A Dryer Sheet Substitute

Whether you need to catch up on Mt. St. Laundry and you’ve run out of dryer sheets, or whether you’d like to go a little greener and eliminate a few more chemicals, there is a quick and easy way to prevent static electricity without a fabric softener sheet. 

It started one day when I had way too much laundry to do and no dryer sheets to finish the job. I found several different suggestions on the internet, but which one to try? One answer seemed too simple, but I was intrigued.

A Dryer Sheet Substitute:

Aluminum foil dryer balls.

Have you tried it?

I tried it. I was skeptical but also curious, I actually had aluminum foil that day. And you know what? It worked!

I’m sure there’s something “super duper sciencey” about it. It probably has something to do with protons and electrons or something. I don’t know. (Science isn’t really my thing.)

All I know is that it does prevent static electricity in your clothes. 

All you need do is ball up two or three fist sized balls of aluminum foil and add it to the dryer. As you use them, they will become more and more compacted and smooth. At some point, they seem to start working less effectively and you can just swap them out for new ones.

For me, my husband has a hang up with dryer sheets so he prefers that I use them. I like to make my husband happy, so I use them. But I tend to run out of them when I’m not paying attention, so it’s nice to know that I always have this back up plan in case I also fell down on washing and drying enough work clothes for the week (because I forget things.)

On the other hand, if you did want to eliminate dryer sheets completely because of all the chemicals, you could switch over entirely. We did try it that way for a while and it continued to work just fine.

So hold on to that handy tip and save it for a rainy day – or ditch the dryer sheets and try this instead. Either way, it’s a handy household tip that works. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Image Source Credit: Public Domain, Melissa Anthony