Why Throwing Tennis Balls and Clothes in Your Dryer Together Could Actually Be a Genius Move

Buying clothes is easy but maintaining them is utter hard work. There is no evading laundry as a mounting heap of clothes pile up in a corner of your house. People are constantly looking for ways to cut down on the time-consuming chore and for good reason– laundry is a labor-intensive task. Many turn to the internet for expert advice and clever hacks that speed up the dull process of washing and drying garments. Among the myriads of hacks, an emerging TikTok trend of popping tennis balls or wool balls to the dryer reveals surprising benefits. 

Several creators have jumped on the trendy hack to try it out on their clothes. TikToker Cassie Sethna (@cassie.sethna) decided to experiment with her expensive puffer coat. After a delicate wash session, she warily shoved her coat into the dryer with two wool dryer balls, hoping the results would be positive. “The most important part is to add some of these wool dryer balls to fluff it back up,” she said. Revealing her moment of truth, Sethna wore her freshly cleaned coat to analyze the changes. Happy with the hack, she claimed the coat was “puffer than it was before.” In the caption, she suggested people can also use tennis balls for similar results. 

Similarly, another creator, LaterKates (@later_kates) had her take on the tennis ball dryer hack by using it to puff up her pillows. “Weekly pillow fluffing,” she captioned the video as she detailed the process. After tossing the pillow into the dyer, she dropped a clean tennis ball and started a 10-minute drying session for the best results. In the end, she created a striking comparison between two pillows– one flattened while the other was fluffed up in the dryer. 

However, some netizens were confused by the hack and put up their questions in the comments. “Is one tennis ball enough?” one person (@aikonnnnnnn) inquired. the creator quickly responded that she had always used one however, more balls would speed up the fluffing process. Another user (@luzdilla) asked if the pillows needed to be washed before drying. The creator clarified that the pillows can be puffed up with a 15-minute session without washing.

TikToker LORAfied (@lorafied) also tried out the tennis ball hack with her dryer sheets. “Adding balls keeps things moving around,” she said, adding that the moving balls generate more heat thus, optimizing the drying process and enhancing the softness of the sheets. Alternatively, rubber balls and woolly balls can also be used. According to Real Simple, the bouncing creates agitation in the dryer and helps create air pockets, separate clothes and promote even heat distribution. 

Besides that, the tennis balls also keep garments like jeans, T-shirts, and sheets circulating leaving behind no wrinkles. This can save you the time of ironing your clothes after every laundry session. Adding to the benefits is the satisfaction of using chemical-free and sustainable hacks. Fabric softeners are largely used for softening dryer sheets but this tennis ball hack barely uses any chemicals and is completely sustainable with no drawbacks other than some pollen residues.

Moreover, tennis balls are designed to resist wear and tear for long periods. Hence, they can be used for multiple drying sessions before you need to purchase another, though are super cheap. Clothes also last longer due to reduced friction from tumbling and save energy. 

You can follow @cassie.sethna, @later_kates, and @lorafied on TikTok for more home hacks.