Thanks to Soft By Nature, Inc. for providing a package of Woolzies Dryer Balls to Facilitate this review.
Several years ago when my oldest child was a baby my in-laws gave me a gift of dryer balls so that I would not use liquid or dryer sheet fabric softeners. At this point I had never heard of the potential harm that could come to my kids by using chemical softeners. They essentially render any fire retardant built into fabric, like for child’s pijamas, obsolete and ineffective. Also chemical fabric softeners can irritate the skin even for as sweet as they may smell. With my baby having sensitive skin I knew I had to find alternatives to my favorite detergents and softeners. So, these plastic dryer balls seemed to be the answer. The only problems were they were loud and I always thought they would beat the clothes to pieces. Turns out the dryer beat them to pieces. By the time my second child was born the plastic dryer balls were brittle and one was already broken. Then began my search for something better. I did in time purchase another set of plastic dryer balls and a Bounce dryer bar (I know, shame on me, but it smells good and no one was irritated by it). Problem was I could not use them together. The plastic dryer balls beat my first dryer bar to pieces :(.
Then some blogger acquaintances of mine told me about Woolzies dryer balls. Thankfully, Soft By Nature, Inc. was willing to share a box of them in exchange for my review. I received them a few weeks ago and have been using them with every load of laundry I wash – from dish towels and bath towels to delicates and jeans. Six wool dryer balls come in a box. My first impression was mixed. They are soft and not at all as heavy as plastic dryer balls, but they smell like, well, sheep. I unfortunately inherited a very sensitive sense of smell from my mother so the extremely natural odor of the balls was off-putting at first. I had to dry them out anyway.
They claim to reduce drying time by 25% and since I did not sit next to the dryer with a timer and compare I can’t really comment on that. What I did notice was a reduction in static and, best for me, a reduction in wrinkles. I have a very bad habit of forgetting clothes in the dryer and I was very pleased to find that even after an extended period of time the clothes came out with fewer creases. My husband has a few pairs of Chaps jeans that we purchased at Kohl’s and for some reason that denim creases really, REALLY badly. Though they still came out slightly wrinkled after using the Woolzies Dryer Balls, that’s the thing they were only “slightly” wrinkled. That was impressive (BTW, I was not using the Bounce Dryer bar at the time either). Another thing that I really appreciated was that the dryer balls were not loud in the dryer. This made it much easier to run loads in the dryer late in the evening and early in the morning when everyone else was still asleep without disturbing them.
One thing that bothered me in the back of my mind was that they were made out of wool – what about people who are sensitive to wool and/or lanolin? In reading the promotional materials sent with the package and the FAQs on the Woolzies.com site I discovered that the wool of the balls will not shed onto the clothes in the dryer and thus are safe for people with wool sensitivities. Though this is not a concern for me I know there are many who are sensitive to wool.
What Makes Woolzies Dryer Balls Unique?
- All Natural Fabric Softener – no chemicals involved
- 25% reduction in drying time
- Reduces static
- Helps eliminate wrinkles
- Safe for those with wool sensitivities
- Hypoallergenic
- Handmade from fine New Zealand wool
- Guaranteed to last for 1000 loads!
I got thinking about this last fact and how long it would take a family like the Duggars to wear out the Woolzies. At an estimated 63 loads of laundry a week the dryer balls would need to be replaced in 4 months. Compared to purchasing the most popular liquid fabric softener that lasts for 150 loads for the larger container at $9.99 (approx. $70 over 4 months) the $34.99 for a box of Woolzies is a bargain! Granted that is extreme but it gives you an idea of how much you can save monetarily AND chemically. For me it would take between 2 and 4 years to wear these out! WOW!
Do You Like Having A Nice Scent To Your Laundry?
One thing you may miss when using a dryer ball as opposed to a chemical based softener is the fragrance. My mother-in-law would tell you, “Get a life!” like she told her daughter 😛 LOL. You can use your all natural wool dryer balls to impart a fresh scent to your laundry with your favorite essential oil. After the drying cycle has finished set your dryer to Air Fluff (no heat) and add a few drops, 2 to 4, of your favorite essential oil on a Woolzies dryer ball. Set it to run for 10 or 15 minutes and VOILA – perfectly perfumed and totally naturally treated clothes. You can’t do that with a plastic dryer ball. Why not in the normal drying cycle? The heat destroys the fragrance so you’d be wasting your precious essential oil. An extra step but totally worth it.
Check out the Woolzies.com website for more FAQs and also to order your own box of pure wool dryer balls. You can also order a gift wrapped package to send to your friends or family.
Disclosure: Soft By Nature, Inc. provided product free of charge to facilitate this review. My opinions are my own and based on my experiences with the product.
Firstly, I’m a mom and wife. Professionally, IT consulting is my job and blogging is the outlet for my passions. I write about things that affect the everyday life of a stay-at-home parent or any parent for that matter such as parenting, relationships, discipline, the media, product reviews, giveaways, social media, food, cooking, gardening and anything else that might come my way.
