Ideal Bite

Follow the Bouncing Ball

02.24.2009

Submitted by tmeronek on Tue, 02/24/2009 - 12:00am.

The Bite:

Follow the bottom of this screen, where we link you up to dryer balls that fluff and soften your laundry - free of the toxic plastic PVC, and no disposable dryer sheets necessary. The cash + eco savings = something to croon about.

The Benefits:

Striking a waste-free chord. You can reuse dryer balls over and over - most will last you several years. And attention vegetarians: most dryer sheets contain tallow, an animal by-product.
More (bank)notes. Boxes of dryer sheets can cost $5-$10 for 50 washes; some of our options are even free.
Tuning out PVC. Your average dryer ball is made from PVC, which releases carcinogens during production.

Personally Speaking:

We’ve found that the balls actually work better than sheets, but they can be loud - the noise drives Jen so batty she turns her music up to volumes typically reserved for warehouse raves.

Wanna Try:

Wool Dryer Balls - made from wool by a work-at-home mom ($7).
DIY Bite: try an old tennis ball - they work almost as well. Or make your own wool dryer balls from yarn.

Catherine Nouja

Cocktail Fact

In the original bouncing ball sing-a-long films (pre-cel animation), someone physically bounced a long stick with a luminescent ball on the tip to create the effect.