Woolzies Dryer Balls review and giveaway

        In starting this whole cloth diaper journey, I have been exposed to a new product that I had never heard of before: wool dryer balls. For those who don't know, combining cloth diapers and fabric softeners is a big no-no because you can affect the absorbency of the diapers with all the softeners and chemicals from normal dryer sheets and liquid softener. So to help keep clothes soft, many cloth diapering families use wool dryer balls to help dry their laundry in an eco-friendly and cloth diaper safe manner. 
       I had yet to purchase any for myself when I had the opportunity from Soft By Nature, Inc. to try their product - Woolzies dryer balls - and offer a giveaway on my blog. I jumped at the chance and have been so happy to get to try them out. 
        A six-pack box of Woolzies dryer balls costs $34.95. Like cloth diapers, these dryer balls are a higher initial investment than the alternative, but they save you money in the long run because they are guaranteed to last for 1,000 drying cycles. 
        Here are the pros for using Woozies dryer balls:

• Regular fabric softeners, both in liquid and dryer sheets, contain harsh chemicals which are toxic to the environment and even more dangerous to people who have allergic reactions to them. The elderly, ailing and small children can suffer from a variety of negative symptoms which are really just allergic reactions to the harsh chemicals contained in these commercial fabric softening products. Also, many commercial dryer liquids and sheets contain chemicals that destroy the fire retardant qualities of children's and adult's clothing! For more information on the chemicals in fabric softeners, read this article. 
• Additionally, because Woolzies bounce around in your dryer, they help separate and create space between your laundry which allows the hot air to circulate better and cuts down on drying time by about 25 percent in large loads and as much as 35-40 percent in small loads. This of course saves both time and money for you and energy for the environment.
• Woolzies are guaranteed to last for 1,000 loads or your money back.
• They are handmade in the democratic republic of Nepal where they provide a steady source of income to desperately needy women.
• Because the wool is not directly touching your skin and does not shed, even those with wool allergies can use Woolzies. 

      I have been using the Woolzies dryer balls for about a week now. I have found that they stand up to all their promises and have decreased my drying time for several loads of laundry (including my cloth diaper inserts). As a plus, they make my laundry just as soft as conventional fabric softeners. The true results of this test came last night when my husband rolled over in bed and said, "The sheets feel really soft." This from my husband who couldn't tell you the difference between 300 thread count and 3,000 thread count sheets. Owen also loves to play with the dryer balls while I am switching laundry from the washer to the dryer. We had a fantastically fun evening throwing them back and forth for about twenty minutes while I was doing diaper laundry. 

       The only complaint I have about the balls is that they are pretty noisy. So running a load of laundry in the dryer with them after Owen's bedtime is not possible because the laundry closet is right across from his bedroom. But during the day with all the noise of the house and a toddler running around, it's not that noticeable. And depending on where your laundry area is in your house, you might be just fine doing laundry after your kids or you are asleep. 

      
      You can order a set for yourself here or you can try your luck to win some for yourself in my giveaway.

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