I first started looking into dryer sheet alternatives because I didn't like how wasteful conventional dryer sheets were. Finding greener more environmentally friendly things for my home was my mission and I was also staying away from heavily scented things because my sinuses were going haywire.
I tried going without anything but I didn't like how my laundry was turning out. I tried making a natural fabric softener solution but it was messy, time consuming, and didn't really work.
And then I found Wool Dryer balls and Essential oils.
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I love my wool dryer balls...
With these babies you can personalize your laundry's scent, and reuse them over and over again. You also have the benefits of reduced drying time, less static, a decrease in lint, and reduced wrinkles.
These Wool Balls come in black, white, and grey (and maybe more colors now). Supposedly you use black with dark's and white with white's, but because I'm honest I'll tell you that I don't separate and wash my laundry that way. I separate clothing from towel and bedding and further separate the clothing if there are special washing instructions (like hang dry or delicate wash). Otherwise I wash everything together (I also don't own a lot of white so that might play a part). I bought the grey balls because figured it didn't really matter what color I got - and I have yet to find any grey wool on my white laundry so I think I'm safe.
The wool balls are easy to use, just keep a few in your dryer and refresh with essential oils every few loads. I use 1-3 drops of oil per ball and re-apply every 4-6 loads. I read using as little as 3 balls per load but I don't see the harm in having all 8 in the dryer (the ones I bought came in an 8 pack- yours might be different).
When the laundry is done drying I like to grab a handful of it and shake it before putting it in my laundry basket, that way the wool balls fall back into the dryer and don't follow the laundry out of the laundry room, though I have had a rogue wool ball suck in a pant leg before.
And I can change the scent whenever I want.
When you first apply the essential oils you get a strong scent. After running through the dryer the scent is a lot softer. That does not mean you need more essential oil! I thought this at first and used a whole bottle of lavender oil in a week. While I was waiting on a new bottle of lavender I didn't apply any new oil to the wool balls and I still had a soft lavender scent for at least a half a dozen uses.
I've found the scent is subtle until you wear the clothing and even more so if you sweat or work out in it. I washed and dried my boyfriends work shirt one day and later in the week he commented on how he didn't notice the scent at first but when he started working not only did he noticed it but his coworker commented on it as well. Apparently they both liked the combo of Orange and Cedarwood.
Some of my favorite scents to create are; Orange and Cedarwood (for clothing), Lemon and Lavender (for bedding), or Theives (when I want it extra clean).
Check out these dryer balls and for oils check out my oil page to find out more.
Have you used wool dryers balls and essential oils before? If so, what was your favorite oil combo to use?
