Dryer Balls - What are they?!

I know I have a lot of questions on drying - first, of course the *most* ecofriendly thing to do would be air dry everything. Since we all can't do that (and its slightly cold outside right now, anyway, right?), the next best thing would be lessening our drying time.
There's a few ways to do this - you could ....
1- Dry till damp and then airdry.
2- Make sure you spin your clothes as efficiently as possible so they dry faster.
3- Get a few dryer balls!


What are dryer balls, you ask?
Well, they are NOT a toy for your toddler .... although even my toddler thinks they're fabulous when they fall out of the dryer. And my dog thinks they're fabulous too, for that matter. So if you end up hating your dryer balls, you have plenty of options for gifts next Christmas!

They're designed to reduce drying time and soften fabrics without using chemical laden fabric softeners or dryer sheets. They lift and seperate fabric to make your laundry soft and fluffy, and allow air to flow more efficiently in your dryer.

I have to say, I got 2 dryer balls and didn't see much of a difference (besides what sounded like a basketball game in my dryer??) Then, I got two more and I saw a HUGE difference - especially with cloth diapers that take FOREvER to dry!

Now, there are different types of dryer balls - for ecofriendly reasons, I recommend wool dryer balls. They can be made absolutely beautifully and there are some super talented work at home moms who make these. You can also make your own with this tutorial: Goodmama Wool Dryer Ball Tutorial. I have wool dryer balls from BuddhaBunz and Tina'sEtsyShop - both of which are fabulous :)