Laundry balls come in different models.  Some resemble a small ball that bounces around in your washing machine and provides extra agitation.  Some other models act as detergent dispensers that are one time use and need to be repurchased continually.  There are still others that contain other materials that are supposed to allow for the release of ionized oxygen during the wash cycle.  This ionized oxygen is supposed to raise pH levels in the water, thus softening it and the fabrics being washed.  This allows water to penetrate easily the fabric and lift out dirt and grime.

The effectiveness of these laundry balls is in dispute from people who swear they work to those who see no appreciable difference and consider them a waste of money.  The balls also come in a ceramic disk form; however, the way the work remains pretty much identical to the ball types.

Laundry balls are not a new product and can be traced back to 1991 when they were sold via a multi-level marketing outfit.  This was done through recruitment of distributors and their subsequent sales of the product.  As with many of the earlier MLM businesses, emphasis was put more on the recruiting of distributors than sales of the product.  As a result, some of these organizations came under government scrutiny, because they were using questionable business practices, offering unsubstantiated claims and delivering products as secondary to recruitment.

Laundry balls are not an inexpensive investment ranging from between $50US to $75US for the initial outlay, plus prices of additives and refills.  The idea of the balls and making money from them came in the after sales market of additives which were supposedly much less expensive than standard detergents.  As well, it was touted as an all-natural, healthier product that was good for the environment.

One point to consider: if you are used to washing your clothes sans detergent or additives, you will find that the balls work quite well.  You may also find that your laundry is cleaned equally well without the ball as well especially if you use warm or hot water.  This is because your clothes retain some laundry detergent in them even if you stop using it.  As a result, you won’t be able to accurately gauge the effectiveness of the laundry balls.  Also, just using plain hot water can lift and dissolve stains.

On many sites it is recommended that you add an additional pre-wash stain remover and throw in some borax and oils for fragrance which further clouds the true effectiveness of the laundry ball.

With all of that said, the laundry ball may not be of much help in getting your clothes clean, although it is environmentally friendly.  If you want to try it out, you will want to research and find the least expensive model, and make sure that it has a satisfaction-guarantee attached so that you don’t get stuck with it.  Further, you’ll want to give your clothes enough washes to deplete the embedded detergent in your clothes from previous standard washing.  In this way, you can give the laundry ball a fair judging time prior to making your final determination.