I've been interested in finding an alternative to dryer sheets. I normally use Bounce (free & clear), but I've heard/read bad things about fabric softeners in general. Did you know dryer sheets and liquid fabric softener contain chemicals that are harmful to humans and the environment? Some liquid softeners even contain formaldehyde, yikes! Many of the chemicals found in dryer sheets have proven to be carcinogenic as well.
Enter: Woolzies - a simple ingenious idea. They are wool balls that you leave in your dryer and use instead of dryer sheets. They are 100% wool. Would something so simple, clean, and 'green' really work? They were kind enough to send me a sample so I could test them out myself. Guess what, they passed! I've been using them for over three months now and am very pleased with their performance and will continue to use them. As a consumer I was mainly testing Woolzies to see if they would prevent static cling and also 'soften' my clothes.
Pros: No static in all my normal loads - no missing socks clinging to sweaters. The balls just hang out in your dryer so you don't have to worry about an extra step of adding anything. Reduced my drying time - normally around 80 minutes (I do HUGE loads) down to about 60 minutes (this is on a low-heat setting). The wool balls do not shed or shrink. They are not loud in the dryer either. And in my opinion -- the best part is that they are made out of 100% wool, so no worries about weird chemicals covering our clothes and touching our bodies.
Cons: Sometimes the balls will get tangled up in the clothes or roll out of the dryer when I'm unloading...really no biggie to just toss them back in. Also I noticed slightly more static cling, but only in my whites/permanent press loads that usually have silky items that tend to have more static even when using dryer sheets.
$35.95 - gives you 6 wool balls and lasts about 1,000 loads...that works out to a little more than 3 cents/load. They have a great FAQ section on their website, so check it out. Eg. Can I use them if my skin has sensitivites to wool? (Yes you can!)
Note: I like to do LARGE loads of laundry (much to my mother's dismay). The 6 wool balls did fine handling my large loads.
Woolzies is a great company based out of New York and is offering to give one of my readers a chance to win a box of Woolzies Dryer Balls.
Enter for your chance to win by visiting their site: {click here} and leave a comment below about something new you learned about Woolzies dryer balls. For an extra entry you can also click on over to 'like' them on facebook and let me know you did so with another comment for an additional entry.
Giveaway ends 18 March 2013 at midnight Eastern Standard Time. Winner will be announced 19 March 2013 and will be contacted via email. Open to U.S. residents only.
Have a ball and dry some clothes!
5 comments:
I'm game for this! I knew of this company, but didn't know they were handmade by women in Nepal. I like that! Thanks, Liz.
Interesting. I am skeptical about the static cling factor here in dry winter vernal air. . . would give them a try though and maybe I will be surprised!
I saw these things in action and I loved them! Plus I have a soft spot for Nepalese women. Great company and product.
oooohh, thanks for the info and link. I would love to try these.
Steph you would love them!
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