For preparing good baked goods, for dyeing or straightening hair, for preserving food or wrapping leftovers… Aluminium foil is an indispensable tool at home and its uses are manifold. Including an unknown but very judicious use that you probably didn’t know about: it protects your clothes with every wash and prevents them from becoming electrified. Quickly discover this brilliant trick!
In fact, when you wash your clothes in the washing machine, a certain amount of electrical charge is immediately released. This can significantly damage clothes by wearing down textiles or even tearing fragile fabrics. This static electricity can come from the washing machine itself or from the rubbing of the laundry during washing. Hence the phenomenon of electrification of fabrics, which is often annoying and unsightly. So why would it be useful to embed 3 balls of aluminium foil in the drum? We explain it all.

Aluminium ball – Source: spm

Why do you need to embed aluminium foil balls in the washing machine?
The washing machine is where the most static electricity builds up, as the more clothes rub against each other when drying, the more electrical charge is generated.

By introducing small balls of aluminium foil with each wash, you will notice that they absorb all the static energy, thus preventing the clothes from being damaged or electrified.

The method is very easy to do: just insert three balls of aluminium foil, the size of a golf ball, and follow the usual steps for each detergent, with the detergent and the washing programme you usually use.

NB : in the case where the clothes you wear tend to drain a lot of electricity, it is essential to use a detergent during the washing cycle, as well as a short washing programme in order not to aggravate this problem.

Taking the laundry out of the washing machine – Source: spm

What is aluminium foil made of?
Aluminium is a chemical element extracted from a material called “bauxite”. It is a non-ferromagnetic metal, i.e. it does not possess the necessary compounds to be easily magnetised. Aluminium foil is thus obtained thanks to the balance of iron and silicon, as well as 98.5% aluminium. In addition, aluminium foil is very flexible and is an excellent conductor of heat.

Other unsuspected uses of aluminium foil
In addition to the ones we have already mentioned, aluminium foil can help us in our daily lives to simplify certain tasks or solve a lot of small annoyances.