Thursday, August 16, 2012

Goodness, Gracious, Great Balls of...Wool?

Lately I feel like I should nickname myself Oprah. Let me elaborate a bit, the more I dive into the world of cloth diapers and other eco-friendly alternatives, the more I find myself saying. "Wow! This is my new favorite thing!" I don't want to come off misleading, but I truly am finding a whole world of products I never knew existed, and loving all of them!(This next product is no exception) So, I apologize for my overuse of the phrase "favorite thing".

I've mentioned before that I tend to lean towards the "frugal" side of things. When I was introduced to this next product as a way to save time and money, I was hooked before I even tried them! What is this fantastic product? Well, its Woolzies 100% natural wool dryer balls. Wool dryer what-now? Wool dryer balls; they act as a drying-time-reducing-static-cling-killing-natural-fabric-softening dream come true. One of the first things you are told as a cloth diapering newbie is to avoid fabric softener and dryer sheets. The oils and chemicals in these products not only leave a reside in your appliances, they also leave a residue on your diapers that can make them ineffective. This got me thinking, if it's not "safe" to use on diapers, why would I use it on my clothes? So I've been doing my laundry with no softener and no dryer sheets. In Arizona, that's a recipe for crunchy laundry. With super hard water, clothes take a beating. Add line drying to that and you've got some pretty scratchy clothes. I was anxious to try out these dryer balls (I'm sure Polish Prince was looking forward to drying off after a shower and not worried about getting cuts from the towels...ok, it's not that bad, but you get the idea!) The folks behind Woolzies were fantastic and set me a set of dryer balls to review AND one of you will get your very own set as well! Keep reading!

When you get your "set" of Woolzies Dryer balls, you will get a sleeve of 6 balls. The directions state:
"Simply toss 6 or more balls into the dryer to create loft while dryer tumbles. Reduces drying time, wrinkles, and static without the harsh chemicals of conventional fabric softeners." 


Hm, ok, sounds easy enough! So I tested them first with a load of towels. I thought for sure that my brown towels would dye these pretty ivory wool balls or at the very least leave a lovely brown, pilly, residue. But when the dryer was done I checked it out, and the balls looked no different than when I put them in there in the first place! The FAQ section on their website states that the Woolzies will last at least one full year or 500 loads, and in most cases even longer. I can see why! I've been using these for a few weeks now and they still look brand new! So, for $35.99 you get 6 balls, I'm not a mathematician but let's break this down. $36 divided by a minimum of 500 loads of laundry is about 7cents a load. That's not even factoring in the energy savings and potential health benefits because they are chemical free! Sounds like a great deal to me! Side note: Allergy concerns? Woolzies states "Since the wool is not directly touching your skin and does not shed, everyone can use WOOLZIES without any allergic reactions." :)
B wanted you to see a close-up!

BUSTED!
An added bonus to using dryer balls...when removing clothes from the dryer, you'll have to keep an eye on these balls, especially if you have pets! The dryer balls end up stuffed in a shirt sleeve, in a pant leg, in the curved corners of a fitted sheet, the possibilities are endless! It is also slightly amusing when folding laundry and one of them pops out and rolls to the floor! Have a toddler? These will help to keep them entertained when you're folding laundry!













 Ok, now that I've got you hooked, here's how you get your own! You can order directly from their site here or take your chances on winning a set by using the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway




**Thank you to Woolzies for providing the items for review and giveaway. The opinions expressed are strictly my own and not influenced in any way**

2 comments:

  1. OMGoodness - that is one cute baby!
    I had to laugh when you mentioned watching out for pets. I have a couple of wool dryer balls, and my big ole 85lb. Plott Hound who has NEVER shown any interest toys, decided that my dryer balls are great for chewing on!

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    1. Thank you! :) I'm glad my puppies are the only ones that think these things are their new toys! Thanks for sharing! :)

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