Raleigh Laundromat: Make Your Own Dryer Balls!
Hello! In our last post we talked a bit about dryer balls. Dryer balls are usually made of wool and are great dryer sheet alternatives. They’re all-natural and help cut drying time, as well. Today, we are going to offer a DIY way to make dryer balls!
You Will Need | Raleigh Laundromat
- Blunt-tipped needle or crochet hook
- Pantyhose
- Scissors
- Skein of 100% wool yarn (NOT wool labeled “superwash” or “machine washable”)
- String or cotton/acrylic yarn (to secure the wool ball in the pantyhose)
To Make:
- Begin wrapping your wool yarn around your first two fingers about 10 times.
- Pinch the bundle of yarn in the middle and pull off your fingers. Wrap more yarn around the middle of this bundle.
- Wrap yarn around the entire bundle until you have the beginnings of a ball.
- Continue wrapping tightly until your ball is the desired size. (I make mine softball-sized to help cut drying time more, but tennis ball or baseball-sized will help save money on yarn.)
- Use a blunt-tipped yarn needle or crochet hook to tuck the end of the thread under several layers of yarn. Pull it through and cut the end.
- Repeat these steps with more yarn until you have 4-6 balls.
- Cut the leg off an old pair of pantyhose. Put balls into the toe of the pantyhose, tying tightly in between each one with string, or cotton/acrylic yarn. (Just don’t use wool yarn or it will felt around the pantyhose.) Tie off the end. Take a few minutes to play with your yarn ball caterpillar if you like.
To Felt Dryer Balls
- Throw the entire yarn caterpillar into the wash with towels (or a load of jeans if you used brightly colored yarn).
- Wash in a hot wash cycle with a cold water rinse cycle. Dry your yarn caterpillar with your laundry using the hottest dryer setting.
- Remove balls from pantyhose and check for felting. Some types of wool yarn will not felt well on the first try. You may need to repeat the washing and drying cycles up to 3 or 4 times. You’ll know felting has occurred when you can gently scrape your fingernail over the ball and strands do not separate.
These dryer balls are easy to make and great to use at home or give away as gifts! If you’d like, you can invest in a good quality essential oil to add fragrance to the dryer balls! As long as you use a good quality oil, you won’t have to worry about oil stains on your clothing!
For more laundry tips be sure to visit back with our blog soon! We have tons of laundry tricks to help you keep your laundry stresses at bay! If you’re running yourself ragged, trying to keep up with all the extra laundry, also be sure to check out our Raleigh Laundromat! We offer state of the art machines for washing and drying. We also offer laundry services that include dry cleaning, wash-dry-fold, and stain removal! Don’t fall behind on laundry when we are here to help! Visit us soon!
