I have recently learned that there are an incredible amount of ways to "go green" and save yourself some money, just by changing the way you handle things around your house. I've scoured the Internet and have found many recipes on various soaps and cleaning products and out of everything that I've came across, my favorite would have to be wool dryer balls. The Graceful Mom hand makes wool dryer balls which are the eco friendly alternative to a store bought dryer sheet. The more research I did on dryer balls the more I was sold. Did you know that dryer sheets are loaded with chemicals and really have no benefit other than the extremely light scent they leave on your clothes and the minimal static they reduce. With wool dryer balls, you're not only saving yourself money but you're avoiding putting extra chemicals around your clothing, you're reducing static, and you're cutting down time in the dryer. Are you sold yet?
Bethany, the owner of The Graceful Mom is a mother of two who works full time along with owning her Etsy shop. Bethany has a passion for making things for her kids and finding ways to balance work, family, and having other interests on the side. She started The Graceful Mom after making the switch to cloth diapers when her daughter was four months old. She started with wool dryer balls because of the simple fact that you can't use fabric softener or dryer sheets with cloth diapers. She started selling her dryer balls to her local growers group and they were an instant hit. When her family moved, she began focusing her energy into selling her dryer balls in her shop along with other items hand knit and crocheted from natural fibers. All of The Graceful Mom's dryer balls are made from 100% wool and most are naturally colored from local wool. Here is some extremely useful information directly from The Graceful Mom:
"Sweet Gumballs Wool Dryer Balls are made with 100% wool to the core. They are an excellent alternative to dryer sheets, fabric softener, and plastic PVC balls. They are 2.5-3 oz in weight. The most effective dryer balls are measured by weight, not circumference, so each dryer ball varies slightly in size. They are felted 4 times by an exceptional process to ensure that they are well-felted and will not unravel.
Wool absorbs up to 30% of its weight in water so these dryer balls soften clothes, reduce drying time, save money, reduce static, reduce wrinkles, and are reusable for years. They also work by lifting and separating, which allows air to flow better. GREAT for cloth diapers, especially AIOs.
Using 4 dryer balls on a 90 minute cycle will cut a small load of laundry approximately in 1/2 and a large load by 1/4! The more you use the better they work. They can be used on cloth diapers and all other laundry. Pilling may occur. They can be shaved if bothersome but it does not affect the performance of the dryer ball. If anything it may help them work better by providing more surface area and friction. They may also shrink slightly in size as the wool continues to felt.
Instructions for use: Toss them in the dryer and go. There is no need to remove them in between loads and no need to wash. If they do get dirty (thanks to little hands playing with them or dogs gumming them) wash with normal laundry. We recommend starting with 4 dryer balls and adding more later. The more you add, the shorter your drying time.
Note: Static will not go away completely, especially during winter months. To further reduce static, add vinegar during your rinse cycle in your washing machine. Be careful not to over dry clothes.
Made in the USA with local wool. Most also contain luxurious alpaca blend. Sold individually. Additional colors available--most are natural colored (undyed) wool and currently unscented".
Wool absorbs up to 30% of its weight in water so these dryer balls soften clothes, reduce drying time, save money, reduce static, reduce wrinkles, and are reusable for years. They also work by lifting and separating, which allows air to flow better. GREAT for cloth diapers, especially AIOs.
Using 4 dryer balls on a 90 minute cycle will cut a small load of laundry approximately in 1/2 and a large load by 1/4! The more you use the better they work. They can be used on cloth diapers and all other laundry. Pilling may occur. They can be shaved if bothersome but it does not affect the performance of the dryer ball. If anything it may help them work better by providing more surface area and friction. They may also shrink slightly in size as the wool continues to felt.
Instructions for use: Toss them in the dryer and go. There is no need to remove them in between loads and no need to wash. If they do get dirty (thanks to little hands playing with them or dogs gumming them) wash with normal laundry. We recommend starting with 4 dryer balls and adding more later. The more you add, the shorter your drying time.
Note: Static will not go away completely, especially during winter months. To further reduce static, add vinegar during your rinse cycle in your washing machine. Be careful not to over dry clothes.
Made in the USA with local wool. Most also contain luxurious alpaca blend. Sold individually. Additional colors available--most are natural colored (undyed) wool and currently unscented".
When my two dryer balls arrived in the mail I was giddy and jumping with excitement. Any way to cut down the costs of living, I am willing to try! As soon as I ripped open the package, I threw them in the dryer and went to grab a load of wash! The two dryer balls that I received are a little bit bigger than a tennis ball and are undyed and unscented. After doing a few loads of drying with them, I was super impressed to see that they had not lost their shape, size, nor had they come unraveled at all!
I expected the dryer balls to be noisy but in fact I hardly heard them while the dryer was going! We have a really old dryer at our house (we rent and it came with the house) so needless to say it is not a HE dryer by any means. I typical large load of laundry takes over an hour to dry, diapers take about that as well, and a small load takes about 40 minutes. I was so excited that with the help of my new dryer balls, a large load of laundry only took about 45 minutes to dry, diapers took about 40 minutes to dry, and a small load only took 30 minutes! In my book, that is record breaking time! Our clothes (and diapers) had no static that I could tell and it felt so great pulling my clothes out knowing that there were no added chemicals in them!
It is recommended that you have between 4-6 dryer balls per load to even further reduce the dry time and help further to eliminate static. My larger load of laundry and Baby A's cloth diapers could have dried faster if we had additional dryer balls.
A typical dryer ball can last for many years assuming that little hands or pets do not get to it and destroy it first! I have even read that some dryer balls can last up to eight years. Yes, you read that correctly, EIGHT years! That's eight years of never spending money on dryer sheets AND cutting down your energy bill by reducing the amount of dry time. Why the heck would you not make the switch to dryer balls?
I highly recommend that you throw out your dryer sheets (or use them up to be economical) and invest in a set of dryer balls for yourself. You will be so impressed with their quality and the noticeable difference you will see in your laundry and in your household bills! The Graceful Mom makes it so easy to get started with their affordable prices and cute colors! Head on over to The Graceful Mom and take charge of your new healthy habits!
*This review is 100% original and in my own words. Everything written is from my own personal view point and opinions. All photos have been taken by me unless stated otherwise. I have been provided with product to review by The Graceful Mom however I have not been compensated monetarily for this review.
My issue is static-how did you feel they did with that? I had the plastic ones years ago and cut my dryer sheets in 1/2. I couldn't not use it or my clothes and hair were all stuck together.
ReplyDeletewwcd23 at yahoo dot ca
I was sent two dryer balls for review and I've noticed that with small loads of laundry I have extremely little to no static however in larger loads I still do have static just because I am not using the recommended amount of dryer balls for a normal to large load (between 4 and 6 balls). I actually put it to the test yesterday with my sweater that is a static magnet and a couple of pairs of panties (sorry, TMI) along with a few other small things. Usually when I dry panties with that sweater they ALL stick to it! Drives me crazy. Yesterday when I took my laundry out I was in disbelief when there was nothing stuck to it!! Again, this load had maybe 8-10 items of clothing max, it was a small load, but with the two dryer balls the attic was totally eliminated and the load only took about 25 minutes to dry! Hope that helps! I highly recommend, I love these things! :)
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