While we all like having clean clothes, typical laundry products are often loaded with harsh chemicals and allergens. These chemicals can harm our skin, respiratory systems, and, in some cases, our nervous systems. Being forced to deal with an increase in the intensity of a variety of illnesses, such as eczema and headaches, is never fun. Furthermore, many of the standard laundry items we use contain wasteful plastic, which contributes to our household's carbon footprint. Not just those of us with sensitive skin are concerned about discovering new and better ways to clean our laundry.
As a result, many people are looking for alternative cleaning methods. Many of us are turning to wool dryer balls as an environmentally friendly alternative to using laundry room products filled with harsh chemicals. Dryer balls have several advantages, like naturally shortening drying time, smoothing clothes, eliminating static electricity, and saving us money. In addition, dryer balls take up less space than other products such as dryer sheets, which means we can keep our laundry room neater and more organized. These eco-friendly dryer balls enable us to care for ourselves, our clothing, and the environment all at the same time. It's always good when we can find a win-win-win situation.
The issue is that many of us experience a lot of static in our clothing during the winter. This can be a pain for us. This means that when choosing a laundry product, we want to make sure it will help reduce static in our laundry. Otherwise, we might be tempted to reach for another product that is not eco-friendly. This is why we will be glad to hear that reusable dryer balls are known to help reduce static. This means we can safely avoid dryer sheets filled with harsh chemicals and switch to dryer balls instead.
What Exactly Is Static?
Nobody likes to cope with the unpleasant sensation of having to remove static-charged clothes or apparel that shocks our skin. Static electricity arises when an electrostatic charge develops in materials, most commonly when clothes rub against one another in the dryer. Therefore, it is important to know whether wool dryer balls can reduce static, especially during the colder, drier months.
How Do Dryer Balls Prevent Static?
Friction causes static electricity. Over-drying our clothes causes extra friction between already-dry items, resulting in static electricity. The answer to this problem is to ensure that our dryer is not operating for an excessive amount of time. Since dryer balls help reduce the amount of time it takes to dry items, they help reduce the static electricity that is produced. In addition, dryer balls help keep our dryers more humid, which helps to decrease static.
In order to prevent over-drying, it is also important that we are aware of what items we are drying together. If we mix heavy jeans with light t-shirts, the dryer will have to remain running to dry the heavy jeans while the t-shirts are already done, resulting in staticky t-shirts. To avoid static electricity, we should avoid combining light and heavy materials. By doing a bit of sorting before we throw our clothing in the dryer, we will be able to have our clothing nice and dry without having to struggle with static.
What If We Still Struggle With Static?
If our dryer balls were functioning normally but suddenly produced more static than usual, they may need to be recharged. To do so, put them in a thin sock and wash them in the washing machine on hot. Then, put everything in the dryer on high heat. Dryer sheets can be replaced with wool dryer balls. Wool balls absorb moisture from damp garments in the dryer. As a result, wool balls increase the humidity in the dryer and prevent static electricity. Wool balls also aid in reducing drying time and fluffing clothing. When clothes are over-dried, wool balls lose their ability to reduce static cling.
In case our trusty dryer balls are not enough, for example, because we are drying a load full of synthetic fibers or live in a very dry climate, there are several other eco-friendly ways to minimize static cling and maximize softness. We can try adding two aluminum foil balls to the dryer or securing two safety pins to two dryer balls. The metal will help reduce static cling. We can also try using white distilled vinegar when we wash our clothing in our washing machine. This will reduce static cling and add softness to your clothes.
