Absolutely Wash These! You won't regret it.I couldn't wait for these to arrive. I'd been coveting them for months. I had a few bottles of essential oils knocking around in my dresser drawer that were about to pass their prime. It was the perfect time to order my very own wool dryer balls and finish off my almost expired bottles of essential oils.First impressions:No amount of essential oil was going to mask the distinct odor of sheep; I was heartbroken. I did a little research (ok... maybe more than a little) and learned that the odor was typical and would fade in time. In time? I wasn't about to dry load after load waiting for the scent of fleur de fleece to subside. I took a chance and threw them in the washing machine - best idea ever (wish it was mine)! After three washes with hot water and detergent they were significantly better. I was afraid washing them may ruin them, but it didn't. I made a blend of lemon oil, lavender oil, and a little distilled water in a spray bottle and generously sprayed them before tossing them in the dryer with some towels. Hallelujah! The sheep-stink was gone, but I could barely detect my lavender-lemon blend. I put away the spray bottle and drop by drop I added the oils directly to the wool balls. To be exact, 9 drops lavender and 10 drops lemon per wool ball. I placed them in a large glass jar and let them marinate for a few hours. I'm on my fifth load and my laundry still smells amazing. I haven't even removed the wool balls from the dryer. I just let all six of them hang out waiting for the next load of wet laundry.My other concern was whether or not my darks would be covered in wool lint; a couple of reviews had me worried. I just dried my first load of darks and I'm thrilled to say there is no wool lint on any of my very-emo-daughter's clothing. I never would have heard the end of that. I think washing the wool balls first prevented them from shedding lint.Overall, I'm pretty happy with these. They truly do cut down on drying time and I'm not having any static cling issues. If you do have static cling you could attach a safety pin to one of the wool balls or throw in a waded up ball of foil. Just don't over dry your laundry and the static should ease up. I'm anxious to try another blend. Don't you just love fresh scented laundry? Breathe it in... *eyes roll back and lids flutter* ...aahhhhhBest wishes to anyone who does their family's laundry! You're a Superwoman! Or a Superman! Or a Superperson!(Update)It has been two weeks and I'm still happy with my sheep wool balls. I've added a couple photos so you can see how they're holding up. The wool balls are discolored from essential oils, but I expected that.Additionally, in my sincerest attempt to sound humble... what's with the tennis balls?I thought the main idea of wool balls was to cut down drying time and ditch the dryer sheets containing chemicals. Tennis balls are made from rubber and a thin layer of wool (sometimes nylon). That doesn't seem like enough wool to aid in drying. Besides, I wouldn't want hot rubber in my dryer with my laundry. Maybe I'm wrong; perhaps I'm missing something? I'd much rather shell out a few more bucks for 100% wool (solely wool). I just may eat ALL my words before long. It looks like some folks wool balls are unraveling? Drat.(Update #2 - I know, I'm a nerd)It's been nearly six months and they're still going strong! Occasionally, I toss them in the washing machine to keep our darks lint free. They're keeping their shape and doing their job.