Tag Archives: Wool Dryer Balls

Dryer balls: something I’ve come across time and time again when perusing cloth-diapering blogs, yet not something I’ve ever used. Here’s the little I do know about them.

Plastic Dryer Balls: I’ve seen these at the grocery story in the laundry section. They come in a package of two, they’re blue and they look like they belong in the aisle with the pet toys. Seriously. The package says they naturally soften clothes (by pummeling them around, I suppose?) and will decrease drying time up to 25%. I’ve never even been moderately tempted to buy any, maybe because I don’t use fabric softener and I’m perfectly happy with the softness of my clothes without it and maybe because I’m skeptical.

Wool Dryer Balls: I’ve also come across dryer balls in green living blogs because they also supposedly soften clothes, require less drying time and decrease static electricity. Living in a … Read More

When laundering cloth diapers, there is a list of detergent additives that are cautioned. This is due to the effects they have on your cloth diapers or baby’s skin. Some may be fine for your regular laundry, but not always for cloth diapers. The additives to look out for are:

Brighteners
Chlorine Bleach
Dyes
Enzymes
Fragrance
Softeners

How are you supposed to remember all of that? You don’t have to. Simply follow the recommendations of the manufacturer. Our Customer Center and FAQs should have all the information you will need.

For those of you who like to know the Whys, I would like to explain the reasons why these additives are not recommended. This is my fifth and last post on the issue, with this one addressing Softeners.

Fabric softeners work by coating your laundry with oils and other ingredients that stay on the fabric, leaving it soft and … Read More

Fabric softeners work by coating your laundry with oils and other ingredients that stay on the fabric, leaving it soft and static free. But it also leaves a water-repelling residue and possible carcinogens on your laundry. Fabric softener will also deposit on the inside of your dryer or washer; so if you use fabric softener on your other laundry, the softener will deposit on the cloth diapers when they are washed and dried. The residue will make your cloth diapers less absorbent, as well as deteriorating any water-proof laminate. The residue can usually be removed, but damage to laminate is irreversible.

To remove residue, run three hot wash cycles with a cloth diaper safe detergent followed by a rinse. Prevention is the best option, helping you to avoid frustration and wasted money and resources. There is another option to keep your laundry soft when using the dryer.

Wool Dryer Balls… Read More