What's wrong with my balls?

abby8279

I was very excited to buy some wool dryer balls yesterday.  I tried them out today and sadly I found that they did not reduce my drying time nor did they make my diapers less stiff.  Defeating the 2 main reasons we bought them.  I contacted the store I bought them from and they will not return them and suggested that I give them more time.  If they didn't work the first try, can anything be gained by sticking with them.  Is there a "breaking in" period and maybe they will work better over time?  Or did I just get some lame balls and now I am stuck with not being able to return them?

stoneycakes

I didn't find that they made much of a difference either.  I don't use mine anymore.

abby8279

Chickypoo2468 said:

And are your diapers stiff coming out of the dryer?

I bought a pack of 3 balls and used all of them.  They are the size of a tennis ball.  On the box and on the makers website they suggest 2-3 balls for a large load.  My diapers are coming out of the dryer a little stiff.  I don't know how much stiffness is normal as I use fabric softener for all the rest of our non-CD laundry.

abby8279

Chickypoo2468 said:

Stiffness is not normal at all. With or without dryer balls.

What am I doing wrong?  Wash routine?  Detergent?  Mineral build-up?

abby8279

We do have hard water.  I have been experimenting lately with Calgon and switching detergents due to stiffness and stinkies.  I have noticed some improvement in the softness lately.  I thought the balls would help even more.  Maybe back to the drawing board on the routine.  Does Washing Soda strip minerals as well as RLR?

abby8279

LLOL!

jcwinsto

What kind of detergent are you using? Seems like powdered Tide is the detergent of choice around here for hard water. Yes, washing soda should essentially do the same thing as RLR. You can also add it to each wash with your detergent to soften the water but you want to find just the right amount because it's said that excess washing soda will wear on the dipes.

freezorburn

According to this article, washing soda is a good water conditioner but minerals can redeposit on fabric if not rinsed out well. Calgon binds the minerals in a way that prevents redepositing. I think RLR is more similar to Calgon in this regard.

unaveragejane

Also, I'm not sure how much of your stash is bamboo, but I just found out recently that after a while the fibers will "settle" and be less soft.

abby8279

Thanks everyone!

ktpaladino

This post makes me giggle. Balls.