Honestly I don't remember when I bought these balls. I remember buying them because I bought them off of a clearance shelf because the box was damaged. I remember putting the crushed box on my dryer. Then I remember seeing my dog walking around with one her mouth. Since the box was damaged the wobbling of the washer next to the dryer must have moved just enough for the ball to work its way out of the box. Then I remember picking up the ball and hiding it from my dog. I think it was sever months before I actually tried one of the balls in my dryer. The box I bought had two of them. The use of these SourcingMap Fabric Softener Dryer Balls could not be easier. You just simply toss them in to the dryer with your clothes. The balls bounce around and soften the clothes. The balls are light in weight and are all spiked. For my husband's work pants and work shirts they did a pretty decent job with keeping the wrinkles out. However with the black clothes made out of cotton they didn't do much for helping to get the dog hair off. I also enjoy a nice scent on clean clothes and there was pretty much no scent on the clothes at all after using these balls. I think these might work well for someone with sensitive skin who can't handle a lot of irritants that fabric softener liquid or sheets might leave. They worked mostly fine, but since they are too tempting to my dog, and since I can buy a box of fabric softener sheets for a buck, I doubt I will be buying these again. Performance They worked OK as far as getting wrinkles out, but dog hair was not budged at all. Scent Pretty much not scent on clothes at all.

ladym33

Crystal Lake, IL

I have been using the dryer balls since they first came into stores in our area, years ago. They stop static cling, have no harsh scents to irritate skin. They are still going strong, I have never taken them out of my dryer. If you feel the need to cover your body odor with perfumes and dyes, skip this product. If you want dry, neutral clothes that are not stuck together every time, buy them. the added bonus for me is that when I hear them stop circulating in the dryer(my dryer is in my basement), I know that load is done if I did not hear the buzzer! Scent scent free

pickie98

Bay City, MI

like everyone else in america, i've always bought dryer sheets to throw in my dryer with the clean laundry.  then i read some information about the chemicals used in dryer sheets and after some research, concluded that they probably aren't very safe to use.  they may smell nice but i don't want to endanger my family's health.  so i bought some dryer balls because they are supposed to help soften fabric and reduce static.  i haven't bought a box of dryer sheets since!  they do make a bit of noise rumbling around in the dryer, but mine is downstairs so that's not usually a problem.  they definitely do the job on softening fabric, for sure!  i have learned from experience, though, that they don't solve the static problem.  so i just hang up any fleece clothes or anything that i find creates static in my dryer.  not too big a deal really since we just have fleece pj's.  these save me a lot of money in dryer sheets, save my family's health, and reduce waste.

rocknrollmomma06

Knoxville, TN

In trying to save money (who doesn't these days?) I thought a pair of dryer balls would do the trick.  I got the cheaper ones since I didn't see much difference in the looks of the more expensive ones.  Just tossed them in the dryer (no brainer, I thought) with a load and was impressed that the items were soft and not wrinkled.  I took them out right away but found if I leave the load in too long they get wrinkled.  Also I don't dry them too long either- the balls claimed to shorten drying time and they do.  I recently purchased a front-leading washer and use just a hint of soap so to end buying dryer sheets or liquid softner is a plus.  I hang laundry outside in the summer so I do miss (a little) the smell of softners.  There is none with the balls.  I have heard that using 4 instead of 2 makes a difference too.  Long story short I like them enough to keep using them and just might buy another package to see how 4 do.  If you dry your items too long they still have static--just like your hair if it is too dry.  :)

dogwalker50

Palmyra, NE

***Bottom-line***: ***Fabric Softener Dryer Balls*** are a very poor substitute for liquid fabric softener and they are noisy to boot.     ** **   One day earlier this month I received a plain brown package in the mail from a *China *that claimed to contain "phone accessories."* * Humm, I mused I didn't order an phone accessories and the package was awful bulky for phone accessories.  It turned out the package contained two ***Fabric Softener Dryer Balls,*** which I had won some time ago. ***A crumbled sheet of paper said:*** *Congratulations for winning this pair of Fabric Softener Dryer Balls from SourcingMap.  Please do post your reviews on Viewpoints once you have tried the product.** *   So, here is my review. ***The 411*** ***A ******Fabric Softener Dryer Ball*** is, well, a blue rubber ball about 1.5 times larger than a golf ball with spikes.  The interaction with your clothes in the dryer is supposed to make them, well soft, and help eliminate static cling.    ***My Viewpoint*** I washed a medium load of whites and tossed in two ***Fabric Softener Dryer Balls*** and I was not impressed with the results; as they emerged from the dryer I didn't notice any enhanced softness.  And there was still notable static cling, especially my socks.  It appears as though the ***Fabric Softener Dryer Balls*** had done very little at all. I have come to trust and depend on my liquid fabric softeners to do their thing and not only soften my clothes, but also free them from annoying static cling.  ***Fabric Softener Dryer Balls*** are a very poor substitute and they are noisy to boot.  Thank, but no thanks!  

TheBard

Aurora, IL

I received a plain brown pakage in the mail originating in ShenZhen, China.  I wasn't expecting anything.  Looking at the package more closely I noticed the Custom's Declaration described the contents as Phone Accessories.  I'd ordinarily remember ordering phone accessories directly from China and I hadn't ordered any.  Now I was really suspicious.  A strange unexpected package arrives at my door with no identifying markings. So, after letting the package soak in a bucket of water overnight out behind the house, I figured it would be safe to open it.  A waterlogged slip of paper said: *Congratulations for winning this pair of Fabric Softener Dryer Balls from SourcingMap.  Please do post your reviews on Viewpoints once you have tried the product.* *Thank you* *SourcingMap* And accompanying the note was a pair of blue spikey balls and nothing else.  Ah yes the Fabric Softener Dryer Balls.  Clearly I have to cut down on watching police procedurals. Well, even without instructions I thought I probably just had to throw them into the dryer with my damp clothes.  Pretty simple really. **In Use** You know the sound that sneakers make in your dryer?  Well that's the sound that these two balls make when tumbling in my dryer.  If my dryer was situated in my garage or basement, I probably wouldn't notice.  But our washer and dryer are on the second story of our house in a utility closet in the middle of the living quarters.  Are you seeing the problem here? **But did they work?** The Fabric Softener Dryer Balls are supposed to soften your garments, freshen them and eliminate static cling.  To some degree I'd have to say they succeeded.  I'm not sure they were any fresher, but the felt soft, I experienced no static cling and they did help untangle the legs of my chinos and jeans a bit.  So where do I come out on Fabric Softener Dryer Balls? **My Viewpoint** My understanding is that these balls should last a couple of years. And, while The Great Recession has made me as frugal as the next guy,  I think I'd prefer to pay for our liquid fabric softener if the alternative is listening to these balls banging around in my dryer.  But that's just me.  I'll pass on the Fabric Softener Dryer Balls. Rudi

RudiXeno

Boca Raton, FL

I received these dryer balls as a sample to test for Viewpoints.  I tried these on a load of towels and sheets.  It was too loud to tolerate or consider the benefits.  I had to remove them after a few minutes! While I appreciate the more natural option to dryer sheets these dryer balls offer, I prefer to stick with my Bounce dryer sheets.

jeneec620

Dallas, TX

I received these the sourcingmap fabric softener dryer balls to try from viewpoints and here are my conclusions after doing four loads in a row. I think that the dryer balls are better than using nothing, equal to using dryer sheets, but less effective than using liquid fabric softener in the washer. You just toss the two dryer balls in the dryer and they are supposed to work like fabric softener, making the clothes soft and less staticy. They do a great job reducing static but not so amazing at making clothes softer. I will say if you are only using fabric softener sheets this is a better option as they are reusable and probably cheaper in the long run as well. plus they are not messy and they are convenient. overall i would rate this a three out of five because it isn't horrible but it doesn't make the clothes as soft as i would expect. also i'm not sure where you buy them or if a different brand of this product would work any better but thats my review.

ashpeg83

Republic, MO

Wow, these SourcingMap Fabric Softener Dryer Balls really work!  After receiving a free sample, I used them with all my laundry and I'm sold on this product.  They prevented static cling without adding chemicals that lower the absorbtion of water in our towels so we can actually dry ourselves.  Just think, no socks stuck to other clothes!  How nice and convenient.  I just store the Sourcing Map Fabric Softener Dryer Balls in my clothes dryer so they are always ready to use.  The only drawback I found was the noise of the fabric softener balls bouncing around in the dryer.  I'll never purchase fabric softener again!

gudshopper

Beebe, AR

These dryer balls definitely did work for static, wrinkles, and quicker drying. Drawbacks are that they are made and shipped from China. Not sure of the plastic or possible toxicity involved. They are obviously a little noisy during use which gets quieter as the clothes dry. If these balls actually last for 1000 dryings between the saving of electricity and not using softening products this could be a good savings. Since I am Medicare age, I do know something about washing and drying clothes!

kathy4343

Uniontown, PA