Original sentence: Initially, the ball floats on top of the water in a top-loading washer (front-loading washers cannot use the ball because it needs a vertically aligned cylinder for the release mechanism to work).The ball stays this way through the first few normal cycles.The liquid fabric softener is kept inside the ball by a rubber gasket connected to a rubber weight that hangs toward the center of the ball.The seal that is formed can withstand a fairly hefty force, which you can see for yourself if you try to open it