How to make dryer balls smell good

Caroline is a writer living in New York City. When she’s not covering art, interiors, and celebrity lifestyles, she’s usually buying sneakers, eating cupcakes, or hanging with her rescue bunnies, Daisy and Daffodil.

published May 7, 2019

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Cleancult Natural Wool Dryer Balls, Pack of 3, Unscented

$10.75

Amazon

An even better option: Wool dryer balls

You might be thinking, “Aren’t paper towels bad for the environment, too?” And it’s true that reusable solutions beat disposable ones, every time. A more resilient alternative that will scent your laundry the same way is a set of wool dryer balls. You can spray or drip them with perfumes, scents, and oils, then throw them in the dryer to keep your clothes fluffed up and smelling great.

So before you go hog-wild with fabric softener sheets on your next laundry day, consider grabbing a paper towel or dryer balls and your favorite fragrance spray to custom scent your load instead.

IMPORTANT: Do not add essential oils to dryer balls and do not add essential oils to anything that you put into your washer or dryer. Wool Dryer Balls are a wonderful way to eliminate the use of toxic and harshly fragranced dryer sheets, so they are definitely worth considering by those that want to omit the use of toxic chemicals from their laundry.

However, essential oils are flammable and can pose a fire risk when added to dryer balls or dryer sheets. Additionally, if essential oils are added to your wash or are already present on your clothing and are not adequately rinsed away during the wash cycle, this may also pose a fire hazard. Washing clothing at cooler temperatures produces the most risk as the cooler temperatures encourages essential oils to remain on clothing. For more information, please read Kristina Bauer's enlightening blog post: An Interesting Caution About EOs and Laundry.

AFTER your clothing is washed and dried and removed from your dryer, you can consider using sachets to gently and natural fragrance your clothing and towels.

Wool dryer balls are considered by many to be a wonderful, cost-saving alternative to both natural and synthetic dryer sheets. Wool dryer balls are reported last for hundreds of loads, help to soften clothes and provide the added energy savings of shortening the time it takes to dry your clothing by approximately 25-30%.

For an average laundry load, 4-5 wool dryer balls are typically used. A set of wool dryer balls costs approximately $18-20 or so depending on the size of each balls and the number of balls in the set. Although the set costs more than an average box of dryer sheets, it may be worth the initial expense because each of your dryer loads will take 25%-30% less time and save energy costs and the wool dryer balls will last through hundreds of loads.

Where to Find Wool Dryer Balls

You can purchase wool dryer balls from a number of sources including Amazon.com. (Affiliate Link Disclosure: If you click on an Amazon link below and purchase wool dryer balls through Amazon, AromaWeb will earn a small commission. Thanks in advance!)

Search Amazon for Wool Dryer Balls (Affiliate Link)

Directions

Read and follow the directions included with the specific set that you purchase. The diameter and number of balls that you purchase will determine the specific results that you experience. AromaWeb is not responsible or liable for your experiences in using wool dryer balls.

Important Precaution

Do not use essential oils on wool dryer balls. Essential oils are flammable. See the bolded comments that appear at the top of this page. For more information, please read An Interesting Caution About EOs and Laundry by Kristina Bauer.

Reducing / Eliminating Static

Wool Dryer Balls, however, do not directly eliminate static. The best way to eliminate static from your clothes is to ensure that you are not over-drying your clothes by leaving the dryer running longer than needed. When first using wool dryer balls, it may take some time to learn how much you need to cut down the dryer duration. Don't panic if your dryer loads seem to have more static when you first use wool dryer balls. Simply cut down the dryer cycle duration until the static is eliminated.

Naturally Fragrance Your Clothing, Sheets and Towels AFTER Washing and Drying by Using Aromatic Sachets

Since essential oils are flammable and should not be used in the dryer (and can potentially still pose a fire hazard when used in the wash cycle), a safer alternative is to use an aromatic sachet.

Directions

Take enough lavender buds or rose petals to fill a small muslin bag and optionally enhance the aroma by adding several drops of your favorite skin-safe essential oil or essential oil blend. Add the herb mixture to the muslin bag, close it securely and tuck it into your lingerie, delicates or sock drawer. Sachets can also be tucked into your folded sheets or placed in your linen closet to delicately fragrance them.

Be sure to follow all safety precautions and always research the safety info and contraindications for each essential oil that you are considering working with.

How do you add smell to dryer balls without essential oils?

Is it safe to put essential oils on wool dryer balls?

How do you make laundry smell good with wool dryer balls?

Should you put essential oils on dryer balls?