Wool Dryer Balls Comparison Review and Giveaway Ends July 28th! ~Closed~

Let me start with one question....do you like having chemicals on your clothes?  I sure do not.  Which was one reason I wanted to find something that would get my clothes lint free and static cling free.  I tried those plastic things once and well I did not like the smell it left let alone the fact of plastic in the dryer was REALLY loud.  After doing some searching I found that wool dryer balls do a really good job at doing that and had NO CHEMICALS.  However I had no idea there were so many different types or wool dryer balls out there and so many different people and companies who make them.  So I went out and bought several different wool dryer balls.  I purchased all UNSCENTED dryer balls to make sure that I was able to review the product itself and nothing else.


The first wool dryer ball I purchased was from Funhog Felts.  They came in a set of two and was purchased off of eBay.  This was the first purchase of wool dryer balls and had I decided to go on initial purchase I probably would have never bought another wool dryer ball.  When they arrived I honestly did not think there was anything in the package.  It was very light.  Once I opened them, I found I was right...they were almost nonexistent.  They were very wound together.  I decided to give it a go and put them in a load of clothes.  I was amazed they actually seemed to work.  The drying time was only cut by about 5 minutes, but I had no lint and little static.  I was not totally thrilled but what can you expect.  I really do not see how they had the weight to bounce around they seemed so light.


I give Funhog Felts 3/5 stars.  I was not thrilled about the lightweight wool dryer balls.  I feel that in order to do a great job there needs to be some weight.  They did reduce my drying time, lint, and static but they are just too lightweight for my taste.








The next wool dryer ball I purchased was Buddha Bunz.  I purchased the June "Color of the Month" which at that time was PURPLE.  I purchased two of these to start.  I waited patiently for about 2 weeks to receive my wool dryer balls.  The balls are made upon order which is why it takes a little longer to get.  When I got them in the mail I noticed the package was pretty heavy.  I actually wondered if I got the correct order.  I opened them up to find two beautiful and soft dryer balls.  They were very full and compacted.  You could not really see where the wool was wound together.  I placed those in my dryer with the next load of clothes.  (Now note the recommended wool dryer ball amount is 4-6 wool dryer balls) I noticed my drying time was cut by about 12 minutes less than what it normally took to dry my clothes.  When I pulled out the clothes (washed all towels) there was very little lint and just a bit of static.  But remember 4-6 is recommended.  I went on to drying a few more loads and they all came out with very little lint and very little static and absolutely NO CHEMICALS were used!
From the Buddha Bunz website:

Our dryer balls are the all natural alternative to plastic PVC dryer balls. Made with 100% wool they gently bounce in your dryer to keep your laundry soft while reducing the amount of time it takes to dry... saving you time and money and reducing your footprint on Mother Earth.

More information!

~Approx. 9" in circumfrence

~Approx. 3oz each

~100% wool to the core

~Handmade in the USA!

~Using 4 dryer balls on a 90 minute cycle will cut a small load of laundry in 1/2 and a large load by 1/4!

~Saving you approx $.26 on a large load and $.51 on a small load of laundry!

~Sold individually

In the end, I would have to say I give Buddha Bunz 5/5 stars.  Now there was one slight downside.  My dog decided to chew on one and I ran them through the wash because of it.  They are not all bright and purple anymore, more of a faded purple.  I do not point fault to the maker but to the purchaser (me!).  But they still work just as well and I have found that washing them does not cause them to come apart...which is a GREAT thing!!








The third wool dryer balls I purchased were from GardenofHolly.  I ordered two  100% pure virgin wool yarn as well and even received a cute little satchel with them.  When they came in the mail they were a bit lighter than the previous purchase.  I received the wool dryer balls within a few days of ordering them.  They were premade and there were no color choices.  They were very soft but about appeared to be about half the size of the wool dryer balls I already had, however they were not.  They were wound tightly together.  I put them in a small load (due to recommended load amount on the website).  The clothes came out lint free and had very little static.  I placed a normal size load in with the wool dryer balls and had slightly more lint and also more static.  I noticed there was about a 7 minute difference in drying time on the small load and about 9 minutes on the normal load.  I dried a few more loads and then decided I would wash the wool dryer balls to see how they handled being wash.  There was absolutely no problems.  They held up just fine and there was no unraveling.
From the GardenofHolly website:

****Color selection can and will vary according to stock****

Our dryer balls are made with 100% pure virgin wool yarn still containing its natural oils. Dryer balls work to absorb water (to help cut down on drying time) and reduce static. They also help to 'soften' your fabrics by bouncing around inside the dryer fluffing your laundry. 

***You need a minimum of two balls per load to get started, however the more you use the less drying time needed. If you are dying a lot of synthetic fabrics you may need 3 or 4 to eliminate static. Up to 6 balls are recommended for a large load. 

Less drying time = time, energy and money saved!***

****Small load = 2 to 3 dryer balls

****Medium load = 3 to 5 dryer balls

****Large load = 6 to 8 dryer balls

Each ball measures approximately 7” in circumference. They are already felted so you don't have to worry about strings...the wool may pill over time...which is natural but can be shaved off if it so pleases you. The pills actually help make the balls work better.  

In the end I give GardenofHolly 5/5 stars.  Even though the wool dryer balls were smaller than the ones I previously had they held up and did their job just as they should.








The last wool dryer balls I purchased were from Fuzzy Wuzzy Dryer Balls.  I purchased three 100% merino wool dryer balls.  When they came in the mail they were a little heavier than the previous, but they should since there was three.  They did not look like the ones I had previous purchased.  They kind of looked just like a ball of yarn that had been wound.  However, this is more about usefulness than looks, right?  So like before I popped them in a normal load of clothes.  When the clothes came out there was a little static and a little lint.  I would have thought with three balls I would have less.  So I decided to run a few more loads.  It did get better over time and there were less and less of the lint and of the static.  I decided to continue with the washing of the wool dryer balls.  They came through the wash alright, but when they went into the dryer they began to unravel.  That kind of disappointed me.  However, I can't put blame on the maker as they ARE dryer balls not washer balls.  So I found instructions on how to make wool dryer balls and followed the last few steps to fix my unraveling issue.  They are as good as new.
From Fuzzy Wuzzy website:

Dryer balls replace the need for dryer sheets so you can have help with static without chemicals and animal by-products. Healthy for you, your family and mother nature. Dryer balls also reduce your drying time to help lower your energy consumption. Dryer Balls are made from 100% merino wool and handmade by me. Dryer balls go through a felting process and are washed in a eco-friendly laundry detergent.

I gave this wool dryer ball a 5/5.  Even though it began to unravel, I don't feel it was the makers fault.  I do think it could be felted more...but again personal preference!

After I tested each wool dryer ball I decided to add a little Lime EO (5 drops) to the dryer balls to see how well they held the scent.  All of the dryer balls still smelled very yummy after the load was complete.  Funhog Felts wool dryer balls took 4 loads to stop smelling yummy.  Buddha Bunz wool dryer balls took 5 loads to stop smelling yummy.  GardenofHolly took 4 loads.  Fuzzy Wuzzy took about 4 loads as well. 


I went back and washed the wool dryer balls that I got from Funhog Felts and they withstood the washing machine.  I imagined it would but still had to do the test on them.


Now I put all the wool dryer balls in at once and my clothes come out NO lint and NO static.  But then again there are about 9 balls bouncing around in there.  Out of all the wool dryer balls I would have to say I will be more inclined to buy from Buddha Bunz or GardenofHolly.  I just liked the wool type better.  I am not a huge fan of the merino wool that Fuzzy Wuzzy uses.  But again to each their own :)

Now to the fun part!!!



Would you like to try some? Here is your chance! There will be 3 winners.  Yes, I said 3!!!

Buddah Bunz- $15.00 Gift Certificate

Fuzzy Wuzzy- one set of 2 wool dryer balls of Fuzzy Wuzzy's choice

GardenofHolly- 1 set of 6 wool dryer balls
MANDATORY ENTRY: Pick one of the stores that I reviewed and find one item that you would love to buy from them. Make sure to list any scents, colors, or sizes if applicable.  Post which store you picked and why!

For extra entries:
Make a purchase from any of the stores that were reviewed.. Leave a comment letting me know you did and order number if available. Worth 15 entries (please submit each separately)

Follow @UnXpctdHappEnes on twitter. Leave a comment letting me know you did. 

Follow @BuddhaBunz on twitter. Leave a comment letting me know you did. 

Become a fan of BuddhaBunz on Facebook. Leave a comment here as well as on the FB page.

Become a fan of Fuzzy Wuzzy on Facebook. Leave a comment here as well as on the FB page.

Mark GardenofHolly as a favorite on Etsy. Leave a comment

Become a fan of BuddhaBunz on Facebook. Leave a comment

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Follow me through Google Friend Connect or via a reader. Leave a comment.

Blog about this giveaway. Post a link in the comment.

Tweet about this giveaway. Post a link in the comment. 3 tweets per day.

Enter one of the other giveaways I have going. Leave a comment. (You can get an entry for each giveaway you enter.)

Invite friends to join my blog or my FB page. Leave a comment. 1 entry per 15 friends.

Invite friends to Fuzzy Wuzzy FB page. Leave a comment and have them leave a comment of Fuzzy Wuzzy to who sent them. 1 entry per each friend that states on Fuzzy Wuzzy that they were sent by you!

Invite friends to BuddhaBunz  FB page. Leave a comment and have them leave a comment of BuddhaBunz  to who sent them. 1 entry per each friend that states on BuddhaBunz  that they were sent by you!

Comments 50, 100, 150, and 200 will all get 10 extra entries.  Make sure you add your entries AFTER your initial post.  If you are not one of those entires your entry will be deleted.

Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.  Shipping is the winners responsibility if outside of the US.  Last day to enter is July 28th. Winner will be drawn using random.org. After contacted the winner has 72 hours to get back to me or a new winner will be drawn. Once the company is notified they are in charge of shipping the prize.

I was not paid to perform this review but chose so after using the product.