Dispensing ball
Ball used to dispense fabric softener in clothes washing machines / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the device used in tumble dryers, see Dryer ball.
A dispensing ball is a special plastic ball used to dispense liquid fabric softener in clothes washing machines that lack built-in softener dispensers. Liquid fabric softener has to be added at the correct time to a load of laundry (the rinse cycle) in order to work effectively. In top-loading machines, the ball accomplishes this with no user input, other than the initial loading, and filling of the ball.