About a year ago I started experimenting with making my own laundry soap. The first batch I attempted was a liquid laundry soap. While I enjoyed this type of laundry soap, I did dislike having to mix it up each time I wanted to use it-- it always seemed to create a gel layer on top, no matter how much I mixed it. I did like that I was able to add some essential oils to it so that it smelled really good but the smell didn't transfer to the laundry, it washed out in the washing machine. Next I tried some powdered laundry soap. I like this for the ease of preparation-- no melting of soap, I just grate my soap, add the other ingredients and it is good to go. One of the biggest benefits with homemade laundry detergent is we do have whiter whites with it. We have VERY hard water (even with a whole house filter plus a water softener) and our whites turn dingy quickly.
As I was getting low in my fabric softener sheets for the dryer, I came across some wool dryer balls on Pinterest. I was intrigued-- I hate using those chemical laden dryer sheets but if I don't use something our clothes are full of static, especially during the winter. Here is the pin I found:
So I went on a search for 100% wool yarn. I have to admit, this was a challenge! I looked at some local super centers but wasn't able to find 100% wool. I looked on line and the prices weren't bad but once you added in shipping (which was usually more than the actual yarn was) it really added up. So one Saturday when Hubby and I were out and about, I had him stop at a craft store. After much digging through all the yarn we finally found several 100% wool yarn bundles. I picked a color I liked (not that it really matters but they do look nice sitting in a bowl in the dryer when not in use) and ended up spending just over $6 which included tax. I was able to make 6 wool dryer balls with it. Since I am anticipating that the balls should last a long time, the price is very good when compared to what I probably spent on the chemical sheets.
I followed the directions on this website: One Good Thing By Jillee. However I noticed when I put wool dryer balls in the search engine on Pinterest that several other sites came up as well.
I have been using the dryer balls now for just over a week. My essential oils haven't made it into the laundry area yet so I haven't tried that yet but I am still very happy with these. Why? It shortens drying time quite a bit- especially if I put all 6 balls in there. No chemicals get on our clothes. No static or clinging and our clothes are just as soft as before.
The only downfall? It can get kind of loud when you are drying something with the balls bouncing around in there. More so if your dryer isn't quite full and you place several of the balls in there (like I did with some rags I washed recently!) they really bounce and bang around. It usually quiets down the longer the dryer goes so it really isn't that big of a deal.
Don't forget to check out my giveaway....it would make a great little addition to your valentine's present to a loved one!
As I was getting low in my fabric softener sheets for the dryer, I came across some wool dryer balls on Pinterest. I was intrigued-- I hate using those chemical laden dryer sheets but if I don't use something our clothes are full of static, especially during the winter. Here is the pin I found:
So I went on a search for 100% wool yarn. I have to admit, this was a challenge! I looked at some local super centers but wasn't able to find 100% wool. I looked on line and the prices weren't bad but once you added in shipping (which was usually more than the actual yarn was) it really added up. So one Saturday when Hubby and I were out and about, I had him stop at a craft store. After much digging through all the yarn we finally found several 100% wool yarn bundles. I picked a color I liked (not that it really matters but they do look nice sitting in a bowl in the dryer when not in use) and ended up spending just over $6 which included tax. I was able to make 6 wool dryer balls with it. Since I am anticipating that the balls should last a long time, the price is very good when compared to what I probably spent on the chemical sheets.
I followed the directions on this website: One Good Thing By Jillee. However I noticed when I put wool dryer balls in the search engine on Pinterest that several other sites came up as well.
I have been using the dryer balls now for just over a week. My essential oils haven't made it into the laundry area yet so I haven't tried that yet but I am still very happy with these. Why? It shortens drying time quite a bit- especially if I put all 6 balls in there. No chemicals get on our clothes. No static or clinging and our clothes are just as soft as before.
The only downfall? It can get kind of loud when you are drying something with the balls bouncing around in there. More so if your dryer isn't quite full and you place several of the balls in there (like I did with some rags I washed recently!) they really bounce and bang around. It usually quiets down the longer the dryer goes so it really isn't that big of a deal.
Don't forget to check out my giveaway....it would make a great little addition to your valentine's present to a loved one!
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