How do you use wool dryer balls?

Dryer balls are easy to use—simply add a load of wet laundry to your dryer, toss in a few LooHoos and press start. To maximize the effectiveness of these environmentally friendly orbs used to fluff your laundry and create better air flow and circulation, consider the following:

Size Matters

The amount in your laundry load determines the number of LooHoos needed to effectively dry your clothes, linens and other items. Generally speaking, it’s best to use at least three LooHoos in every load. If your load is small to medium size, toss in three to five wool balls. And if you’re doing a medium to large load, you’ll need five or more wool balls. Feel free to throw in an extra ball or two; you’ll be reducing the dry time even more.

Mystery Unraveled

While LooHoos can last up to a thousand loads, or about two years, you may want to watch for telltale signs that your dryer balls need to be replaced: the wool is coming off the balls and fibers are clinging to your laundry. Just picture they’re having a bad hair day. That’s your cue that it’s time to discard the balls and replenish your supply.

Time to Tell

It may take some trial and error to see just how long to run the dryer when using wool dryer balls. Every dryer is different, therefore dry times vary per machine. But make no mistake; the amount of time it takes to dry items, regardless of the brand, will be reduced with LooHoos—as much as an impressive 25 percent. So if it normally takes one hour to dry your clothes, start checking at 45 minutes to see if the load is dry. Not yet ready? Recheck every 10 minutes until dry and you get a sense of dry time for future loads. You’ll also want to avoid over drying your clothes; this can damage, shrink or fade fabric. In addition, unnecessary dryer usage will keep your electricity bill higher than it needs to be.

Give Them Some Space

Overloading your dryer with too many items limits the effectiveness of wool dryer balls. After all, the balls need room to circulate freely and do their thing. Rather than an extra-large load, consider two smaller loads (one with lighter weight fabrics and the other with heavy fabric) so the balls can bounce—it’s more efficient. Also, when transferring items from the washer to the dryer, be sure to straighten out laundry as much as possible to avoid fabric from bunching up and trapping the balls in, let’s say, a shirt sleeve or twisted sheet.

Adding Scents

Wool dryer balls are typically unscented. If you long for the floral scent on dryer sheets, you’re in for some good news. Add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil onto each of your wool dryer balls and let them soak in for a couple of hours. (It’s important to note that dousing dryer balls with essential oil is a potential fire hazard when exposed to high heat.) Lavender is perhaps the most popular for its soothing qualities, while a crisp citrus is refreshing and known to relieve anxiety and stress and rose contains uplifting properties. After your scent dries, add the balls to the dryer and start your cycle. Clothes, sheets and linens will not only be soft but also fragrant—and so will your laundry room.

Breathing Room

LooHoo founder Cyndi Prince suggests storing wool balls in their storage bag or in a natural basket in a well-ventilated, dry space. The wool needs to breathe so avoid plastic containers. Remember, wool dryer balls absorb moisture so you’ll want them to air out when you’re not using them. Be sure to keep LooHoos away from pets, who can’t resist their soft texture. After all, that’s why Cyndi invented the LooHoo Wooly Tug Toy!