Woolzies Dryer Balls Review and Giveaway!

As someone who turned her back on fabric softener a few years back, I’m always looking for effective and safe alternatives. Of course, adding distilled white vinegar to my wash has been one of my favorite eco-friendly changes. It’s easy. It’s cheap. And it works! 

If you’ve been following the blog, or at least the GG FB page, for long, you know I’m a huge fan of line drying. But let’s be practical. It’s the dead of winter, and line drying in the basement is just not the same as out in the sunshine. So, while I still hang my lingerie, tights and leggings on the line, I toss my sweaters, jeans, socks, etc. into the dryer.

That is why I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review Woolzies Dryer Balls! My daughter, Bethany, bought me 2 wool dryer balls a couple of years ago. I used them, but didn’t find any significant difference in drying time, static control or softness. However, the Woolzies Dryer Balls don’t come in 2-packs. No. These babies come in 6-packs and, let me tell you, they work!

   

    I’ve cut back my drying time by about 20% or so. The laundry is soft. And… as long as I don’t over dry the laundry, there is little-to-no static cling. Awesome.  
  

    In addition to the effectiveness of the Woolzies Dryer Balls, there are other things I simply love about them. Woolzies are 

• Handmade from pure New Zealand wool 
• Chemical-free 
• Hypo-allergenic, which means they’re even safe for people who are allergic to wool 
• PVC-free (unlike most of the plastic dryer balls) 
• Cost effective 
• Handmade by women in the democratic republic of Nepal, thus providing a steady source of income for these needy families

 

I am confident that my use of Woolzies Dryer Balls is good for the earth, good for my family, good for other families, good for the future, good for my dryer (unlike fabric softener sheets!), and good for future generations. I mean, seriously, what’s not to love about them?

The wool balls are soft and well made, unlike some other brands that unravel with time. And they are quiet. They gently bounce around the dryer, separating the wet laundry so it dries faster, with less wrinkles and, like I said, little-to-no static. Plus, they are guaranteed for over 1,000 loads! Based on the amount of laundry my husband and I dry in the dryer, they quite simply might outlive me! These are winners, folks, and I am happy to give them 2 green thumbs up!

I wholeheartedly recommend that you head over to their website right now and purchase a box. While they may seem costly, at $34.95, the reduced drying time will make up for this cost in no time! It will be like getting paid to buy them! And if you are someone who still uses liquid fabric softener or dryer sheets (shame on you!), there will be even more of a savings for you because you will no longer be adding fabric softener to your cart at the grocery store.

Or… if you’d like to wait, you can enter to win a box of Woolzies Dryer Balls, as the kind folks at Soft By Nature, Inc. have offered to send a set to a lucky reader of this review. Just enter below in the Rafflecopter and I’ll announce a winner on Valentine’s Day. Now won’t that be sweet?

The giveaway runs from 2/6 through 2/13. Must be 18 or older to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclaimer: I was given a free set of Woolzies Dryer Balls to test. I was not otherwise compensated for this post and the above review contains only my honest unbiased opinions of the product. I am not compensated in any way if you choose to purchase this product.

Thursday's Truths and Tidbits

I hate cancer.

Later today, we'll be going to my daughter's mother-in-law's viewing. She just turned 51 in the middle of June. Now she's gone. Cancer ate away at her until she could no longer fight it. And, plainly speaking, that sucks.

Cancer. That insidious disease that just worms its way in and wreaks havoc wherever it goes. Yet we still don't seem to get it. We surround ourselves with carcinogens and we joke about it, "Well, I'm gonna die sometime." Yeah, real funny.

For the most part, I've come to accept that we cannot rid our lives of carcinogens and other toxins completely. After all, no matter what we do in our own homes, once we step foot outside, we're exposed.

We eat at a restaurant on a table that's been cleaned with bleach. We go to the restroom and breathe in air freshener with naphthalene. We wash our hands with antibacterial soap with triclosan. We work in office buildings or schools full of formaldehyde and other toxins. Our neighbors douse their yards with Roundup. The list goes on and on. And on and on. And it's enough to make us ... well ... sick!

Recently, my husband and I stayed at a B&B. It was lovely, until I laid my head down on the pillow and breathed in a nice whiff of fabric softener!! Gasp. Gag. Gross.

We can't get away from it. Do you know why they label something as a carcinogen? Because it's been proven to cause cancer. What part of that do people not get?????

Do not use toxic shampoos on your baby's tender scalp. Do not use sunscreens on your kids that are high on the list of toxins on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. Be a responsible parent and check these things out. Don't just assume that they are safe because they have the words "gentle" or "natural" or "safe for baby" on them. Advertisers lie. The FDA does not have your best interest in mind. Every day we learn of more and more hazardous products that the FDA deemed safe.

And while I'm on a rant ... it's about those stupid pink ribbons. I'm all for research. I'm all for finding a cure. What I'm not for is the fact that they slap the pink ribbons on anything that will accept them, without checking to see if any of the ingredients cause cancer ... and many of them do. There are no words.

Parents -- you have to be proactive in keeping your kids safe. Can you protect them completely from carcinogens? Unfortunately, no. But you can do your best, and I encourage you to do just that. For many of us, like my daughter's mother-in-law, it's too late. We are part of a generation that didn't know any better. We embraced innovation without regards to potential dangers. We ditched natural products for ones laden with chemicals we couldn't pronounce because they promised better results. Yikes.

You have some choices. Use them wisely.

And that's it for today's truths and tidbits. Any thoughts?