As part of my mission to become more eco-friendly, I began washing our clothes with cold water. Not only does washing with cold water save energy, but it also saves money; a savings of $0.50 or more per load! Once I learned about fragrance, the unnatural scented chemical additive that has been linked to all sorts of health issues, I began to avoid it at all costs. According to Klaus Ferlow, a Master Herbalist, 95% of the chemicals in fragrances are synthetic compounds of petroleum and are the same ones found in cigarette smoke. The chemicals are absorbed by your skin and the vapors are inhaled. Many skin allergies are directly linked to products using fragrance, specifically eczema, psoriasis and contact dermatitis. But it doesn’t stop there, fragrance chemicals can also effect the brain, respiratory system and endocrine system. Not to mention the harm it is causing on our indoor and outdoor air quality. For more detailed information on the harms of fragrance, check out this article.
So why am I talking about fragrance? Well because most fabric softeners includes fragrance (as well as many other toxic chemicals) and once I realized that, I started to get unscented stuff. Recently I learned about Woolzies Dryer Balls and now I’m pretty much a lifer.
Woolzies Dryer Balls are made of 100% pure wool and are an all-natural fabric softener. They are handmade in New Zealand and soften laundry without any chemicals, they also cut down drying time by an average of 25% per load! These dryer balls also help reduce wrinkles and static! They are hypo-allergenic and do not shed into the laundry, therefore they are safe for people with wool sensitivities. These dryer balls will last for 1,000 loads (money back guarantee), which make them super eco-friendly!
Each box of Woolzies contain six dryer balls. You use all six balls in every load that you dry. Since my daughter’s bedroom is right above the laundry room, I was concerned that the balls might knock around in the dryer, causing loud banging noises against the dryer barrel. Fortunately, I did not notice any additional noise coming from the dryer and neither did my daughter. I was skeptical that they would actually reduce dry time, but they sure enough did. I used to dry all of my clothes on a medium heat for 50-55 minutes, depending what I was drying and now they are done around the 35-40 minute marker. If you are a fan of scented fabric softener, then you can just add a couple drops of your favorite organic essential oil to a couple of the balls and fluff them up for about ten minutes. You will be delighted by the gentle scent that your clothes have throughout the day.
I’d definitely recommend the dryer balls and I’m excited for one lucky Minnesota From Scratch reader to win their very own set! To learn more about me and my eco-friendly lifestyle, read my interview over at EcoGrrl!
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What are some things you do around your home to keep it “eco-friendly”?
Hi, I'm Stephanie. I'm the best selling author of Can It & Ferment It, WECK Small-Batch Preserving and WECK Home Preserving. My fourth book, Small-Scale Homesteading, is now available for pre-order! I'm a certified master food preserver, food preservation instructor, organic gardener, chicken keeper and nature lover. I specialize in creating easy to follow recipes and directions to help other homesteaders meet their goals.
We recycle everything we can and try to think of creative uses for items before donating them or throwing them away. 🙂
We have a compost bin in our yard!
We recycle anything we can and I use norwex cleaning cloths so all I have to use it plain water to clean!
We keep our disposables down to a minimum-using glass containers for storage and real plates at every meal, real towels instead of paper. Plus we avoid BPAs
and god knows what else that’s in plastic.
I totally agree. People focus on BPA and pthalates, but what about everything else that is leeching out?! Best to just avoid it!
I totally agree. People focus on BPA and pthalates, but what about everything else that is leeching out?! Best to just avoid it!
We have energy-saving lightbulbs. We also recycle, use cloth diapers, and use cloths in place of paper towels. 🙂
Those are great ways to be eco-friendly! Thanks for sharing.
I’m happy that I hardly have any waste. Between recycling, composting, and a water filter (no water bottle) I produce less than one bag of trash a week!
We use reusable containers for school lunches and cloth napkins. Thanks for the great giveaway!
We reuse, repurpose, and recycle what we can (in that order!).
Thanks!
To be more eco friendly I rarely ever use paper towels and always reuse containers and bags such as margarine containers and produce bags.