Why You Need to Ditch Dryer Sheets and Switch to Wool Dryer Balls

This week I found a used laundry dryer sheet on my front lawn this week. I think this is another time for a PSA that we need to move past these terrible (for many reasons which I’ll cover below) laundry sheets that somehow have become an “essential” part of laundry.

Why You Need to Ditch Dryer Sheets:

1. They're single-use
2. Dryer vent emissions (🤯 same)
3. Fragrances include different chemicals which can be toxic
4. Most are made of polyester (aka plastic)

When I realized they were made of plastic and they are being heated up with chemicals with your clothing, that felt so wrong on so many levels (read more here). I am allergic to the toxic mix of chemicals on these dryer sheets so I haven’t been using them for as long as I can remember.

And then I started doing research on dryer balls to carry at Le Prix. They are not created equal. Lots are harvested from sheep with unethical practices like mulesing. According to PETA “for mulesing they force live sheep onto their backs, restrain their legs between metal bars, and, often without any painkillers whatsoever, carve huge chunks of skin away from the animals’ backsides or attach vise-like clamps to their flesh until it dies and sloughs off. Both procedures are terribly painful”.

Then often the wool is sent to China from Australia for processing.

But I love that the dryer balls we source from Moss Creek Wool Works did the transparent research that sustainable and ethical brands need to do in order to not be greenwashing.  They handmake the balls in Norfolk County (in Ontario too!).

They work with Wool Cooperatives in South America, Spain & Portugal (depending on the colour) where all the processing of the wool is local and environmentally responsible, meaning the wool has a minimal carbon footprint. They are careful to only source wool from farms that never practice mulesing. Most importantly, the sheep live free-range and are never exposed to chemicals including sheep dips.

Now that you can see the journey of learning I’ve experienced, I hope I can make it easy for you to learn quicker than I did and make a positive change.

More Benefits of Our Wool Dryer Balls

1. Using reusable wool dryer balls decreases your drying time by about 30%, making laundry more economical and sustainable ✨
2. They made from 100% ethical (for the people making them and the animals) wool and are a zero-waste alternative to dryer sheets 🙌
3. They are naturally unscented, but you can add a few drops of your favourite essential oil to have your laundry smell like heaven 🥰
4. They last for 500+ loads (so much money saved!)
5. They de-wrinkle your clothes naturally

Recommended use is 3 for regular loads and 6 for larger loads 💚

 Photo by: @neatetreats