Balls for washing down jackets - pros and cons

A down jacket is a universal warm garment and is perfect for both off-season and frosty weather. On the catwalks of winter 2018/2019 and autumn 2019 there was a whole orchestra of stylish windproof jackets and coats. Fashion designers again remembered natural down, abandoning cutting-edge synthetic materials. However, any down jacket, especially a natural one, is tricky to wash. Washing balls in the machine will fix the problem. It whips fluff, and the best models remove static and reduce stiffness. The down jacket comes out clean, streak-free and soft, like new.

How it works

The principle of operation is very simple: the balls placed in the machine along with the item begin to jump randomly in the drum. Once they get into the thing, they beat it vigorously, spreading the down filling most effectively.

While rinsing, the balls, without ceasing to bounce, wash away the soap suds, helping to avoid streaks and preventing fluff from clumping into clumps. Thus, the balls solve three problems at once: they wash the jacket, straighten the fluff, rinse out the gel and powder, preventing streaks.

How many balls do you need? Optimally - three or four. They will last a long time, so they will pay for themselves.

Important
The balls shake the solution and raise a lot of foam - so you need to use less detergent.

Advantages of laundry balls over stain removers and bleaches:

• universal, suitable for washing any items;
• one set lasts up to 10 years;
• do not cause any harm to health and do not cause allergies;
• do not require thorough rinsing or preliminary procedures with a dirty item.

Types and differences

There are different balls: special ones, their substitutes and homemade ones. Among the first are the best magnetic and tourmaline ones.

Magnetic

Magnetic balls are small balls made of plastic or rubber. They have magnets inside, which provoke the random movement of salt insoluble molecules, softening the water and significantly improving its quality. Neither the rotation speed of the drum nor the high temperature are scary for such balls. There is also no need to be afraid that they will stick together: the strength of the magnets is not that great. Among other things, such balls save the machine from scale and significantly extend its service life.

Worth remembering
By softening water, a magnetic ball for a washing machine not only increases the effectiveness of the detergent, but also enhances the formation of foam more than cheap analogues.

Tourmaline

Tourmaline balls are another type designed specifically for washing. This is essentially a box with a rubber body containing granules of the mineral tourmaline, silver, quartz and a porous stone, something like pumice, but with a different chemical composition - for foaming water.

The tourmaline ball is hypoallergenic and is quite suitable for washing clothes for children and allergy sufferers. This ball acts as a replacement for fabric conditioner and laundry detergent. Laundry is washed due to ionization of water and foaming from porous stones.

With the help of tourmaline balls you can achieve:

• preserving and restoring the color of things;
• fresh aroma;
• excellent washing quality without adding powder;
• antibacterial effect;
• long service life (up to 3 years).

Tourmaline balls are a very effective, but not the cheapest remedy: its cost starts from 400 rubles apiece (as of 2019) in online markets.

Features of application:

1. For washing up to 5 kg, one ball is enough, more than 5 kg - two.
2. After each use, the ball must be dried.
3. The washing temperature should not exceed 60 degrees.
4. Natural wool and silk cannot be washed.

Specially designed for washing down

The down ball is an accessory that looks very similar to a mine. Its entire surface is dotted with protrusions, round in shape, with beveled edges. The balls are made of polyurethane and are quite cheap - up to 350 rubles. You can wash pillows with them and not be afraid of lumps, since this is what these balls are designed for.

Household

Another type of special balls is household ones, made of PVC, resembling a hedgehog in appearance. Also a good purchase, which has its advantages:

• much cheaper than magnetic or tourmaline ones;
• also universal;
• prevent the formation of pellets and make things softer.

On a note
Laundry balls are made bright, and this scares away housewives. As practice has shown, the color of the balls does not affect the laundry in any way, since they are not dyed, but made of colored material.

Tennis

Tennis balls are used as a washing accessory by many housewives. Their advantage is durability; they are not afraid of impacts on the drum and will certainly not tear during washing. Such accessories last for a long time. In addition, due to the lint, they foam the washing solution well.

The disadvantage of this replacement is the bright yellow color.To prevent it from transferring to clothing, the balls are soaked in bleach, rinsed several times and then dried thoroughly.

Children's rubber

Some housewives manage to use small children's balls as an alternative to special ones. Well, the idea is quite clear: they jump well. However, the rubber of children's balls is too fragile and can tear when hitting the drum, in addition, they are too large in size.

From foil

This is a homemade accessory; it is pressed by hand from ordinary foil, which is sold in any hardware department and is cheap. One roll is enough for four balls - that's enough for washing. Accessories will last up to six months.

The principle of these laundry balls is approximately the same as that of other types: bouncing chaotically, they whip up the fluff, shake up the foam and increase the flow of water through the fabric and filling of the down jacket. In addition, aluminum reduces the effects of static electricity, making air conditioning unnecessary.

From the rope

This accessory consists of a ball of cotton or synthetic colorless rope, sewn or tied into a nylon stocking. The casing is needed so that the rope does not unwind and the ball retains its shape. This “quick” product is suitable for washing ordinary everyday linen, light jackets, raincoats, and bedspreads. Larger items, such as pillows and down jackets, are not suitable for this accessory.

Balls for washing down jackets allow you to easily solve several problems at once: with washing, rinsing and the condition of the down. The balls extend the life of the down jacket - it will serve for several seasons, remaining like new.