I have two aluminum balls. They save me money.

[jtuck004]

Instead of buying dryer sheets I put these in the dryer with my clothes. Ordinary foil, crumpled up, about the size of a walnut, slightly smaller than a golfball.

I do a lot of bedding for my dogs, and the static electricity can get to be annoying.

But a ball of foil or two - I hear some people have larger ones, but I am a little leery of putting too much weight in one that might
scratch the coating on the dryer. Besides, size isn't always the most important thing, I don't think. It's how you use them.

http://lifehacker.com/5533418/use-aluminum-foil-to-keep-clothes-static-free

The article is a two-fer, btw. It has a link to an article about saving money on detergent, suggests we could get by with as little as an eighth of what some are using now.

[liberal N proud]

1. Aluminum balls

TMI

[ret5hd]

3. But just think...

even if they are huge they are lightweight and easy to carry around!

[jtuck004]

5. Yes, there is that. But the size can also allow them to sort of chafe, begin to

cause abrasions and scrape at the waterproof coating that surrounds them, like the non-stick on the drum. Or your clothes.

And there might be places where it could lead to unwanted attention. Airport security comes to mind.

So far in my little experiment however, the smaller ones seem to do the job just as well.

I even tested it with just one for awhile, and my wife couldn't tell the difference. But when you open things up they tend to roll off across the floor, so having a spare around is nice. Especially if one has a cat.

[valerief]

2. I hate the STINK of dryer sheets. All that crappy fragrance that lingers forever. Blech!

The foil balls are a great idea. I'll have to try it.

For my own hygiene, I stopped using regular soap. Instead I get pure soap bars, like Dr. Bronner's (the bars, not the liquid bottles, because the latter have too much plastic and cost more to ship so they're less environmentally practical). Anyway, I like liquid soap, so I make my own.

LIQUID SOAP

Ingredients
Half gallon of water
1 bar of pure castile soap, e.g., Dr. Bronner's or Kirk's (you need the castile soap, because it contains natural glycerin)
Big pot
Cheese grater
Funnel

Steps
Sit in front of the TV with your big pot, cheese grater, and soap.
Grate the soap in the pot as you watch TV.
When your show is over, add the water to the pot.
Bring the water to a boil so that all the soap melts.
Set the pot aside for 24 hours, stirring occasionally. It will thicken.
Funnel into hand-pump liquid soap containers.

It's not as pretty as store-bought soap, but it's (1) just as soapy, (2) contains no chemicals, and (3) doesn't waste transportation fuel. Lasts forever, too.

I make my own laundry detergent, too.

LAUNDRY DETERGENT

Ingredients
1 bar of pure castile soap, e.g., Dr. Bronner's or Kirk's (you need the castile soap, because it contains natural glycerin)
1 cup of Borax laundry booster
1 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
Big pot
Cheese grater

Steps
Sit in front of the TV with your big pot, cheese grater, and soap.
Grate the soap in the pot as you watch TV.
When your show is over, add the super washing soda and Borax.
Mix it up and put in a container with a small scoop and tight lid.

Use 1 tbsp for a small load and 2-3 tbsp for large loads. Before adding it to a cold-water wash, put it in a jar with a pint of warm water and shake. This will dissolve the soap.

[Curmudgeoness]

4. Sexual innuendo?

Or is my mind just in the gutter? Talk of balls and whether size matters...hmmmm.

Well, that was entertaining as well as informative. I have never tried this, but since I wash and reuse my foil, I am sure that I have some that I wouldn't feel like I was wasting it. I will try this. Especially at this time of year, the static is a real problem.

The easy instructions for the laundry detergent in the thread is also a great idea. I have seen some recipes, and they always seemed like such a major pain to make.