4 Best Wool Dryer Balls, According to Cleaning Experts
Plus, expert advice on how to use them.
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Wool dryer balls are tightly compressed wool balls that fluff garments, helping prevent clumping and speeding up drying by improving moisture evaporation. They’re ideal for those with sensitivities to fabric softeners or dryer sheets and offer an affordable, reusable alternative.
At the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Care and Cleaning Lab, we test thousands of cleaning products each year. To find the best wool dryer balls, we tested three brands in our own weekly laundry loads at home and consulted several of our own Lab experts to answer common questions. Below, our top recommendations and details on what to consider when buying drying balls.
Pros
- No signs of wear visible after over 200 loads
- Quieter tumbling than other brands we tested
Cons
- Less cost-effective than others
We used these dryer balls in our expert's home for several months in well over 200 loads of laundry, and these wool dryer balls from Grove Collaborative showed no changes in their structure, size or color. We tossed an old pillow in the dryer with this set of dryer balls and it fluffed the pillow right back to its original glory.
While they moved through the dryer the same way as all the other dryer balls we tested, we did find that these were less noisy. Grove Collaborative is a Certified B Corporation and makes many products our cleaning experts trust and use at home.
Take note that most brands recommend up to six dryer balls for very large loads and this set only includes three, so you'll need two boxes if you wash large loads and heavy bedding often. The brand claims that they can last for up to 1,000 loads of laundry before they need replacing.
| Material | New Zealand wool |
| Quantity | 3 |
| Made in | Nepal |
| Durability (according to manufacturer) | Up to 1,000 loads |
Pros
- Available in three-packs and six-packs
- Durability claims three times as high as other brands tested
Cons
- Yellowing after a few months of regular use
Though dryer ball prices did not vary significantly between brands, this set is the most cost-effective of our picks when purchased in a pack of six. We tested this set for several months in small and large loads at home and found that they held up well, though a few in the set did begin to show signs of yellowing much sooner than expected.
According to the manufacturer, these dryer balls can last for up to 3,000 loads before they need replacing — three times as long as most other brands' durability claims. While we haven't tested these long enough to prove this claim, we will continue to use them and update this story as we notice any other changes. For homes that only wash smaller loads, these dryer balls are available in a pack of three. That's enough to fluff up small loads.
| Material | New Zealand wool |
| Quantity | 3 or 6 |
| Made in | Nepal |
| Durability (according to manufacturer) | Over 3,000 loads |
Pros
- Machine washable, according to manufacturer
- Over 63,000 ratings on Amazon
Cons
- Some reviewers complained of sheep smell when first used
We'd be remiss to not include this set of six dryer balls from Smart Sheep with over 63,000 reviews on Amazon. The woman-owned brand based in the United States and Nepal employs women in Nepal to make the dryer balls and "work-at-home moms" in the States to inspect and package all of the orders.
We haven't tested this set in the Cleaning Lab yet, but thousands of reviewers swear by it. Like other wool dryer balls, these will not reduce static in laundry loads and some reviewers even mentioned it seemed like there was more static than usual when they used these.
Though you shouldn't need to wash them often, according to the manufacturer, these dryer balls are machine washable in hot water. Just make sure to dry them well in a regular dryer cycle after. Some reviewers online also claimed that washing them rids this set of any unpleasant sheep smell you may notice straight out of the box.
| Material | New Zealand wool |
| Quantity | 6 |
| Made in | Nepal |
| Durability (according to manufacturer) | Over 1,000 loads |
Pros
- Available in three different scents
- Cost-effective
Cons
- Obvious signs of wear after just a few dryer cycles
Zum's wool dryer ball kit is the only brand we tested that included a bottle of an essential oil blend with each set of dryer balls. The brand offers three unique scents that can be repurchased without having to purchase a new set of dryer balls, though you cannot purchase the dryer balls on their own.
We tried the sea salt and patchouli scents in the Cleaning Lab and found them to be pleasant and light, leaving a very subtle scent on loads of laundry. The sea salt aroma blend smelled more like citrus, but it was our favorite of the two scents tested.
After just a few cycles in the dryer, these dryer balls began showing signs of wear that others didn't, like indentations on the surface. This didn't seem to affect the dryer balls' ability to tumble around the dryer. And at just $13 for three dryer balls, it is also a cost-effective option, especially considering the aroma blend scent that is included with each set.
| Material | New Zealand wool |
| Quantity | 3 |
| Made in | Nepal |
| Durability (according to manufacturer) | Up to 669 loads |
How we chose the best wool dryer balls
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, we research, test and write about hundreds of cleaning appliances and cleaning and organizing products every year. During judging for our latest Cleaning and Organizing Awards we tested over 200 products in three months, recruiting other GH Institute experts and over 1,000 of our GH+ consumer testers to gather data. We've tested dozens of laundry detergents, the best stain removers and even a few laundry hampers.
To put together this round-up of the best wool dryer balls, we researched the dryer balls available from several online retailers, taking into account online product reviews, manufacturer claims and the cost of each product.
Over several months, we tested three brands in our laundry loads at home to assess the durability of the products. We also consulted with experts in our Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab and Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab to answer questions about the sustainability of wool dryer balls and how fiber type might (or might not) affect the quality of wool dryer balls.
What to look for when shopping
Most dryer balls should get the job done, regardless of the material they are made from, how much they cost or where they are made. But, this doesn't mean you can't keep a few things in mind when deciding which brand of dryer balls to purchase.
✔️ Material: Some dryer balls are made entirely from wool while others have a hard center that is wrapped in wool or another soft fabric. While this likely won't affect a dryer ball's ability to bounce around the dryer, it could produce more noise than a dryer ball constructed entirely from soft wool.
Many brands tout New Zealand wool as the best type of wool for dryer balls, but our Textiles, Paper and Apparel Lab Executive Director Lexie Sachs says this is not likely to make a difference in the quality of the balls. There are also plastic and rubber dryer balls that work the same way and will not unravel after a couple thousand loads like some wool dryer balls do.
✔️ Scent: If you're using wool dryer balls as a replacement for fabric softener or dryer sheets, you might miss the subtle scent these products leave behind on your laundry. Look for dryer ball sets that include a bottle of essential oil or consider buying your own favorite essential oils separately. Just a few drops on each ball before you drop them in the dryer should be enough.
✔️ Cost: Most brands recommend using up to six dryer balls for large loads of laundry or bedding, so if you find yourself drying large loads often, buy a larger set of dryer balls. For the most part, you'll find options that cost between $10 to $25 for three to six dryer balls.
Are wool dryer balls worth it?
Wool dryer balls are worth it for those who have sensitivities to ingredients in dryer sheets and fabric softeners or simply want to remove ingredient-packed products from their laundry routine. You'll also cut down on the number of laundry products you regularly need to purchase.
Most manufacturers of wool dryer balls claim that they can be reused in over 1,000 loads of laundry, so you likely won't have to repurchase dryer balls for years, reducing the amount of waste that is produced by your laundry routine. It is a great way to simplify your routine and reduce the likelihood of overusing laundry products.
It is important to keep in mind that while dryer balls can fluff up garments and help keep garments separated during a dry cycle, they do not have the fabric softening ingredients dryer sheets and fabric softeners have, so garments will not come out of the dryer feeling as soft. They do fluff up garments which makes them feel softer than using nothing at all.
Additionally, any reduction in drying times noticed when using dryer balls is due to the physical action of keeping items separated to allow for better airflow. But drying time reduction is likely negligible, so don't expect to see much impact on your electric or gas bill. Note that this means that any claims that these spherical laundry tools make laundry day more sustainable through a reduction of energy consumption are likely not significant either. In fact, the benefits of using a reusable item versus a one-time use item will outweigh any other purported environmental benefits made by wool dryer ball manufacturers.
Less wrinkled clothing might also be a byproduct of dryer balls' ability to separate garments while they tumble in a dry cycle, but they do not eliminate wrinkles completely nor do they totally eliminate static.
How to clean wool dryer balls
You shouldn’t have to clean your wool dryer balls often, but if you start to notice bits of fabric and other debris caught in the material, use a lint roller or a fabric shaver to remove the debris on the surface.
For a deeper clean, check with the dryer ball manufacturer for the best cleaning method. Some brands don't recommend washing wool dryer balls in the washing machine (or at all), while others specifically recommend this method. It’s best to stick with their suggestions to avoid having your wool dryer balls unravel before their time. If your dryer balls have shrunk significantly, are unraveling or are otherwise looking worse for wear, it is probably time to buy a new set.
Can I use tennis balls as dryer balls?
Tennis balls can provide some of the same benefits of wool dryer balls, like separating garments and fluffing up fabrics, but we don't recommend using them in place of dryer balls. Tennis balls will cause significantly more noise as they bounce around your dryer's interior and can be made from rubber or other materials that can produce funky smells as they're heated. Plus, if the tennis balls are not colorfast, their color could transfer to your freshly washed laundry. It's best to use products for their manufacturer's intended use, so keep the tennis balls on the court and out of the laundry room.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Jodhaira Rodriguez has been researching, testing and writing for the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Care and Cleaning Lab since 2021. For this story, she consulted with experts across various Labs in the Good Housekeeping Institute to find the most accurate and relevant information about wool dryer balls. She also tested three of the wool dryer ball sets in this story and spent several hours reading through consumer reviews online.
From 2021 to 2023, Jodhaira (she/her) was a product reviews analyst in the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Home Care & Cleaning Lab, where she tested and wrote about home appliances, cleaning products and cleaning tips. Prior to joining GH, she graduated from Hofstra University with a bachelor’s degree in forensic science and spent two years as an analyst in an environmental lab in Queens.
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