Dryer Balls?

Dryer Balls: An Update

I had an opportunity to wash some MF towels yesterday. The process was 4oz of Charlie's Soap Laundry Detergent, three Downy Balls filled with White Vinegar. Hot wash, one rinse, and the towels came out slightly damp. Into the dryer on low for about 10mins with 4 of the balls.

Results: Inconclusive. The towels feel soft, but I can't really tell if the balls made a significant difference. I will be re-using the same towels and doing a split wash, 1/2 dried with the balls, 1/2 not. Hopefully the next test will see a difference.
 
Re: Dryer Balls: An Update

RCBuddha said:
I had an opportunity to wash some MF towels yesterday. The process was 4oz of Charlie's Soap Laundry Detergent, three Downy Balls filled with White Vinegar. ...
Click to expand...
Curios as to the size of load this was. Do you normally use 4x the recommended amount of soap? And never having looked at the Downy balls, about how much vinegar do 3 hold?
 
Re: Dryer Balls: An Update

Mr. Clean said:
Curios as to the size of load this was. Do you normally use 4x the recommended amount of soap? And never having looked at the Downy balls, about how much vinegar do 3 hold?
Click to expand...

The load was for a top-loading washer, I filled it up about 3/4 of the way. I used more soap then usual because of the level of dirt that these MF had. The downy ball holds about 3/4 a cup of Vinegar each (give or take).

I've spent a few months playing around with the # of downy balls, and three seems to provide the best results for the water that I wash my towels in.
 
Thanks for the specifics. Based on my washer, I'm guessing you had @ 40+ towels (assuming 16"x16"). I've never used either soap or vinegar at those strengths. What benefits does almost 2 cups of vinegar yield over say 1/2 cup or even 1 cup, or are you using that much based on the amount of soap used? I am aware that Charlie's promotes their soaps as free rinsing and have some testing to back up the claim (IIRC).
 
Mr. Clean said:
Thanks for the specifics. Based on my washer, I'm guessing you had @ 40+ towels (assuming 16"x16"). I've never used either soap or vinegar at those strengths. What benefits does almost 2 cups of vinegar yield over say 1/2 cup or even 1 cup, or are you using that much based on the amount of soap used? I am aware that Charlie's promotes their soaps as free rinsing and have some testing to back up the claim (IIRC).
Click to expand...

Yup, I was washing 16x16 towels. I'm not sure of the exact amount, but it was probably around 30-40 towels.

I had read (this thread: http://autopia.org/forum/detailing-product-discussion/75237-want-softer-mfs-like-much-softer.html) that adding more vinegar may increase the softness, so I started at 1/4 cup of vinegar, and kept adding till I found a nice, seemingly consistent result. This was over about 25-30 washes and I'm still playing around with vinegar amounts. I vary the amount of soap depending on how dirty the towels are, and how long they've been sitting dirty.

Unfortunately, this approach isn't the most scientific, so what I may do is to try this on a brand new batch of towels, using the same amount of soap and vinegar each wash. Split the group into two, ones that get dried like normal, and ones that get the balls.
 
After some thought, I think I might wash the towels sans vinegar. Split the load into two, and dry one w/ the balls and one w/o. Then see which one comes out softer. Hmmm...
 
I remember that thread, but hadn't kept up with it past the first page, thanks for the reminder. So, you have been using the extra vinegar for a while now. The "tipping" (ie. noticeable tactile) amount of vinegar is 2+ cups? I can't remember going beyond a 1/2 cup since I have primarily viewed the softness imparted from the use of vinegar coming from the complete release of soap residues. I think I'll revisit and try this.

On the dryer ball front, I have found a perceived marginal improvement in drying time (no time results comparisons) and no perceived softness while using for towels (bath and mf) and jeans (denim) over the last @ 6-9 mo.
 
Mr. Clean said:
I remember that thread, but hadn't kept up with it past the first page, thanks for the reminder. So, you have been using the extra vinegar for a while now. The "tipping" (ie. noticeable tactile) amount of vinegar is 2+ cups? I can't remember going beyond a 1/2 cup since I have primarily viewed the softness imparted from the use of vinegar coming from the complete release of soap residues. I think I'll revisit and try this.
Click to expand...

Truthfully, my tests have never followed the scientific method, which is why I'm still testing out the vinegar amount/wash. I *have* noticed that my towels *seem* to feel softer with more vinegar. One variable that I cannot control is the amount of residue that is in the washer already (I use a laundermat). I suppose I could run a load of just charlie's soap to clean it, but shelling out another $1.50 doesn't appeal to me. My sincere hope is that I haven't polluted my towels with left over downy residue from other people.

The other variable that is hard to reproduce is the amount of "dirtiness" that the towels have. It seems like some loads will have more than others. Sometimes I feel like this is all a bunch of voodoo science, lol...
 
RCBuddha said:
.... One variable that I cannot control is the amount of residue that is in the washer already (I use a laundermat). I suppose I could run a load of just charlie's soap to clean it, but shelling out another $1.50 doesn't appeal to me. My sincere hope is that I haven't polluted my towels with left over downy residue from other people. ...
Click to expand...
Aha, a variable, I haven't been faced with or required to consider.

I do use a local laundermat for washing oversized comforters, etc. I've noticed that those larger front-loading machines have what appears to be a stainless steel drum. Perhaps those would be less likely to retain residue?

Keep us posted on your testing and results.
 
Update

I've done four more washes of my towels; all using 2oz of Charlie's Soap and three downy balls of vinegar. As a comparison, I split each load to towels that got dried with the balls, and ones that did not. I've found that the balls do seem to cut down on the static cling.

I will be now testing the effectiveness of adding more than two balls, to see if I can improve on the results.
 
im proud to say i have blue balls!!!! and there greatnonono not those kind!!!! thoses suck. anyway the dryer balls are great for the mocrofiber towels dryes them nice and leaves then really soft
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top