Bounce Dryer Bars were a laundry room staple for many people. These bars did the job of dryer sheets, but you could leave them in your dryer until they dissolved instead of putting a new one in each time you did the laundry. They also had fabric softener in them.
If you used to enjoy the simplicity of using a dryer bar, you’ve probably wondered what happened to them. Unfortunately, the company that produced them decided there wasn’t enough demand for the product and discontinued them years ago.
That decision disappointed quite a few people who liked using dryer bars, there was even a petition to bring them back on change.org.
In this article, we’ll tell you what the dryer bars were, why they were discontinued, and give you a few alternative products you can use in place of dryer bars.
What Is A Dryer Bar?
Dryer bars were a convenient combination of fabric softener and dryer sheet that you could stick to your dryer and leave there load after load. They made your clothes softer and made them smell fresher than using just a dryer sheet alone.
When the dryer bar had run its course, or you decided you were finished with it, you could just run your dryer for 10 minutes or so to heat up the adhesive and pull it off quickly and easily.
Are Bounce Dryer Bars Discontinued?
Yes, unfortunately, Proctor and Gamble chose to discontinue Bounce Dryer Bars a few years back, much to the dismay of those who loved the simplicity of the product.
Why Did Bounce Discontinue Dryer Bars?
According to a Twitter post from 2017, a representative from Proctor and Gamble stated that they discontinue products when they don’t have a high enough demand to keep producing them.
Although there’s nothing on the market today that matches the simplicity of the Bounce Dryer Bar, here are a few alternatives to keep your clothes soft and smelling fresh.
1. Dryer Sheets
Dryer sheets are similar to dryer bars in that they contain a little fabric softener and keep your clothes static-free.
Let’s take a look at the 3 main types of dryer sheets.
Traditional single-use: Traditional single-use dryer sheets are made of nonwoven polyester fibers and are coated with a softening agent, like the fabric softener you put in your washing machine.
Biodegradable single-use: Biodegradable single-use dryer sheets are made from compostable products like paper and bamboo. They still soften your clothes and reduce static, but they won’t damage the fibers of your garments, and they’re safe for the environment.
Reusable: Reusable dryer sheets are made from pieces of cloth and can be used repeatedly until they fall apart. You can buy them online from reputable natural companies or make them yourself. All you need to make excellent dryer sheets are cloth scraps, vinegar, and essential oils.
2. Dryer Balls
If your favorite part of a dryer bar was how long it lasted before you needed to buy a new one, you might enjoy using dryer balls. Dryer balls are made from wool, plastic, or rubber and can help keep your laundry from clumping together.
These balls can improve the airflow in your dryer, reduce wrinkles and static, and even soften your clothes.
Environmentally-friendly wool balls can absorb some of the moisture from your laundry and improve drying time. You can also add a few drops of essential oils to dryer balls to impart a fresh scent to your clothing.
The only negative thing about wool dryer balls is that they sometimes shed, causing little wool pills on your clothing.
Plastic and rubber dryer balls are usually bumpy or spiky, which helps to move clothing around the dryer and increase airflow. You won’t have to worry about these balls shedding, but they are quite a bit noisier than their wool counterparts.
Dryer balls are incredibly low-maintenance. You can increase their longevity by placing them in a mesh laundry bag, washing them in hot water, and drying them in the dryer.
For best results, you should clean them twice per year.
3. Liquid Fabric Softener
If you’d like to add extra softness to your laundry before it gets to the dryer, you can add liquid fabric softener to your washing machine.
Liquid fabric softeners are more effective at removing odors than dryer sheets and dryer balls. The downside, however, is that most fabric softeners contain chemicals that can irritate sensitive skin.
Before you add fabric softener to your laundry, make sure that the items you’re washing can handle it. Since these products can affect the absorbency of the materials it comes in contact with, you won’t want to use them on your towels or gym clothes.
If you crave the softness of clothing washed with liquid fabric softener, but you’re not crazy about the idea of adding chemicals to your clothing, you can look for a natural brand instead.
For example, Mrs. Myer’s Clean Day Fabric Softener softens clothes and reduces static without using any parabens or phthalates. It’s even biodegradable and uses essential oils for its fragrance.
DIY Dryer Products
For many customers, the low cost of the dryer bar compared to dryer sheets was one of the things that made the product so intriguing.
For the ultra-frugal among you, here are some DIY alternatives to dryer bars that won’t break the bank.
Baking soda and vinegar: There are two things you need to do to harness the laundry-softening power of baking soda and vinegar.
First, add a cup of baking soda to your wash load along with your regular detergent, then run it on a normal cycle to give your clothes some extra freshness.
Next, wet a washcloth with vinegar, throw it in the dryer with your wet laundry, and dry the clothes like normal.
Aluminum foil balls: You can use aluminum foil just like regular dryer balls. For each load of laundry, you should add three 2-3 inch balls of foil to keep your laundry static free. These dryer balls should last for about 2 months.
Conclusion
Bounce Dryer Bars were a convenient solution to keep clothes static-free in the dryer. Unlike dryer sheets that you have to add to each load of laundry, you could stick the dryer bar to the inside of your machine and let it go until it dissolved.
Unfortunately, Proctor and Gamble decided that the demand for this product was too low, so they discontinued the dryer bars a few years back.
If you miss the dryer bars, don’t worry, there are plenty of alternative options for you to try, including:
Hi, my name is Shauna Stone and I love improving my home to make it perfect. Researching new cleaning techniques is one of my favorite things to do - have you ever fallen into the rabbit hole that is cleaning TikToks?
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