Wash Day

Recently I received a box of Woolzies Dryer Balls to try out and I decided the perfect time to give them a shot was on the loads and loads of laundry that comes back with us when we go camping.

Now first keep in mind. I do not use store bought laundry detergent.  Some while back we switched to homemade for several reasons.  If you are interested in reading more about that follow this link. So please keep in mind, your results might be different than mine.  

Some of the claims about Woolzies dryer balls are:

Softens naturally

Reduces drying time by 25%

Reduces Static

Helps eliminate wrinkles

Now I have to say, I have a old year 2000 Kenmore dryer that takes a long time to dry clothes.

It usually takes at least two full cycles, 60 minutes each to dry our clothes, 120 minutes total.

Using the six Woolzies, drying time has reduced down to about 90 minutes or so.  Right now that doesn’t hit us as hard simply because we are living in military quarters so we do not pay for our electricity but when I move back to Fairbanks  I can imagine this would be a really big bonus. 

Also when I pull the clothes out they are definitely softer without the over powering perfume smell that laundry sheets usually impart.   The towels are soft and fluffy, my sons shirts which I bleach like crazy are not as "crunchy" as they typically are. 

As for static, its nonexistent with these.  No socks sticking to shirts, underwear sticking to pants or whatever. 

The only claim that I cannot really say anything about is the “helps eliminate wrinkles”.

There isn't a noticeable difference there but then I’m not exactly reliable about pulling out the clothes out of the dryer and folding them and putting them away right away so they have usually a bit of time of just sitting in the laundry basket, at the bottom of the stairs waiting for either my husband or I to lug it back up. 

Now after all this said, I have to add my extra two cents.  I love the fact that I can reuse these over and over.  The paperwork that arrived with these said they can be reused for over 1,000 washes.  Between the shorter drying time and the ability to reuse the dryer balls this is worth its weight to me as I’m all about saving a bit of money.   

Now onto the hard figures.  I’m going to take figures from Amazon simply because I do not have easy access to the cost of dryer sheets at the grocery store.

The cost online for Bounce Dryer sheets, 160 count is $6.84

That means if you use at least one sheet for each load that goes into the dryer it’s going to cost you .04 for each and every load.

If you purchase a box of 3 Woolzies directly from the site it will cost $17.99 plus 6.95 shipping.

Now seems like a lot to spend until you calculate it.  $17.99 divided by 1000 loads.

That means you will spend .01 per load.

Okay, .04 per load or .01 per load. Not too big a difference however there is the added benefit that you are not exposing your family to the numerous harsh chemicals which are toxic to the environment and possibly even more dangerous to your family. 

All in all, I suggest them thoroughly and I will be stocking up on a one or two more boxes, just so I have a few extras.