Felted wool
Felted wool is more commonly used in dog toys.
One of the primary benefits of buying your dog a felted wool toy is that it’s 100% digestible.
If your dog accidentally eats a felted wool dog toy, you can panic less about it.
Your dog can tear apart a felted wool toy. Wool has a strong bond. This means 2 things:
Felted wool is better than other types of dog wool toys because it’s durable and washable. You can let your dog play with it and later wash it to make it new again.
Since felted wool is natural wool, it has an odor that attracts your dog to it. If you want to buy a wool toy that’s safe for your dog to play with, go with a felted wool dog toy.
Boiled wool
You’ll come across dog toys made from boiled wool. To create boiled wool, you weave the fibers together.
Felted wool is created in layers. The fibers mesh together due to repeated washing and rolling. Felted wool is better than boiled wool because it’s thicker, softer, and fluffier.
If you think it is time to change your Eco Dryer Balls consider repurposing the old ones before composting them. With a few drops of essential oil they make great fabric fresheners when placed in drawers and closets. If you have pets, try offering them your old dryer balls, they make great pet toys! For more ideas on how to repurpose old Eco Dryer Balls dont forget to check out the specific “repurpose” FAQ – last question here on this same page! 🙂 What if I have a washer/dryer combo machine? Can I use wool dryer balls? Yes, you can! Just remember to use the Eco Dryer Balls only during the drying cycle. Add the dryer balls when the drying cycle starts, only after the washing cycle has ended and all the water has left. As you may know Eco Dryer Balls are specific to dryers and dont like swimming in washing machines… High temperatures for prolonged times – like in regular washing cycles – have the effect of loosening the wool felt and shortening the dryer balls lifetime. To clean the dryer balls, we suggest either using a wet cloth on their surface – add soap or sanitizer if needed – either hand washing them in soapy lukewarm water. What material is the drawstring bag made of? Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls drawstring bags are completely organic and natural: unbleached cotton, cotton drawstrings, and soapberry seeds as closing beads. They are hand made and hand printed for fair wages in Nepal. At Friendsheep we take pride in not using synthetic fibers or plastic beads like many others do. Our products are natural and made from sustainable sources. Are Friendsheep products packaged? Friendsheep products are package free or packaged in lokta paper bags. Our Lokta paper bags are environmentally friendly, wildcrafted and traditionally hand made for fair wages by village artisans of rural Nepal, recyclable and compostable. What is “lokta” paper? Lokta paper is a tree-free paper that has been used in Nepal since the 12th century and is praised for its strength and durability. Lokta paper is wildcrafted and handmade from the bark of a species of laurel bush called Daphne Papyrus, harvested in the Himalayan forest of the Nepalese highlands. Today Lokta Paper is the most environmentally friendly paper on earth, a sustainable tree-free alternative that offers a reliable source of income to paper crafting families and village communities. Lokta paper is recyclable and 100% compostable, but please choose reusing before disposing. Q: Do they help remove pet hair? Yes, they definitely help remove pet hair! Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls do their magic by gently separating your laundry in the dryer, therefore allowing larger flows of air to circulate, and increasing the efficiency of your dryer. The result is a soft and fluffy laundry, with less wrinkles and tangling, reduced static cling, and no pet hair. They are magic! But you’ll still have to remove pet hair from your lint screen… 😉 Are they unscented? Yes, they are completely scent free and chemical free, which makes Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls ideal for hypersensitive skins. Even if you don’t add any fragrance, your laundry dryer balls will still leave your clothes smelling fresh. Our wool dryer balls are made of 100% New Zealand wool, which will naturally leave your clothes smelling clean. Can I add fragrance to wool dryer balls? Yes, definitely! You can add fragrance and essential oils to your Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls. For a fresh scented laundry just add a few drops (3-5) of your favorite essential oil to each ball before each cycle. Allow absorption for a few minutes, then toss them in the dryer with your laundry. For maximum scent effect add the essential oil towards the end of your cycle, 10 minutes before the end, on a low heat setting. Can I use Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls with my baby’s laundry and cloth diapers? Yes! Absolutely! Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls are totally baby safe and are ideal for sensitive skins. In fact, they are the smart choice for cloth diapers and baby laundry. They are made of 100% organic wool to the core, and do not contain any chemical or additive at all. This protects your babys sensitive skin, and at the same time prevents the deterioration of waterproof layers in baby diapers which are otherwise damaged by the chemicals found in dryer sheets and liquid fabric softeners. So your cloth diapers will perform better and for a longer time. Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls are also scent free and hypoallergenic, so you can choose if and which scent to add your baby laundry. Will they lint on dark clothes? No, absolutely not! Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls DO NOT LINT! They are meant to be used on dark, light, and colored loads. Weve been using them on every load for years and never had any issue. To be extra careful, on their very first use we suggest to use them on a light load in the rare case there were some loose fibers on their surface. From then on no risk of lint at all! I am allergic to wool, can I use Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls? There are different types of wool allergies. Allergy to lanolin in the wool is very rare. Only 6% of people allergic to wool turn positive when tested for lanolin allergy. The majority of the people with wool allergies are in fact sensitive to the short bristly fibers that irritate their sensitive skin and make them feel itchy. Either way, lanolin is washed away during the wool pre-wash. Even if trace amounts remain and you have a lanolin allergy (youd know this because you should also be allergic to all skin care – and makeup – products that contain lanolin), it will not transfer to your clothes. As for those short bristly fibers in wool, the only way the dryer balls could cause an irritation is if you rubbed them on your skin. Therefore if you dont touch them directly, but for example use a cloth – why not a sock – to move them around, neither lanolin nor bristly short fibers should be an issue when using our wool dryer balls. You should be able to use them safely and enjoy the results! 🙂 That said, we always recommend using your brand new Eco Dryer Balls for the first time on a same color load in case there were some loose wool fibers on the surface – as suggested by Friendsheep user manual – included in your purchase (Lost it? No problem! You can see it
. . . All you ever wanted to know about Friendsheep Wool Eco Dryer Balls . . . Do I need to use fabric softener or dryer sheets when using the dryer balls? No, absolutely not. Done with the need for chemical loaded dryer sheets and liquid fabric softener! Your Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls will naturally soften your fabrics by gently tumbling with them in the dryer, giving you a naturally softer and fluffier laundry without the use of any harmful chemicals. Plus, they also help reduce drying time by 20% to 40%, making you save time, money, and energy! Why are Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls better than any other fabric softener? Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls shorten drying time, soften and fluff your fabrics, and help you reduce static and wrinkles in a completely natural and eco friendly way. They also help remove pet hair from clothes, and help your sheets and towels stay untangled. Folding your laundry will be easier and faster. Why are Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls a better fabric softener than PVC balls or tennis balls? PVC and tennis balls are made of plastic. They contain synthetic materials that are stable at low temperatures but once heated can release harmful chemicals – that typical plastic smell… – that will not only deposit on your clothes and sheets, but will also cover up your dryer and dryer ducts. This will reduce your dryer’s lifetime and create layers of harmful particles that will dissolve and deposit on your next load of laundry. Using plastic balls in your dryer you are exposing yourself and your family to an unnecessary source of potentially harmful chemicals. Wool dryer balls are also quieter, and are more gentle on fabrics than plastic dryer balls with nubs. Where are Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls made? Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls are hand made for fair wages in Nepal, and are not mass produced in China like most of the other wool dryer balls. Our artisans are people – mostly women – from underprivileged communities living in the Himalayan Valley of Kathmandu. We believe that the best product should not only be made with the best materials, but also made with love, in the best ethical and environmental conditions by passionate people like our artisans. How are Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls made? You can watch our