Dryer Balls

Yep, the title of this post is Dryer Balls.

I used to love line drying clothes, but when our little guy came along I just couldn't make the time. Since then, we've been using the dryer without fabric softener sheets. It's been fine, but in the winter I find our clothes a little static-y. I learned that wool dryer balls can help prevent this. By drying clothes with dryer balls (some people use tennis balls), you can reduce the amount of time required to dry, naturally soften laundry, and reduce static.

My original plan was to make my own. When I started shopping for wool yarn, I discovered already made organic wool dryer balls for cheaper from The Willow Store. So I bought some, and tried them out tonight while drying A's diapers.

They are obnoxiously loud (but our dryer is directly below our living room), but they did the job. The diapers came out dryer and softer. I'm looking forward to seeing if they help dry our clothes faster, but laundry day isn't until Friday night. 

Tea Tree Oil

The logical wipe to use when using cloth diapers is cloth wipes. If you use disposable wipes, you have to separate them from the diaper to throw them away, and that's icky. With cloth, you just throw them in the wash with the diapers. No need for extra handling. But you need to get the cloth wipes wet so they actually do some cleaning, and just using water doesn't really seem like the best way to clean a baby's bottom. So I Googled cloth wipe solutions and came up with my own little mixture.




1 cup water
1 squirt baby wash
4-6 drops tea tree oil
1 tsp. grape seed or olive oil

After buying the tea tree oil for the wipes, I'm finding it is a miracle essential oil. It is a natural antibacterial oil, so every time I research natural cleaning and skin care products, tea tree oil seems to be included. Other uses to which I've put it include:

• Foot lotion
• Skin toner
• Mold cleaner
• Shower curtain cleaner

Next time you are looking for a new way to clean something, see if tea tree oil can help you out! 

Showers get dirty too

Our shower curtain liner has been one of my cleaning frustrations for a long time. When I asked my in-laws how they kept theirs so clean, they said they just replaced it. So I've resigned myself to replacing it with more frequency than I have done in the past.

I stocked up on a few PEVA shower curtain liners. Traditional vinyl shower curtains give off toxic gases and release toxins that affect developing hormones. Since bath time is the favorite time of day for our little guy, I couldn't continue to let him inhale the harmful scent of vinyl.

I also thought perhaps I could prolong throwing the mildewed curtain out by spraying a cleaner on it every day. I made a homemade brew that I hope will make frequent scrubbing of soap scum unnecessary. Since I didn't have any hydrogen peroxide, I improvised. Here's what I came up with:

1 c. water
1/4 c. rubbing alcohol
6 drops Seventh Generation dish soap
4 drops tea tree oil

Compromise

Our green activities have always been within the parameters that they must not make our lives too challenging. Therefore, when A came along, I knew we were bound to compromise on something. Our compromise has been line drying laundry. I still get a load on the line every once in a while, but where it was once peaceful to spend time just hanging laundry, it is now stressful to get A and the laundry outside, get the line up, keep him entertained, and get it all hung, just to repeat in reverse a few hours later.

We'll get around to line drying again, I'm sure. I can already see the days when he happily runs around the yard while I hang everything. Or maybe I'll be napping in a hammock while he does the laundry :)

What We've Done So Far

We spent about a year "greenifying" our house before deciding to formally share what we're doing (though many of our friends have gotten several earfuls about our green adventures).

So here's a bit of our socially responsible conversions in the past year:

• Installed rain barrels
• Composting
• Line dry all our laundry (yes, you can line dry in the winter!)
• Insulate our windows with plastic
• Hypermile
• Always take the more fuel efficient vehicle
• Clean with Seventh Generation products
• Consult the Better World Shopper for purchases 
• Easing into buying grass fed beef and free-range organic chicken
• Install fluorescent or LED lights throughout the house. Our back porch light is a solar powered LED. 
• Run the fan in reverse to circulate heat

Not so hard, huh?! We do have a long way to go, but social responsibility is an ever evolving journey which we have enjoyed so far.