0 Item(s) in Cart: $0.00
Nellie’s Dryer Balls: Save Energy & Soften Your Fabrics Naturally!
September 5th, 2007
I understand there is kind of a resurgence right now of “domestic divas” and all things being equal – I think it’s great. I love that we’re all back into to cooking and crafting and decorating and holding careers on top of it. Except. I hate to iron.
I HATE to iron.
I think it stems from my Type-A personality flaw where I will do just about anything in order to not be trapped standing in line or repeating repetitious acts. Like ironing – because there is no fast way to get out of it. Now vacuuming is great – because you’re moving around the house. Washing dishes? Nightmare. You get the point. The same goes for stationary exercise machines.
SO – Nellie’s Dryer Balls are a Type-A personality’s dream. These cheery blue wonders may look like your dog’s play toys, but they are in fact miracles for the laundry. You throw two of these into the dryer with your laundry, and they reduce drying time along with wrinkles by getting in between the clothes, thus softening the fabrics sans chemicals and therefore REDUCING IRONING TIME – AND SOMETIMES IRONING ALL TOGETHER!!
And then there are the eco-friendly benefits of Nellie’s Dryer Balls:
- They reduce drying time, which means less energy is used by your dryer
- They reduce lint & wrinkles which also means less energy used by your dryer and iron
- They soften fabrics naturally, which means no chemical softeners are needed
- They are estimated to last approx 1000 washes
- The Nellie’s Dryerballs have a 2 year unconditional money back guarantee.
So take that ironing board. The NEW Domestic Diva, saves herself (or himself) valuable time and stays green to boot.
Now if only Nellie made it easier to hand wash dishes. Or ride the elliptical.
Why This Gets The Delight Seal of Approval:
We tested many to bring you one Delightful Must-Have today…
- Set of two Nellie’s Dryer Balls
- Softens fabric naturally
- Reduces lint and wrinkles
- Made of durable, grade A PVC (tested to be safe for children)
- The recycled packaging is ADORABLE!
- $7.95 flat rate shipping...no matter how much you purchase!
Discuss this item (30 comments)
“I've been testing these for about a month now. I gotta tell ya, they really work!!! Our clothes are noticeably softer, and MUCH less wrinkled, plus I've been setting my dryer on less time, and our clothes (especially towels!) have been getting dryer faster.”
September 5th, 2007 at 9:43 am
It seems to be the nubbins rubbing on your clothes would wear them out faster.
September 5th, 2007 at 10:19 am
Actually, it’s the harsh chemicals in bleach & detergents that wear out your clothes.
September 5th, 2007 at 11:17 am
nice product, but you can get the same thing for much cheaper at target or bed, bath and beyond.
September 5th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Hi Kim -
you’re right - there are cheaper products out there, but we feel this is by far the best - they are guaranteed for 2 years/1000 washes, and from our testing have been designed and constructed with better thought and consideration for durability and effectiveness.
September 5th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
I have been using dryer balls for about a year now. I just love their fluffing effect. Unfortunately, I live in an area with very, very hard water. I tried not adding fabric softener, but find the best results with liquid softener and the dryer balls.
If only for fluffy towels, I would recommend these dryer balls.
September 6th, 2007 at 8:44 am
I don’t think these should be considered eco-friendly since they’re made from PVC, a very toxic material that is very polluting to produce. I like the idea of the dryer balls, I just wish they were made of something different.
September 10th, 2007 at 8:53 am
I just got these and used them for the first time yesterday. I have hard water, but they softened the fabric just fine, and the clothes did get dry faster. The clothes were barely static-y, but not enough to be a problem. I can tell already that I’m going to love these! And as someone who really hates perfumes, it’s nice to remove one more smelly thing from my life.
As for the environmental impact- I liked that it said something on the package like, “a step in the right direction.” They’re not perfectly environmentally friendly, but I think it’s got to be better than using a disposible, chemical-laden product.
September 19th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
These dryer balls look great. I’m really interested in trying them out for myself. Hey, who doesn’t need a little help with the laundry every now and then.
September 20th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
We have one of those nifty euro washer-dryer-in-one machines…anyone know if these can go through a wash cycle, too?
September 24th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
I’ve been using these for the past few weeks and they are AWESOME. Not sure about the euro washer/dryer combo but I bet it would work. I also bought just about all the other eco products on Delight and so far I haven’t been disappointed
September 24th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
I know this sounds kinda crazy but I’ve also been using my dryer ball as a foot massager! I get all sorts of foot cramps and when I watch TV I put it on the floor and it totally massages my foot. The nubs act as tiny pressure points. So, softer laundry and happier feet. What more do you want?
September 27th, 2007 at 10:09 am
You can buy the same two blue balls at CVS for $9.95.
September 27th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
no you can’t - i actually just checked there yesterday…they have similar ones but not nearly as well made. Nellie’s are the best I’ve seen so far.
September 30th, 2007 at 7:07 am
Nellie’s are seriously the best. I know other stores sell similar ones but these out do the others. I love mine. I’ve used mine for years and can’t say more about them. These are worth the money.
October 26th, 2007 at 4:29 am
This looks pretty awesome!
November 6th, 2007 at 11:36 am
I have to agree with Lauren - there’s nothing “natural” or “eco-friendly” about using a product made out of PVC. I was disappointed to see this product move into Editor’s Picks, instead of getting phased out of New Arrivals. Even big-box Target is phasing out PVC, Delight.com has always been one step ahead with fab finds and unique eco-friendly products, please keep it that way!
November 7th, 2007 at 8:18 am
We agree that whenever possible we try to stay away from products that are made of materials like PVC and encourage our suppliers (even thought we are teeny tiny compared to Target we do have a number of vendors who look to Delight for major sales of their products so they do pay attention to our requestd) to use alternative and eco-friendly ways to develop and produce their products.
In regards to the Dryer Balls even though they are made of PVC we feel that until there is an alternative that works as well the trade-off in reduced energy consumption and the elimination of dryer sheets makes it justified.
But if we find an alternative we will be the first to showcase it on Delight.com.
Lynda
co-founder Delight.com
P.S. We love that our customers and visitors are passionate about these issues. Your passion has guided us to offer even more eco-friendly products than we had originally planned
November 13th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Hello everyone,
Here is a bit of information on PVC. I have also added a URL site you can contact on how to recycle PVC. If anyone has any questions or concerns feel free to contact us at anytime.
Dryer Ball Materials January 4, 2007
PVC resin (poly vinyl chloride)
Plasticizer (dinonyl phthalate)
Heat Stabilizer (Stearate)
PVC (poly vinyl chloride) is among the largest volume plastics produced in the world. It is in hundreds of products we use daily, even in toy products for children. PVC is one of the most thoroughly tested, well-researched plastic materials on the market today. It is being continually examined by the world’s leading governmental health authorities.
I recently contacted Steve Hearn (the VP of PVC Resin Division) of Georgia Gulf. Georgia Gulf bought out the PVC division from DuPont. Steve is very knowledgeable on the chemistry of PVC material. He informed me that “off-gassing/emission” could not create by PVC resin but only by added plasticizers. The kind of plasticizer used in our dryer balls is dinonyl phthalate. Based on the percentages of this plasticizer (44%) in our dryer balls- Steve stated that the amount of leaching would be almost undetectable (less than a part per billion).
Steve also mentioned that any complaints concerning chlorine emissions would be false. Vinyl products are inherently flame-retardant due to their chlorine base, do not readily ignite and most will not continue to burn once a flame or heat source is removed. The chemical chlorine doesn’t produce heat or emissions.
The latest studies by the Vinyl Institute show that although vinyl production has tripled over the past thirty years, the dioxin levels in the United States have actually declined significantly. EPA reports have shown that water and air dioxin emissions have declined over 70 percent in the last four years reported and there is no confirmed case on record in which a member of the general population has been harmed by exposure to VCM.
How to Recycle PVC (# 3) in the USA & Canada:
For USA:
1.) Go to URL: http://www.earth911.org
2.) Click on “Curbside Recycling”
3.) Click on “Curbside Recycling Program”
4.) Enter your Zip Code
5.) Verify that your local Curbside Recycling Program Accepts # 3 PVC Plastic
6.) If your local Curbside Recycling Program does not Accept # 3 Plastic (highly likely), contact the nearest recycling center that does Accept # 3 Plastic (which is also listed on the same page)
For Canada:
Only some Canadian provinces recycle # 3 PVC in their ‘Blue Box’ Recycling Programs. Consumers should check their local city recycling program parameters to see if Recycling PVC # 3 in the ‘curbside’ fashion is currently an option in their community. If not, their municipal website *should* allow them to search for the nearest Recycling Center that accepts # 3 PVC.
Thank you for your great comments and concerns.
Regards,
Jenna Leddy
Batten Industries/Nellie’s Dryer Balls
#114-2544 Dollarton Hwy
North Vancouver, B.C.
Canada
1-888-984-7471
sales@batten.ca
December 2nd, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Lindsey, don’t put them through your Euro washer/dryer. I did and one of the dryer balls exploded after the third load.
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:40 am
Loved them…they really did make a big difference, but one of mine broke after a couple months. at $25 a crack with shipping….I think the cheaper model can’t be worse.
December 5th, 2007 at 6:34 am
Susan, as soon as we received your email, we sent out a replacement set of balls IMMEDIATELY with our sincerest apologies. As with ANY item, nothing is certain to be 100% perfect 100% of the time, and of the thousands we have sold, this is a rare, rare occurance.
We hope you are now satisfied with the product.
We’ve been using ours for months and months with no problem at all. We love our Nellie’s Dryer Balls!
December 9th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
I first bought two-one for me and a gift. I like these so much, I have just ordered three more for Christmas gifts. It’s a feel good purchase - works wonderfully, good for the environment and will save my family members money too. Win-win!
March 27th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I bought two sets. Both my brother and I tried them and the clothes come out with so much static, we both had to go back to using dryer sheets. Any suggestions?
June 4th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
These are not only a great way to save the environment, they can save you money on expensive dryer sheets that aren’t even reusable! I love these, great buy!
June 24th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I love this product! It really does reduce dryer time!
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:14 am
I’ve seen comments on other sites that people feel they get better results by using more than one set (4 or even 6 dryer balls in a full load). Have any of you tried multiple sets? If so, what is your experience? Thanks in advance for sharing your comments.
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
What! SOLD OUT??? please i need more, i want more…. i must have more!!
November 10th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Nellie’s dryer balls are awesome! I first came across them at a home & garden show in Vancouver, Canada and since then I haven’t been able to find them anywhere! Thanks for offering them Delight.com! Hope they come back in stock soon! I like how I don’t have to buy fabric softeners/sheets anymore. These dryer balls are great for the fabrics and saves on drying time! Yay!
February 24th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Although these seem to work, they make a loud thumping noise that drives my husband crazy. So I tried to limit their use to times when he was out of the house. Then one of the balls cracked open, so I threw them both out, not realizing that they had been guaranteed. Darn!
May 11th, 2009 at 11:35 am
I’ve been using this product for a couple weeks and am very happy with results. I am a recovering dryer sheet addict and these dryer balls allow me to have fluffy clothes gently scented with lavender. Yes they’re a little loud but I do think they help dry clothes faster.