Product Description

How they claim to work

Claims vary between products. Some claims are not backed by science, while others are an exaggeration of benefits. Balls which contain detergents may offer more cleaning power than water alone since their ingredients are comparable to normal washing powder, but in smaller quantities. It is claimed that conventional washing powder manufacturers recommend using more powder than is necessary, and that these powders contain unnecessary fillers or fragrances.Critics question whether the amount of detergent released by these balls is sufficient to generate significant cleaning effects.[6][7]

Some manufacturers claim that the components inside their balls emit far infrared rays, which are claimed to reduce the surface tension of water and facilitate washing.[5] The claim of emitting infrared is not false, as all materials emit "far infrared waves" at room temperature, in other words, heat radiation.[2] It is also true that heating reduces the surface tension of water, but the effect of the radiation emitted by the balls is negligible compared to the radiation emitted by the internal walls of the washing machine or by the water, specially if it's hot water.[2]

The claim of alkalization is dubious, while it is true that the alkaline agents in normal washing powders catalyze the tensides, there are no studies suggesting that the washing pearls would affect the pH of the water.

Many products also claim that the balls contain "anti-chlorine" agents which are supposed to neutralize chlorine which has been added to the tap water.[8] Chloride and bleach related substances are actually common in washing powders and chlorine is used in the disinfection of tap water. The claims state that by removing chlorine from the washing water the surface tension is (again) reduced and harmful chlorine can't interact with the clothes, even though the amounts in tap water are very small both in Europe (0.**1.0 ml/l) and North-America (4 ml/l).[9]

Magnetic water softeners claim that their magnetic fields can help remove scale from the washing machine and pipes, and prevent new limescale from adhering.[*0] Some companies claim to remove hardness ions from water, or to precipitate the molecules in the water so they won't "stick" to the pipes.[*0]. The claims are dubious, the scientific basis is unclear, the working mechanism is vaguely defined and understudied, and high-quality studies report negative results.[*0] The reputation of these products is further damaged by the pseudoscientific explanations that promoters keep putting forward.[*0]

Some magnetic products claim that they "minimize the size of the water molecule", a claim that has no scientific basis.

Some manufacturers claim their products works by releasing negative ions which reduce the surface tension of water.[5] It is possible that OH− ions, or hydroxide, could be created, but not in a large quantity.[citation needed]

The effect of the laundry balls is probably explained by simple mechanical action and by the usage of hotter water.

The mechanical action of the laundry balls can help clean some types of spots.

Some manufacturers claim that their products reduce energy consumption, but their pamphlets recommend using hot water.[2] Hot water will clean some types of spots better than cold water,[2][4] leading some people to conclude that the balls worked.