Talked to a guy at the hardware store about wool dryer balls and it flipped my thinking

So I ran into this older fella at Ace Hardware last Saturday near the checkout. He saw me grab a box of Bounce sheets and said "you know those cost you about 20 cents each over a year right?" Then he pointed me to a bag of wool dryer balls for $12. I figured he was just trying to sell me something but he explained how the sheets leave a waxy coating on your clothes that makes them less absorbent over time. He said he's been using the same set of balls for 4 years now. I bought a pack of 6 and after 3 weeks I noticed my towels actually feel fluffier and I'm not buying dryer sheets every month. Saved maybe $8 so far but the real win is no more static cling with my synthetic shirts. Anyone else switch from sheets to balls and notice a difference with lint buildup?

3 comments

3 Comments

sagep199d ago

Huh, my experience has been totally the opposite with static...

wrenh659d ago

Gotta disagree here honestly. I tried wool balls for 6 months and went right back to sheets. Static cling was way worse with the balls, especially in winter when the air is dry. My synthetic shirts came out sticking to everything. Plus the balls got all matted and gross after a few months and didn't bounce as good. You're probably just noticing the new thing effect with your towels. Just my two cents but I think sheets get a bad rap for no real reason. Sure they cost a bit more but they work way better for me.

the_lucas9d ago

Yeah, the 'new thing effect' is real, I'm guilty of that myself. I bought a whole set of those wool balls thinking I was saving the planet, and then my hoodies came out of the dryer with enough static to power a small city. @wrenh65, you're probably right that sheets don't deserve all the hate they get, they've been working for decades for a reason. My wool balls got matted up too, basically turned into felted rocks that just thumped around in there. Guess I'm just one of those people who falls for the new thing every time, huh?