In the market of today’s technology, many gizmos and products claim they are going to change our lives forever. They make lavish claims that they will also make our lives easier and save time. In most cases that have not been the case.
Most of the time the product companies were misleading or sometimes downright lying. In this infatuated market of everyone trying to make a profit, is one small little innovation that actually saves time and money. That product is the dryer balls.
Dryer balls are an extraordinary line of simple yet effective products that reduce the time for drying clothes by going inside in the load while washing. The mechanism is so simple yet fascinating that it works.
However, it is not a magical item that is going to last forever. Therefore, let us go through the nuances of the product itself and find out if they also wear out as well as find out how long they last.
Do dryer balls wear out?
If we are looking at a commercial place, where people come every day to use the washer along with the dryer balls only then you will see that the dryer balls are starting to wear down. Which is still 2-4 years later. Otherwise, we do not need to worry about dryer balls wearing out any time soon.
Dryer balls can come in different materials, some are made from plastics. While the other ones are made from authentic wool. The popular one is wool due to how efficient they are.
However, different material means different wear and tear with time. So, if you are curious as to which one of them last longer. Then just keep reading and you will find out.
Plastic Dryer Balls:
Dryer balls are popular products, but sometimes the generally preferred wool dryer balls are avoided by people that are vegans. They would want to use something that has no animal involved.
Therefore, plastic dryer balls are not environmentally friendly but it is still an option that we can use. They can last up to 2-4 years at max. Therefore, they can be an optimal choice for use along with the laundry.
Wool Dryer Balls:
This particular dryer ball is more popular among all the known dryer balls out there. They make so many different variants but this one is the most popular among them all.
Surprisingly the wool dryer balls actually last as long as the plastic balls and sometimes even longer amounting to 2-5 years. Not just that, they are also biodegradable. That means they are environmentally friendly as well.
How long do dryer balls last?
Dryer balls are a unique product that has a lot of value from the first purchase. The product will save you time and headaches when it comes to drying laundry. The value comes from something else entirely as well.
The product we know can last at least 1,000 loads of laundry. We can roughly say that this amounts to around 2 to 3 years. That is more than enough for the money we get to spend on them.
Sometimes they might pile up clothes, but they will not stop with the softening and quick drying process. That is why dryer balls are great value for money products. There are not many products on the market quite like these.
When should you replace dryer balls?
Dryer balls are the saving grace we need when it comes to drying our clothes. The product itself does not do much rather than go along with our laundry and there is where it starts its magic. We know that these guys do not usually wear down as easily as other products.
Due to them being non-machinery products, the life expectancy of one particular product is much more than one might think. They can last up to 2-4 years in total. Sometimes people might forget to change after that long time of use.
However, it is necessary that we change them out when they start showing signs of wear. Usually switching them after 2-3 years is the best course of action. This product is a great alternative to toxic chemical-filled dryer sheets.
3 reasons why dryer balls wear out
Dryer balls are a product that is known to many as an amazing alternative to almost anything on the market that advertises a faster drying process for your laundry.
They are exceptional and fairly priced. However, here are some of the reasons why they can wear out on you.
Due to Heat:
Dryer balls can come in different materials. The most popular among the bunch is the wool-based dryer balls. These dryer balls will last almost forever and surprisingly they last almost as long as the plastic ones.
However, heat’s one of the major issues. In a prolonged period of time, the wool fibers will start to loosen up and soon deteriorate from the outside. Therefore, heat can be a major factor in wearing out the balls.
Due to Tumbling:
The process by which the dryer balls allow there to be air pockets inside the clothes and make them tumble in the dry washer is an arduous process for the dryer balls.
Each time they are thrown along with your laundry they are tumbling and going through heat and stress. This is why it’s another reason for the dryer balls to wear out.
Due to Regular Use:
Dryer balls are just susceptible to wearing out in time due to how they are used.
They do not need any repairs, batteries, or charging. All we need to do sometimes is just clean them with some hot water and lightly rub them to recharge them.
How do I know when to replace my dryer balls?
We know how much of a great money-saving product the dryer balls already are. They offer so much value for the service they give us.
However, just like everything else for us consumers, there will come a time when we will need to change the balls and replace them with new ones.
We just have to keep in mind that that will happen in a long time. Therefore, we at least have a long time of not needing to worry about replacing them. Here are two of the first indications for wear on the dryer balls that will need replacing.
Loose Felt:
If we are using the eco-friendly dryer balls then after prolonged use and exposure to heat as well as moisture continuously will wear down the product.
The felt will start to loosen up and that should be your queue to replace them.
Larger and Softer:
Another telltale sign for replacing your dryer balls is if you notice that the balls are getting larger and softer than they originally were. This process will eventually lead to a complete unraveling of the ball.
How do you rejuvenate a dryer ball?
People talk about recharging or rejuvenating a dryer ball. All they mean by that is making the dryer balls functional again and washing them. The process is quite simple as well, if you care to know about it then keep reading below.
Run in hot water:
Before starting anything, we need to first take the wool dryer balls or plastic dryer balls, whichever from the clothes and the washer. Then we need to run them in hot water and gently care for them.
This process will clean the balls of lint and fiber buildup that it has got from the continuous washing over the months.
Dry the dryer balls:
In this step, we just need to dry the balls and run them through a clothes dryer with some heat. We can do this with a full load of laundry or we can do this with the balls alone, it is just a matter of choice.
This will make the drying process of the load slower, do keep that in mind. This is because the dryer balls are going to be waterlogged
Let it cure fully:
After the above two steps we can finally go around and use the dryer balls again as they are recharged now. We can just use them as we used before and throw them inside the laundry before starting the cycle.
Final Thoughts
The dryer balls wear out. This is however a long lengthy process and will not happen before 2-3 years. The dryer balls can go a long mile before starting to wear out that is why it is easy to forget about replacing them. The dryer balls can last from 2-to 5 years at a maximum.