Totally Felted!
In March I was lucky enough to find a wonderful WAHM to sponsor a review for wool dryer balls! Elicia Arwin from Totally Felted on Etsy sent me SIX of her beautiful, hand-made wool dryer balls! I was a little skeptical about trying wool balls just because of how pricey they can get & if they would actually cut out drying time. You know what? They actually DO! Now, convincing me that something works is a little tough, but it's my husband that needs major convincing. He pretty much thinks everything is just me finding a reason to need to buy things. I don't know if he likes these because I didn't buy them or what. But, he came up from throwing a load of towels in right after realizing he was going to be late to school and came up saying " Kelly! These things DO WORK!"
I've got a pretty large collection of cloth diapers and sometimes tend to get lazy and wait 4 days between wash loads (making for an unusually long 90 min. drying time.) Adding the six balls to our cycle took it down to...are you ready? 65 minutes! For a normal towel cycle our dryer normally takes about an hour or so and these have cut it down to close to 45 minutes! Dryers do vary, and drying times will not be approximate for all dryers/wash loads! This is whats working for us and I'm could not be happier! We have eliminated all fabric softeners and dryer sheets from our routine and I must say that our clothes are just as soft and static free!
3 balls will greatly reduce static
4 balls will greatly reduce drying time
6 balls are INCREDIBLE and knock off a good 20-30 minutes
Now, I've been using these balls for a couple of months now and they are still in EXCELLENT shape, with very minor pilling! The pilling can be removed *see Elicia interview*
If you're on the fence about trying wool dryer balls, I say GO FOR IT. They can be a little pricey to get a set but will for sure pay for themselves in energy costs in NO TIME! If you're a tough cookie to convince as well, then THIS might help! Elicia is going to be offering my readers a couple pretty sweet deals. The first is for a B2G1 50%off & the second is super SWEET Buy5G1FREE! All you need to do is head over to her shop & Convo her with your desired order! She'll put together a reserve listing and VOILA! :) Totally get in on this deal! They're well worth it! Nothing is better than something that has been hand made, with amazing attention to detail & love!
1- Why wool dryer balls and what got you started?I started making the wool dryer balls as toys for my toddler and his friends. They make great toys for small children because they're colorful and soft. I knew they were supposed to be good for making dryer cycles more efficient and when I tried them out for this purpose and got great results, I began to market them in my etsy store as dryer balls. I love that they help to conserve resources and save us a little money on our electric bill!
2- Whats the best way to care for dryer balls and how long should they last?
Wool dryer balls should last for years if given a little care. To prevent them for getting moldy, make sure they dry out completely after using. They do get pilly but can be easily depilled with a razor or sweater de-piller. After much use they may need to be refelted and this can be easily done by slipping them into some panty hose, tying them off in individual sections, and running them through a mildly soapy hot wash and dry cycle.
3- If this is your full-time job, how do you juggle being a WORK AT HOME MOM with 3 kids? So far, my felting business is a part-time job but it already requires planning and discipline to make it work with taking care of what will soon be three children. I set aside two mornings a week to felt, do research and attend to the more mundane aspects of running a business. When custom orders come in I often have to work in the evenings after the kids have gone to bed.
4- Whats the very best part of running your own business? I love the creative aspect of running my own business. I'm constantly learning new techniques and creating new products and I love that I get to use my creativity to make money
* my 20 month old daughter LOVES to play with these dryer balls and loves the adorable critters on them!
Elicia is a SWEETHEART & I will be a customer of hers anytime I need dryer balls and will share her with everybody I can! Thank you so much Elicia for letting me try and review you're dryer balls!
