for expensive dryer sheets. These dryer balls last a long time and are a great no-waste option!
- Reduce static in clothing, eliminating the need for chemical-laden dryer sheets.
- Soften fabric, allowing you to ditch toxic fabric softeners in the washing machine. This can also make your clothes last longer and decrease chemical exposure.
- Reduce wrinkles, keep the ironing pile down, and save you precious time.
- Eliminate harmful artificial fragrances, allowing you to go fragrance-free. It may also inspire you to start using essential oils in the laundry room since a couple of drops is all you’d need for a non-toxic clean scent!
I’m so glad I learned how to make homemade dryer balls. Adding essential oils to my unscented laundry soap AND dryer balls is a great way to ensure a fresh scent on even hard-to-clean clothes – without harmful chemicals. Plus, you can customize the scent to fit the season of the year or your family’s needs. If you’re feeling anxious, add some lavender. If it’s Christmas time, use a holiday blend. The sky is the limit!
One of the first things I recommend doing on your natural living journey is ditching artificial fragrances. It’s an easy swap when you can create great products like these homemade dryer balls! You won’t even miss your old, chemical-laden dryer sheets.
These wool dryer balls also make lovely gifts for loved ones! Grab a pretty basket, make different colored dryer balls, and add a custom essential oil blend bottle. There’s nothing like giving the gift of good health! Handmade gifts are fun to make as well. Get the kids involved and teach them a new skill as well.
4 Essential Oil Blends For Laundry
These handmade wool dryer balls are fine on their own, but adding essential oils can give your laundry a subtle scent. It’s important for me to be transparent, so you should note that essential oils aren’t going to give your laundry a heavy fragrance as you’d get with chemically scented fabric softeners or dryer sheets. There are other ways to get that clean scent, such as our all-natural perfume, allowing you to minimize chemical exposure!
Many people find that they’re sensitive to artificial fragrances, and their bodies respond negatively through outward symptoms such as contact dermatitis or migraines. We’ve repeatedly heard testimonies from our Natural Living Family about the benefits they’ve seen from this simple swap. Over time, artificial fragrances will smell horrendous to you. We find that we can hardly walk near the cleaning aisle in our local big box store!
One of the best things about learning how to make wool dryer balls is the flexibility. You can use almost any essential oil blend that strikes your fancy! Just add 3-4 drops on the wool balls as you’re starting your laundry, and you’ll be set once you’re ready to pop them in the dryer. We encourage you to get creative and experiment to find what works best for you! Here are some blends that we enjoy.
Mama Z Pro tip: You can choose your favorite essential oil scent, however these are some of our favorites to try. Mix these blends in a recycled essential oils bottle and keep them in your laundry room, so they’re always ready to go!
- Citrus Fresh: 20 drops tea tree and 20 drops orange essential oils
- Cleaning Day: 20 drops bergamot and 10 drops cedarwood essential oils
- Floral Breeze: 20 drops lemongrass and 20 drops lavender essential oils
- Sweet Dreams: 20 drops lavender and 20 drops lemon essential oils
How to Make Your Wool Dryer Balls
Self-sufficiency is a vital skill in this day and age. You can always buy wool dryer balls, but it’s simple to DIY them. This is a project that I find really fun, and I love getting the kids involved! All you need to get started is some wool yarn and old pantyhose. These step-by-step instructions will guide you on how to turn yarn into balls.
When choosing your natural wool yarn, be sure that you don’t select wool listed as washable or “superwash,” as these will not felt properly. Worsted-weight yarn is always an excellent, safe choice. I usually choose a neutral color, such as white, grey, or tan, because they’re less prone to bleeding. One standard skein makes about two dryer balls.
STEP ONE: WRAPPING PROCESS FOR THE YARN
To start making a DIY dryer ball, wrap the strands of yarn around a couple of fingers about ten times. Slide the yarn off your fingers and wrap the yarn around the middle of the bundle to create a ball shape. This will create the base of your ball.
STEP TWO: CONTINUE BUILDING THE BASE
Continue wrapping the yarn tightly around the base in every direction until the ball grows to your desired size. Be sure to wrap the string tightly, so the ball does not unravel. Some people prefer tennis ball-sized dryer balls, but you can go as large as you want (up to softball-sized) to decrease drying time.
STEP THREE: TRIM THE EXCESS
When your ball is the desired size, cut the yarn and leave a tail. Use a large needle or crochet hook to pull the string into the ball. This keeps the ball from unraveling. Trim off any excess.
STEP FOUR: FELT THE DRYER BALLS
Now, it’s time to felt the dryer balls. To do this, place the balls in an old pair of pantyhose and knot off the end. You can do this with yarn (not wool yarn!) or knot the end of the stockings.
Wash the balls on a hot water cycle and dry on high heat. This will start the felting process. Note: It may take 3-4 cycles to get the felted exterior you want. To save energy, I wash and dry them with other loads of laundry.
To use the dryer balls, remove them from the pantyhose and toss them into the dryer with damp clothing. I recommend using 3-4 balls for small and medium loads of laundry and 5-6 balls for large loads. You can use them on their own, or you can add essential oils to amplify the scent of your laundry.
How to Make Wool Dryer Balls With Essential Oils
Materials
- 1 skein 100% pure wool yarn (see notes above when choosing your yarn)
- Old pantyhose OR knee-high stockings
- Crochet hook
Instructions
- To start your homemade dryer ball, wrap the yarn around two fingers about 10 times. Slide the yarn off your fingers, then wrap the yarn around the middle of the yarn bundle. This will be the base of your ball.
- Continue wrapping the yarn around the base in every direction, until your ball has reached the desired size. Be sure that you are wrapping the yarn tightly. Tennis ball-sized is sufficient, but you can go as large as softball-sized to help decrease drying time even more.
- Once you have completed wrapping, cut the yarn, leaving a tail. Use a crochet hook or large needle to pull the thread into the ball. Trim the excess from the tail.
- Place your dryer ball(s) into the pantyhose or knee-high, knotting them closely in between and at the end. You can simply tie the hose, or you can use cotton yarn to tie off each section. Do NOT use wool yarn for this step, as it will felt.
- Wash your newly wrapped dryer balls on a hot water cycle and dry on high heat to felt them. You can do this with loads of laundry to help conserve energy. It may take 3-4 cycles for the wool strands to bond together and have the “felted” exterior you want to achieve.
- When the felting process is complete, remove the dryer balls from the hose, and pop them in your dryer with each load. For best results, use 3-4 DIY dryer balls for small and medium loads, 5-6 balls for larger loads. You can use them as-is or add 3-4 drops of essential oils to each ball with each load of laundry.
Notes
