Aluminum foil dryer balls are a green alternative to commercial dryer sheets or liquid fabric softener. While in the dryer, they absorb electrical charges so your clothes stay static free. They also tumble happily with your laundry, softening it as it drys. But do they actually work?
The Good
- Better for you – no more toxic chemicals hanging onto your “clean” clothes
- Better for the Earth – fewer dryer sheets in the landfill
- Saves Money – foil balls can be made cheaply, reused and last for months
- Better for the Earth (part 2) – aluminum is easily recycled when the ball is spent
The Bad
- Clothes are not as soft as you may be used to from commercial fabric softeners
My Experience
DYI dryer balls
This is the idea that started it all folks. A friend posted a link to the aluminum foil dryer balls idea on Facebook. I thought, “that’s just crazy!”, and, “how could that possibly work?”. I started searching the web for a green idea review database to see if this idea was worth my time. No collection of green idea reviews could be found and this blog was born!
I found the link above and made my own dryer balls out of heavy duty aluminum foil. I made three because I think if two are good, three are probably better! I was a little concerned with the sharpish nubbins all over the balls snagging my clothes so I did the first test run on towels. I washed the towels as usual with my store brand liquid detergent, and then placed them in the dryer with the three balls. I ran the dryer as I typically would for towels: high heat and auto dry (the dryer stops when it senses a low humidity).
As the load dried, you could hear the foil balls knocking around in there, but I found it wasn’t much louder than a pair of kid’s overalls. I folded the towels as soon as the load was complete, while they were still warm. All the towels in this large load were completely static free. I found that some of the smaller items were not very soft and fluffy, but the larger items were almost as soft as I am used to from using dryer sheets. The balls came out of the dryer looking much smoother and rounder after being tumbled around, so I have no more concerns about clothing snags.
Three dryer balls took the static from all these towels!
Next I used them with a load of kids clothes. Again the clothes were static free, except for a tiny bit around the fleece footie pajamas, but I would expect that based on the material. The clothes were noticeably not as soft, but they were nowhere near stiff.
In summary, I am very pleased to report that THEY WORK!! The aluminum foil dryer balls did their job and kept my clothes static free. They also did a decent job of tumbling clothes to softness, but weren’t all the way there. Stayed tuned as I experiment with other natural ideas for clothes softening, as I think we are done with dryer sheets for good!
Have you tried aluminum foil, or any other kind of dryer balls? I’d love to hear about your experience!
This post was a featured “Teacher of the Week” for Butter Believer’s Sunday School Blog Carnival!
Shared at Sunday School, Monday Mania, Homestead Barnhop, Homestead Carnival, TALU Tuesday, Teach Me Tuesday, One Project at a Time, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Wildcrafting Wednesdays, Your Green Resource, Rural Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Frugal Friday
I need to try this! Thanks!
I just started doing this as well. It works great and I am so happy to not use sheets that have who knows what chemicals in them. I have heard you can only use them a few times though and then they lose their oomph. So I use them about 3 times and then get new ones. I also just put sheets of aluminum in the dryer. I don’t even make the balls the first time. Then after that first load they come out round.
Thanks for your tips Suzy! How big of a foil sheet do you use?
http://www.ehow.com/how_7962935_reduce-static-dryer-foil.html
says to use a 2 foot piece. Form into tight ball. Doesn’t snag clothes, will come out smoother each time.
I think this is a good idea, the only concern I have is about disposing of the aluminum…is it environmentally safe? Probably anything is better than the dryer sheets, but isn’t this polluting to a degree? I know that its not always accepted as a recyclable by trash collectors…..
Hi Raquel – one foil ball can be used for months at a time. My municipality can take the foil for recycling, so I never thought about it. Thanks for your thoughts!
Interesting! What a great frugal, natural replacement. Although personally I’ve never used dryer sheets so I don’t really have the need for a substitute. I’d never even heard of them until I got to college and saw everyone using them in the laundry room! To each her own, I suppose.
I found your blog through Simple Lives Thursday. What a neat idea for a blog!
Thanks for stopping by Meghan! Do you use an alternative to dryer sheets to manage static and softness?
No, I don’t use any alternative. For some reason my parents never used dryer sheets growing up so I guess it never occurred to me that static and roughness (or whatever the opposite of softness is) were a problem! They just seemed like a part of laundy, lol.
Sounds great! dryer sheets are so nasty smelling that when I do have to use my dryer, I’d rather just put up with the static than that smell.
Elise – it’s amazing how STRONG conventional dryer sheets can smell when you’re not used to them anymore.
this is such a great idea! I mainly used dryer sheets for the static when I do, so this is a much more healthy and economical alternative.
ps: found you @ Simple Lives Thursday
Thanks for stopping by Davette!
I use aluminum foil balls in the dryer and they are great for reducing static. However, you are right that it does nothing to soften the clothes. For that, I add vinegar to the rinse cycle in the washer. I posted about it here:
http://theprudentpantryblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/add-softness-to-your-laundry-with.html
Love your site!
I tried out vinegar as a fabric softener too! Here’s a link to my review:http://www.greenideareviews.com/2012/04/25/using-vinegar-as-fabric-softener-review-does-it-work/.
I use white vinegar as a laundry rinse too.
Also find that being frugal with soap, just use what you need, helps to keep the clothes soft, might be that soap residue contributes to making clothes a bit stiff.
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Huh, this is interesting because I never would have connected the two. Personally, I don’t use the drier anymore and we hang all our clothes to dry, but if I do ever start using it again, I might have to try this.
We live in smoggy Los Angeles, and really close the the airport, so I feel like my clothes could get dirtier by hanging outside! Do you live in a place that is sunny all year? What do you do in the winter?
I actually live in an apartment so we have no backyard/outdoors space to hang them. I have a drying rack and hang them indoors year round. Someday I hope to live in a place with a backyard so I can hang them up. When I’m not drying clothes, the drying rack collapses so I can put it away and it’s out of sight, out of mind. I think I just do it because it’s cheap lol. It’s 75 cents to dry a load of laundry, whereas I bought the drying rack for 10 dollars a few years ago and it has more than paid for itself several times over.
Oh yes, apartment living. Lauromat fees add up vry quickly. Good for you!
When should I replace the aluminum balls with new ones? j/w
When I notice they are losing effectiveness, I just wrap a new sheet of foil around the balls (every 4-5 loads). If at some point they are getting too big, or starting to fall apart, it’s probably time to replace.
Would it be wiser not to use the balls for all-in-one washer and dryers?
Hi Karsten! I don’t have any experience with all-in-one machines. I wonder, however, if the balls would be prone to mold after getting wet?
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how big should the initial balls be?
I made mine about 2.5 – 3 inches in diameter.
Thanks Victoria! I love the way you always reply to all the questions pretty quickly!!! I know e/1 is busy so i really appreciate it…THANKS!!
Thanks for being a part of our community Beth!
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I just barely tried this and the results were amazing. We had a huge static problem in our house, and now it’s GONE! It was seriously a mini miracle.
Awesome!
I came across your website yesterday while I was searching for alternatives to dryer sheets.
I really like your website and what other women have to say about the subjects. So here’s my
When I did towels yesterday, I missed the rinse cycle, so instead I poured some vinegar on one of the washcloths, just a little. I put in the dryer on top of the towels. They came out fluffy
and soft. On a few of them there was the slight smell of vinegar. But very, very slight. I just wanted to pass this along.
I have just discovered your blog through the Homestead Survival page on Facebook and have spent the last 2 hours reading all your interesting reviews. I have always tried to be green rather than chemical, but must admit, having a busy life, convenience has sometimes taken over some aspects of housework! However, as I have recently been diagnosed with emphysema I now have to be extra careful about inhaling anything toxic or irritating. It’s great therefore discovering someone who has done all the research and testing for me….thankyou!
There are just a couple of things I’d like to add to your very useful tips:
I’ll be trying the aluminium balls but I’ve heard it’s best not to use fabric softener on towels as it impedes their absorbancy, so I use a nappy liner with a few drops of lavender or rose oil in the tumbler dryer for freshness. I line dry when possible, and find that, whilst still damp, giving the towels and natural fabrics a quick tumble dry to finish them off takes away the dreaded ‘line stiffness’.
I use a dilution of bicarbonate of soda and water to clean my fridge as it absorbs any odours and keep a small open jar of the powder in there which also helps keep it smelling sweet.
Bicarbonate is also very effective to use dry on upholstery and carpets to remove nasty smells, especially vomit and urine, just rub it in, leave it for a while then vacuum off. Dilute it in warm water for washable surfaces.
I hope these comments may be of interest to you, I apologise if you have already mentioned them in your blog, there’s still a lot of it left for me to peruse!
I wonder if you have any suggestions for killing and deterring clothes moths and their eggs? I have an invasion of them and as I have a large vintage fashion and textile collection and am panicing about protecting it long term now I can no longer use chemicals.
Maggie – I have had the same problem with the moths. I believe that they came in with some old fly tying paraphernalia that my boyfriend brought in. They have literally taken over! They manage to survive by eating the animal hair in the corners from my pets, the animal hair on our deer mounts, my wool sweaters and any other natural material that they can find. I have tried the cedar soaked in a mix of oils then stuffed into old nylons. Um, nope. The moths ate through the nylon (I think they actually like the oil!) I have even tried placing bowls of cedar in the corners and under furniture. Nope….didn’t work either. The most success that I have found is with the moth traps from the local feed store. The have a pheromone in them that attracts the male moths. It has cut back the hatching some, but there always ends up being that stray male that ends up mating. I can’t use sprays; I have cats in the house. This is an 11-year battle that has me to the point of just burning down my house!! JK! If you ever do find that secret destructive method for the moths, please let me know where to find it!!!
Hi Erika, thanks for your comment – yep …. I still have moths but definitely not as many as last year. I gave in to chemicals in the end and got my daughter to do the spraying whilst I kept we’ll out of the way in the garden with the cat! I live in the UK and it sounds like you are in America where you may not be able to get the same products as are available here, but if you can I’ve found a couple of things which I think are helping lessen the invasion.
The first is a spray which has a 12 month residual action and kills the moths and any eggs. I’ve sprayed it inside wardrobes etc and on stock that I want to store but can’t be washed. It’s called ‘Zero in’, active ingredient 0.1% Cypermethrin , bought through Amazon UK. As long as you keep the pets out of the way until it dries it won’t harm them ( my Bengal cat’s still healthy!) – it actually says you can use it on clothing as long as you let it dry before wearing it and apparently it lasts two washes before you should do it again. I’ve used it on some winter clothes before I store them for the Summer but mainly on rugs, the underside of upholstered furniture and inside emptied drawers and cupboards etc as I’m not really sure I want it, safe or not, next to my skin. You could use it in your deer mounts and the corners where the fur collects to kill any eggs? I’ve been advised to Hoover furnishings and floors regularly but find it a bit of a chore and probably don’t do it as ‘regularly’ as I should – it’s a lot easier to brush the cat!
It’s taking ages but I’ve nearly got all my textile collection stored in vacuum bags and my hanging clothes in garment bags after washing or spraying things like my sheepskin coat etc. I’ve never been so organised! I’ve also got bowls and sachets of lavender and lemon verbena everywhere as I’m told that it deters them – the house smells lovely but I’m not sure how effective it is!
On the advice of an antique carpet collector I’ve also got ‘Rentokill Moth Killer and deterrant’ paper strips pinned inside every wardrobe and cupboard as they have found them very effective. You can also cut them into smaller pieces and place them in between things that are folded and stored.
I’ve just bought some cedar balls and have put them in the drawers where I keep my cashmere sweaters just in case it helps but always make sure I put them away after wearing them and keep the drawers firmly shut …. So far no damage…
I’ve got the pheromone moth sticky strips everywhere and have noticed that I am catching a lot less male moths than last year so something is working! I’m told that they aren’t really any use on their own but are a good indicator of how many moths you have got lurking about. I have, however, noticed that in the summer with the windows open they seem to attract moths in from outside which I’m not sure is a good thing! I’ve stopped buying the traps, they are quite expensive if you want to put them in every room, but just buy the sticky strip refills in bulk (again from Amazon) and Bluetack them to the walls instead. I think I inadvertently touched one the other day and found a couple of moths following me around in the local thrift shop!
My daughters say I’m becoming moth phobic and it’s costing me a fortune in deterrants but I am determined to try and get the better of the little B’s or I’ll have to find another way of making a living and resort to only wearing Nylon ….eek!
I know only too well the temptation of wanting to torch the place and shave the cat but have, so far, managed resist! Eleven years is a long time but hang in there & hopefully you too will find something less drastic that at least keeps the invasion under control. I hope some of my suggestions help ….keep me posted if you find anything else that works and I’ll do the same if I discover the ultimate weapon in the moth war!
I just discovered this today and gave it a try. Like you, I put 2 aluminum foil dryer balls in with my towels. Yes they are not as soft as with dryer sheets, but its a greener way to dry your laundry. I tried them next with my dark clothes. A nylon shirt had a little static, but not bad! I think I like this idea! I will definitely be using this as my way of softening my clothes!
Hi Victoria, I’m stopping from TALU and wanted to tell you that that’s a fantastic idea. I hate the thought of the dryer sheets and their chemicals and love to dry the clothes outside when I can. But Vancouver and Oxfordshire, the places I live it, are not out-door drying friendly for about 8 months/yr. I’m going to give this little hint a try. Thank you.
I saw this idea on Pinterest a while back but keep forgetting to try it. For the softener, everyone seemed to agree that vinegar in the rinse cycle is the way to go, but I would never remember to go back to the machine. I use dryer sheets, not fabric softener, so that wouldn’t help me, although I’ve been meaning to try CLEANING the washer with vinegar… [#TALU]
TALU-ho! Never used aluminum dryer balls but I’ve used old tennis shoes wrapped in old pillow cases. I’ve also used commercial dryer balls and rings. I use dryer sheets instead of moth balls and other insect repellents. But I’m thinking that the aluminum might also help dry the clothes more quickly as well as control the static. Worth a try. But I too mostly hang up my laundry these days.
Does it have to be heavy duty foil or will regular foil work too?
http://www.ehow.com/how_7962935_reduce-static-dryer-foil.html
says to use a 2-foot sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Crumple the foil into a tight ball.
Wrap the ball in additional sheets of foil to create a sphere that is approximately 3 inches in diameter.
Read more: How to Reduce Static in a Dryer With Foil | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7962935_reduce-static-dryer-foil.html#ixzz2JTXqmeOj
Regular aluminum foil works just fine as well, you’ll just need a little more of it.
I too just started using foil balls (my first load is the dryer as I type) DH and I were talking about the static electricity in the winter, as I was pulling clothes out of the dryer and it was like the 4th of July!
I don’t use dryer sheets, never really did because the chemicals build up on your dryers lint screen, causing dryer fires. Instead I use vinegar in final rinse to soften clothes, keep towels absorbent, and it’s WAY cheaper than a $10 of fabric softener!
thanks all, I tried the aluminum foil but it did not work for my synthetic running gear. I noticed however after reading this blog and the comments that my aluminum foil balls may not have been tight or small enough and should I have two in the same load?
I like the idea of vinegar to soften the cloths but I use a shared laundry facility in my building and I would never remember or want to run down to pour vinegar in the rinse cycle but I do have these fabric softener balls and I wonder if I could just fill those with vinegar.
http://media.downy.com//images/common/proddetail/products/downy_ball.png
Yes you can use the fabric softener balls with the white vinegar. A 1/2 c per load is sufficient
I’ve gone through nearly the whole site and also have examine lots of excellent things but we find the content articles lack inside deeper thought
Yes you can use the fabric softener balls with the white vinegar. A 1/2 c per load is sufficient.
I also tried this and found that it worked best when used on more natural fibers. Hence, my “professional” work clothes still had some static cling. Solution I used was to use the foil balls on my husband’s cotton and natural fiber clothes, towels, etc. and dryer sheets on my work clothes. (Although I’m semi-retired now so no more work clothes!! yippee-skippee!) Also, you can slightly open the used foil ball and maniupulate it to form a new ball. This seemed to help “recharge” the foil for a few more loads.
Yes – I’ve noticed my kids loads with their fleece pajamas can still be a little static-y
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I have used the same two spiked rubber dryer balls in my electric for several years. They produce soft, static-free results and appear to be virtually indestructible. A little under 3″ in size, they come in pairs and I paid less than $5.00 for them. I have liked them so much that I have given a pair as gifts to many of my family members and friends over the years. I don’t even remember when I purchased my last box of dryer sheets! It is a given, of course, that fragile fabrics and intricate lace need to be hand-washed and air-dried regardless what one puts in the dryer to begin with — be it chemical saturated dryer sheets, aluminum balls, or the spiked rubber balls!
Oops, I said “in my electric” when I should have said “in my electric dryer.”