Although I usually dry clothes outdoors, when I do use the dryer I always have dryer balls in them - and yes, they do reduce drying time - some loads as much as 50%. I tried tennis balls, but didn't like the smell of them.

When I first got the dryer balls, I did a test load of towels with and without the dryer balls, and that sold me because of the increased drying efficiency.

My first pair were the eliptical-shaped Nellie's Dryerballs (which cost more than the Dryer Max balls - someone on this board said they thought Nellie's were supposed to be "better"), and one of them split open within a few months of infrequent use. Now I have the Dryer Max Dryer Balls in.

-Grainlady

i just got these today and washed some scrubs and used the dryer balls. they came out less wrinkled as well as dried faster. i'm happily surprised!

where do you get them, and how many do you have to place in the dryer?

There are 2 balls per package and that's how many you use in the dryer. I have seen them at Target, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, etc.... You can get them cheap off eBay. BTW, I don't use softener or softener sheets, just vinegar in the rinse and dryer balls in the dryer.

-Grainlady

I just bought a package and am surprised by how much I like them. No more dryer sheets!

I bought a set of the Dryer Max balls before I even got my new dryer. I did buy some liquid fabric softener, but I don't plan on using it too often (the smell is not that great and then there are all the horror stories about softener gunking up the washer).

The dryer balls do reduce the drying time a little and make things dry more evenly. In a load of various fabrics, a few items always seem to stay damp at the "regular dry" setting. With the dryer balls everything was nice and dry after approximately the same time. Keeps me from having to use the "very dry" or "extra dry" cycles.

Clothes like sweatshirts and jeans really come out softer when using the balls. On towels it may make a small difference, but we have towels of different quality, so it is tough to say.

The dryer balls seem to reduce static quite a bit. The only thing so far that had some static after dring was a fleece item.

The balls make the dryer a little noisier 'cause you can actually hear the balls thumping around in the dryer. It is not annoying enough to keep me from using them though.

Facit: I like them and think they were worth the $9.99.

Consumer Reports tested these and said both the drying time reduction and increased softness were false claims.

But people believe what they want to believe.

curiousshopper,
I didn't find any dryer ball test results at CR. Do you have a link?
I have read good and bad reviews about the balls before I bought them. I have decided to give them a try and $9.99 is not that much. If it was a waste of money, I could easily admit that without feeling stupid for buying them.
I don't think the balls reduce the drying time by 25%, but I experienced more evenly dry clothes when using the same, sensor controlled drying cycle. Of course my loads were not absolutely identical. I am not going to re-wash everything just to see how long it takes to dry.
I did notice that some clothes, especially jeans, came out very soft. I have not used any dryer sheets since I have my new dryer, so maybe the softness is partially caused by the FL. But the jeans in the load without the dryer balls were still not as soft.

On another thread, you made the comment that FLs cause a lot of wear and tear if you mix fabrics of different weights. Of course there is some friction going on in any type of washer. The same principle can be applied to a dryer with tumbling rubber balls in it. To me, it sounds very reasonable that the balls can soften the surface of the fabrics by rolling over them. I like the balls, but I would not add them to a load of delicate items because they may cause more pilling or wear and tear. My towels and regular clothes don't have any problem with the balls so far.

Here are two links to supposedly independent and unbiased tests:

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=special_coverage&id=3871844

http://www.komotv.com/news/archive/4167746.html

Here is a link that might be useful: dryer balls test

curiousshopper-CR may not be accurate on everything it tests. I've been doing laundry for 31 years and I like the dryer balls. It's a preference based on experience, not that "I'm believing what I want to believe."

I have an LG Dryer .The sensor has never worked .I was told only large loads will dry .Well, I have large loads ,but it stops >I use hte manual Speed dry .

Here is hte Problem .All sheets come out rolled together ,like rolling up a carpet .I am at my wits end ,undoing the sheets .The never dry that way ..
Is htere a solution to htis ?
I will get another dryer ,that is how upset I am .Any dryers that dry properly >This dryyer is hte big capacity..
Thanks Kimberly 42

What?

Kimberly:

I have the Duet dryer and I have the same problem with the sheets rolling up into a big ball. The solution that has worked for me (which I got from this board) is to fold the sheets before placing them in the dryer. I fold maybe 4 x a Queen flat or fitted sheet...fold my pillow cases in half. You get the point. It helps tremendously.

I am a demonstrator at fairs and such, and I will only sell what I believe in. I have sold the Nellies dry balls; have had the 6 balls for over a year with no problems. I use to use a half a dozen tennis balls before these balls came on the market. I have never used fabric softener or sheets as they have a gasoline by product and other chemicals. So getting these dryer max balls would be great as they are half the price, only because they don't pay for a fair booth and sales people demonstrating the product.

Plus I have always used white vinegar rinse; you take a large jug of vinegar and spring water, empty an 1/8 of the water away and then fill with vinegar. Then go to your local health food store and pick out an essential oil of your desire, I like clean smelling oils like lime, and add about 10 drops within the jug of less water before adding the vinegar and then shake really good, you have the best all natural fabric softener. It helps to rinse away any soap scum within the fabric that causes static, and keeps your washer rinsed clean after every load too. Just remember DONÂT USE VINEGAR ON SILK, as the vinegar changes the silk protein to sand washed silk and will shrink it too. I have also sold Mulberry Silk Duvets and I did add a small amount of this in the rinse cycle washing a silk duvet by accident, it did cause the silk within the duvet to shrink a tiny bit, but not enough to ruin it. But I did add too much to a silk blouse rinse and it came out completely different, as it changed the appearance and it could fit someone four or five sizes smaller, LOL

You guys talked me into trying them. Bought a set pretty cheap. Not sure how I can really tell without doing like Grainlady and do a with and without. I'm just curious, though, since I have a large dryer (7.4 cf) whether there's an advantage to having two sets for large/heavy loads.

I also bought one of the sets of "as seen on tv" dryer cleaning brushes and vac attachment. I think that would be a worthwhile item. Both cost me about $14 with shipping so I don't think I'll be out much if nothing works and like I said, even if the dryer balls are a flop, I'm pretty sure the brushes will be handy. I'll let you know how it works out.

cynic

I started using tennis balls years ago.

I would go to my local laundry mat to clean my king size feather duvet; and it takes many quarters to dry it. I would take a book to read because it took so long to dry.

The third year I went to clean my duvet; a new gal was working there. She saw me put my mammoth duvet in the dryers and came out with a huge bucket of tennis balls. She said here throw these in with the duvet; itÂll save you time and money in drying.
(ÂShhh she said, we donÂt share this with everyone; but since we donÂt have any duvets out back to clean, and no one else is here I can share them with you this time.)

WOW what a difference, since the giant dryer had a glass door, you could see the difference the balls made; usually I read a book, I enjoyed watching the balls dance around the duvet instead, and it did cost me less and saved at least 1/3rd of the time.

On my way home I bought two containers of tennis balls. And when you start using them at first in the dryer they stink, so I put some sprinkles of essential oil on them and it worked better. I have also heard that tennis balls shouldnÂt be used in the dryer, because they shouldnÂt be in high heat, although I never experienced any problem, but I did get new sets of balls twice. I used them for about 3 to 4 years before the dryer balls.

When the dryer balls came out, I asked to demonstrate them as I knew the benefit already. I took home 2 packages liked them better then the tennis balls because of their nodules; they really did fluff the towels more. I donÂt like the Velcro dryer balls, I tried them once, as they can stick to some clothing, so I returned them for a refund.

And between the round and oval shape dryer balls, I use some of both, started selling when they were just round, now there is oval shape balls. The oval shapes are to be better in an HE dryer. Why? I am not sure Â..LOL, IÂve been told they donÂt bounce as much, and so are gentler on clothing just as HE machines are.

You don't have to take my word for it.

Here is a link that might be useful: KLTV 7

OH yea I just want to add, if your ball splits like Grainladys' did, then keep receipt and you should be able to get replacement.

I personally believe the balls split because of detergent chemicals mixed with high heats.

I have used my many balls for a long time with no problems.

I highly recommend the dryer balls -- I bought four of them yesterday and I can definitely tell the difference! My towels come out soft and fluffy like never before, and now a packed dryer load comes out perfectly dried and wrinkle-free even on low heat. I bought four because I didn't think two would have much impact -- each is slightly smaller than a tennis ball.

This is a great little invention which, for under $20, significantly improves the function of your dryer!

Thanks for the input. So, is the consensus that it would be advantageous to use more than two?

It'll be interesting to see how long they last. Two year lifespan? I would expect they should last longer than that, but we'll see.

FWIW, I've used them in a few loads now. Definitely not a 25%-50% decrease in time, but I think there could be some savings. I was thinking 10%-15% probably a more reasonable figure and I'll have to do some more testing but that looks like it could be about right. I should do a true test of them and see. I'll put it on my "to-do" list! :)

I haven't tried the dryer balls without fabric softener yet because the loads I've done come out perfect with the dryer balls AND fabric softener. I suppose it's worth a shot.

I have seen a noticeable increase in lint when using the dryer balls, undoubtedly due to the added friction.

I have used tennis ball for years. Long before it was "cool" to do so. Thirty years, to be exact.
They work IMO just as well as the fancy store dryer balls and cost a fraction of the price.
Before the tennis balls I used an old but clean tennis shoe. Worked well to but was very noisy.
Basically, anything will work.

The tennis balls I tried released a toxic smell. I recently saw information for a do-it-yourself dryer ball made from wool yarn.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Wool Dryer Balls

Mallwart...er, Walmart sells generic dryer balls for $4.97 a pair. They're not as soft as the Dryer Max pair I have though but I have 4 of the generics that I use and don't see any difference. Also, I haven't noticed any more lint than before with my use.

And I've somehow misplaced one of the dryer balls. I suppose it's in a drawer somewhere with some clothes.

Overall, I'm satisfied with them. I think they work better with some loads than others. Underwear, t-shirts, etc gain more benefit than jeans but it doesn't hurt to use them in all loads.

I'm intrigued. Do the tennis balls stain the clothing? I'd be worried about that fluorescent yellow or orange having an effect on the other fabrics.

Dear Cynic,

Those dryer brushes are certainly worth it. Using the Samurai Appliance Guru guide information for my dryer, I unplugged, pulled out, and dismantled my dryer in June. I had changed the bag in my Miele vacuum the day before. Well, I FILLED the new bag with just the lint from inside my dryer and the connector to the floor hole. My husband cleaned the vent under the house from the floor to the outside wall with a brush that attaches to his hand drill and his shop vac. This was lint inside the dryer that escaped past the lint filter that I clean every time I run the dryer. It took half a day, and it was worth the time and effort. What a fire hazard! I will do this at least every year from now on. I didn't measure the time it saved in drying clothes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ultimate Dryer Vent Guide

compumom - I got the plain old natural (no color) tennis balls to avoid any color transfer. They still made everything smell like rubber/laytex.... -Grainlady

There was a time when we threw the tennis shoes into the dryer and not the tennis balls. I've seen silicone ball looking objects also for the dryer (or are they for the washer) has anyone used these?