Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Woolzies Drier Balls Giveaway

I recently stumbled upon the opportunity to test products for a company (something I have been wanting to do for a LONG time), and as it turned out, this company just so happened to be Woolzies, the 100% natural, handmade, New Zealand wool drier ball company. I have been wanting to get my hand on some of these ever since I started cloth diapering, as I heard that they helped reduce drying time, as well as... and this was the most important factor for me... help to naturally soften your clothes. You see, when you cloth diaper, you are not allowed to use any softeners  in your wash routine, as this leads to build up in the fabric and will eventually leads to repelling, which then equates to leaks. Not good. So, you have to look for other tricks to help keep your diapers soft, without that magic bottle of Downey. Softening my diapers didn't really become a concern for me until I started using prefolds and fitteds, and since they are made from natural fabrics, they are more prone to becoming stiff and less squishy. So, I started researching my options. I tried vinegar in my rinse cycle, but that didn't really do much. Then I read about dryer balls, specifically the wool variety, and I became very interested in trying them out. They claim to cut down on dry time, by separating the clothing in the dryer and properly allowing the air to circulate, as well as naturally softening your clothes by, essentially  beating them in the dryer. So, when I came upon this opportunity, I HAD to jump at the chance to test these things out!

My package of dryer balls arrived in the mail last week, and I immediately set to work using them. They come in a package of 6, and are approximately 10.5" around, made of felted New Zealand Wool. I used them both in drying my clothing as well as my cloth diapers, 3 times each, and while I didn't notice a notable decrease in dry time, I did notice that my laundry came out softer, which is what I was after in the first place. For me, personally, the softness factor with my clothing isn't as important as it is with my diapers, since I can just use fabric softener to get the same effect, but for my diapers, this was a big plus. Some how, these dryer balls actually managed to make my prefolds (the worst culprits of stiffness) softer than they were previously. It's not just a little bit softer, either, but a notable difference. Do they feel like they did when they were brand new? No. But I think that's largely to due to my hard water, which they've been washed in for so long, but they did feel a lot softer than they usually do coming out of the dryer, than when I dry them without the dryer balls. I'm interested in seeing what effect these have on my new diapers, which I just prepped this week, and have only been dried using these dryer balls. They're super soft, of course, but I'm really curious to see if these dryer balls help to extend that new fluffy feeling for much longer in these new diapers.

Anyway, my conclusion to all this, is that if you cloth diaper, especially with natural fibers, I would definitely recommend these dryer balls to help keep your diapers soft. They didn't really cut down on dry time for me, but they did manage to make my diapers notably softer, which is what I wanted them for in the first place. On top of that, the package says that they are good for up to 1000 dry cycles, so, if you plan to use them just for your diapers, like I do, that means that they will last about 5 1/2 years if you wash every other day, or almost 9 years if you wash every 3 days! Taking into account that the average child potty trains at 3 years,  these dryer balls should get you through at least 2-3 children in cloth diapers (if this is all you use your dryer balls for). So, are they worth it? Ya, I think so.


So.... would you like to win a free set for yourself? Just fill out the raffle copter form below, and you will be entered for a chance to win a free 6 pack from Woolzies! The giveaway will be open until 12am EST on Friday January 18th.


To buy a pack for yourself, go to any of these reatailers:
 Amazon, Drugstore.com, Woolzies, Clothdiaper.com 





a Rafflecopter giveaway








50 comments:

  1. I want to win these because I have been anxious to try them. I would like to shorten my drying time.

    Entered the rafflecopter form as "Wild Orchid"
    Thanks for the cool giveaway!

    wildorchid985 @ gmail dot com

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  2. I would like to reduce my drying time.

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  3. I would like to stop using dryer sheets

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  4. I always wanted to try dryer balls.

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  5. I'm allergic to all fabric softeners and really need something to reduce static!

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  6. This works great for reducing static! I forgot to mention that in my review, as I don't get much static with my diapers, but these really do work wonderfully for that purpose!

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  7. I already have a few Woolzies and I LOVE them! It would be great to win some more so that I don't have to fish them out of the laundry each/have more for big things like comforters!
    Alessandra Peterson

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  8. I would love to be able to shorten my drying time and hopefully get rid of some static.

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  9. I would love to use them with cloth diapers since you can't use dryer sheets!

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  10. Because you can never have enough dryer balls!

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  11. I want to reduce drying time and save money

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  12. I'd really like to make my laundry routine more efficient by using these!

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  13. I've been dying to try dryer balls, I'd love to win!

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  14. I have a pack of Woolzies already, but could use a few more for larger loads!

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  15. I would like to use these because I hate, hate, HATE those toxic dryer sheets!

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  16. I want more dryer balls. I made my own, but they didn't felt up.

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  17. I'd love to replace my plastic dryer balls with natural Woolzies! They'd be perfect for my cloth diaper laundry. :)

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  18. i would like to reduce drying time, we have long since stopped using dryer sheets but would love to find something to make our clothes fluffy again :)

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  19. I tried three dryer balls, and love them, but they are not enough... would love some more, and would love to try Woolzies.

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  20. Why wouldn't I want to try them. I would really love to add to my dryer ball stash.

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  21. I really need a few more dryer balls to use with our cloth diapers. It helps reduce drying time.

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  22. I've wanted to try them since I first heard about them but never have the extra money. Plus my diaper stash is a little too small and doesn't dry well I'm hoping some dryer balls would help the problem.

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  23. Would love the opportunity to save some time on drying as well as help the environment more so than I am now.

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  24. I would LOVE to try these out!!!

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  25. I have been wanting to try something like this!

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  26. Dryer balls are a nice addition to cloth diapering families.

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  27. I've only recently discovered these and I'd love to try them out!

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  28. I have a few dryer balls but they always seem to find the cat of baby and never say in the dryer.

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  29. i would give these to my sister.. she loves them!!

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  30. I am about to start using cloth diapers and I've heard they are great for those who cloth diaper, plus I would use them with all of our laundry to cut down the time they spend in the dryer and therefore extend the life of our clothing!

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  31. They seem really nice and ive been wanting to try them

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  32. I really want to try the Woolzies because they are a natural way to dry clothes without chemicals and they would save on drying time and save me money on electricity! terri.moore 30 at yahoo dot com

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  33. I have some dryer balls made from wool yarn that always fall apart in the end... Woolzies balls look like they would be a little more durable!
    maria.the.uncommon at gmail dot com

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  34. I love that they shorten the drying time thus saving energy!

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  35. because I would love to give some as a gift for my mom :)

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  36. I would love these to help cut down on dry time for my diapers, plus we don't use any drier sheets and could really use these!

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  37. Our current dryer balls are starting to felt and will need replacement soon.

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  38. I would love to win because my dryer is poo and takes three rounds to dry diapers :'(

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  39. We are trying to green our lives as much as possible and doing things like having to dry a load of towels 3 times isn't green

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  40. i would like to win these for my mother in law, she was very interested in my dryer balls when she visited for the holidays, i think i have a convert.

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  41. Woolzies Dryer Balls would help me cut down my cloth diaper drying time in the dryer...saving me time and money!

    heaventaste @ hotmail dot com

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  42. i would love these dryer balls to help save even more energy than i already do with my HE dryer :)

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  43. I am trying to switch over, piece by piece, our life to be more economically contious and respectful. I love that the dryer balls are all natural, chemical free, shorten drying time and overall reduce our carbon footprint. I really can't hardy wait to try them. If they are as amazing as I have heard, I don't think I will ever look back to dryer sheets!

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  44. Too save some money on dryer sheets and they're chemical free!

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  45. I've been dying to try these to reduce dryer time and make my clothes softer!

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  46. I'm in love with dryer balls and would love to have a few more!

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  47. Felt Dryer balls Handmade in Nepal.
    mail us at:info@kalpanacraft dot com

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