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Unfortunately the dryer balls are made of pvc- making them a pretty UN-green choice. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/09/nellie_dryer_balls.php

On one hand the dryer balls last a lot longer than regular dryer sheets...and they do work. We picked up a pair from Gaiam over 3 years ago and we haven't had a static problem. The greenest choice would of course be to hang our clothes to dry, and vinegar can count working as a fabric softener amongst its many uses, so if you want soft, but aren't worried about static, use some vinegar!

I also just followed sillahee's link...and I read the zillion comments posted by treehugger readers. End result, I am now considering mailing my dryer balls back to Gaiam. Humph.

Personally, I use vinegar in the rinse cycle and then I use a 1/4 teaspoon Seventh Gen. fabric softener on an old washcloth in the dryer (I cannot hang dry my clothes where I live). This process works beautifully for me. No static. No weird smells. No harmful chemicals.

Why not skip the dryer balls and just stick with the tennis balls? What do the dryer balls do differently?

WOOO people are using fabric softener on there towels??

Does anyone realize how much fabric softener affects absorbency of the towels? and the stuff thats in them *shudders* plus it leaves a horrible residue on everything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabric_softener

Go free, go without softener, learn to enjoy the feeling of a little roughness.

Speaking of being green, i've officially switched to hang drying as much of my weekly load of laundry as possible... on a regular $10 wooden drying rack from Kmart. I do laundry in the morning, pull it out, stick as much of it on the rack as possible, and put the whole thing in the bathtub out of the way. By nighttime its usually dry, and i can fold laundry while i watch some primetime tv.

The handful of stuff that doesn't fit on the rack goes in the dryer, as does stuff that needs to be "shrunk" a little from being stretched out during wearing.

I figure i'm saving some money and a bit of the earth, since dryers are NOTORIOUSLY energy inefficient.

People who think they don't have "room" to hang dry clothing...invest in a folding dowel clothes dryer. We used them all my life, and they aren't as fresh as hanging outside, but they are still a step up from a machine. This is also a really good option for people used to hanging clothes outside who have to stop in the winter.

I have a HUGE lint problem. I've not been using dryer sheets in a while, tried baking soda in the wash, and still get MASSIVE lint stuck to black clothes. indoor natural drying doesn't work either. Once It gets above freezing my laundry will go outside, but until then, any suggestions??

I have searched (for months) for an alternative to dryer sheets. The dryer balls are made of pvc. So, they got a ding for bad raw materials and possible transfer of pvc to my clothes. I tried to go liquid-softner and fabric sheet free. Too much static. Vinegar - too stinky (was I using too much?). I finally decided on Ecover fabric softner (available at Whole Foods). It's plant based so it appears to be less toxic. Anyone know about their manufacturing processes? I am not absolutely sold on the "feel" of my clothes after using it but I could live with it if the product is truly green. Thx.

Tennis Balls leave an AWFUL smell! I tried them on my mattress pad which always takes forever to dry & the 'cooked rubber' smell lingers!!!
Method makes a fabric softener free from animal biproducts..
Thank-you to -akbuilt- I'm going to try it!

I heard somewhere that you can put a little bit of reused tin foil in the dryer to combat static. Anyone heard about this? Does this create a bit of a sparky reaction in the dryer? Is this a fire hazard?

We have not used fabric softener or balls in the drier for 10 years. We hang dry all our laundry outside in summer. In winter we hang dry certain items inside. We have a rack, but we usually just drape things over a dining chair near a heat source (things like fleece sweatshirts, delicates, anything synthetic, anything we want to keep nice and things we know will dry fast in the air). Cottons, ie jeans, towels, t-shirts... go in the dryer. The cottons on their own do not get static-y. The odd time we accidentally put in something synthetic, we have static like crazy, but never with just cotton. Plus, we have relatively dry air in our house, and the drying clothes help humidify a bit.

Why does everyone want to combat static electricity so much? So what if your clothes are a little static-y?

thank you cheapo, ill try separating my synthetics from my cottons. Unfortunately I live in Canada, so wholefoods is a little out of my reach for products. The tin foil idea worries me a little, id love to hear if anyone else has used it?

joebelt, I dont care much about the static... its the lint! Most of my black clothes look really linty. It doesnt help that I have cats too!

Hollie, we live in Canada too (Halifax, where it is always damp)

Make sure you separate your darks, even for drying. Dark clothes mixed with lights in the dryer (especially light towels for some reason) makes more noticable lint.

Why are you guys so concerned about lint too???

no problem, JetSet. I have tried loads of different products and tricks and the vinegar and washcloth as a dryer sheet works the best for us.

P.S. I use a really old and ugly hot pink washcloth. It helps me pick it out of the dry laundry at a glance.

How much vinegar? Doesn't it stick up the clothes?

An old downy ball, to the line with vinegar, is all I've ever needed to soften a load of laundry, even with our very hard water. I'm tempted to use something like dryer balls to shorten drying time, though.

I agree with mikaya!

Drying is especially useful if you have radiant heat.

All this talk about fabric softeners and static is driving me crazy. I've used foil in my dryer for the past 3 years, and I've never had a problem with it. My clothes are softer, odorless, and not an errant electron anywhere. And for you ladies, it doesn't shrink nylons. Try it once, and you'll love it. Like the saying goes, once you go foil, you will never toil. Have a happy day.

Well, who knew that tennis balls can really have so many uses?

I have a tennis ball like this and I play with my kid every day. He is so happy.