Dryer balls or dryer sheets. Are they necessary?

[CB1128]

random one and not really aibu.

With my old dryer. I never used sheets (I do have eczema so probably not a good idea) nor did I use dryer balls.

Aibu to think they aren’t necessary?

What purpose do they serve? Don’t really have any problems with stiff clothes. I don’t use softener but live in a soft water area.

Also the clothes seemed to dry fine and fast without.

Bought a new dryer. Wondering if I should buy some dryer balls?

Is there a real purpose or just a gimmick?

I've never heard of dryer balls or sheets and don't know what they are for. But I have no issues with my tumble dried laundry so I assume I don't need to find out and therefore you don't need them either!

I use tumble dryer sheets with towels in my tumble dryer as it makes my towels softer. I have eczema too and it does help.

I don’t use the dryer sheets but I do use wool dryer balls and they are definitely worth it. They stop things getting tangled up and leaving edges of clothing damp. Especially useful when washing bedding.

All I’ve noticed with dryer balls is that it makes the machine very noisy, with the balls banging about on the metal drum. My stuff still gets tangled regardless. When it goes quiet, I know my dryer has finished. Ours is in the utility, if it was in the kitchen there’s no way I’d use the balls.

I have dryer balls and they've cut my drying time by a quarter. You can buy nice essential oils to put on them to make your washing smell nice. They are noisy and often get lost in trouser legs though. Overall I think they're worth it. Mine were about £3 from home bargains so not fancy.

TK Maxx often have the wool dryer balls quite cheap. I paid about £6 for a pack of 3 from there last year. Woollen ones don't tend to clank around the machine either.

I bought some dryer balls a few years back. I still use them out of habit, but I don't think they actually make any difference.

I used to get static with my old dryer and the sheets helped with that. My new machine there's no static so I stopped using them.

I use dryer balls of I’ve washed my down filled coats, and also if I’ve done bedding. I have never used dryer sheets.

I got wooden ones from B&M for about £3- they’re great for stuff like towels.

I like the idea of dryer balls but don't want to use them after I read they drastically reduce your clothes's lifespan. The more rubbing and agitation against your clothes and towels makes them go threadbare quicker (and if you're like me, you want a good 10 years out of your top quality towels)
Dryer sheets make things smell nice but I like fabric conditioner in the wash for that.

My old dryer made lots of static and dryer sheets did stop that so for those situations I would absolutely go back to them. Getting a zap folding clothes is not fun.

@whoami24601

I have dryer balls and they've cut my drying time by a quarter. You can buy nice essential oils to put on them to make your washing smell nice. They are noisy and often get lost in trouser legs though. Overall I think they're worth it. Mine were about £3 from home bargains so not fancy.

My opinion is basically the same. I bought wool dryer balls from home bargains and they aren't noisy ... dull thuds maybe but definitely no clattering or banging.
I quite often have to pop one out of a sleeve or delve into a duvet cover but what they do is a job well done at the end of the day. I've had mine years but I don't TD very often, I try to hang washing where possible. Worth the money.
I've never used dryer sheets so I can't personally comment on those but I have heard complaints such as greasy marks on washing from them.