Good Things Come in Small Packages

Sorry I haven't blogged lately, for a time I really fought over the issue on whether I really could make any significant contribution to the "green" movement.  A lot of things I love and would blog about are material in nature (such as the remainder of this post), which seems to run against the grain of the movement.  Less stuff is better for the environment, and reduces waste, etc....but the fact remains that we need "stuff" to live so I think it is worthwhile to mention the things I have come across that ultimately reduce our footprint and can make a contribution to greener living.  =)

So, onto "good things in small packages."  For years I've used those plastic dryer balls in my dryer in lieu of dryer sheets.  For one, they save money and they are less wasteful.  They also claim to cut down on drying time. I had never really tested the theory on the drying time, it did not seem to make much of a difference.  However, my sister in law came across these adorable dryer balls from Clean Spyria: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CleanSypria?ref=seller_info  The seller claimed they were better and more environmentally friendly than the plastic ones so since the dryer balls I had were on their last leg I decided to give it a shot.  I ordered 6 in custom colors and had the "frankincense and myrrh" scent added.  I got a confirmation e-mail the next day that they had shipped and by the end of the week I was able to test them out.  I was absolutely amazed!  They were just as cute in person and had a lovely scent to them.  The remarkable thing, however, was when I used them all of a sudden my washer and dryer cycles stopped at the same time.  Previously, it would take about a half hour to wash and an hour to dry.  All of a sudden, with only the addition of these 6 dryer balls, my dryer needed only half the time!  This is significant in both energy savings as well as time in general.  As a busy mom of two, going to school 3/4 time and running a small business, every minute counts so for my normal 4 batch laundry load I saved 2 hours on my day!  I will also add that the scent from the balls added a very light fragrance to the laundry which was especially welcome on my cloth diaper batches.  Highly recommended!