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Dryerballs – How the Nellie’s Brand came to be!

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Dryerballs- How the Nellie's brand came to be!
Our Founder James, (Nellie’s son) has fond memories of his household being zero waste and planet friendly. Nellie was going green long before it was “cool”!  He remembers removing labels from cans for recycling, re-using household goods and cleaning with homemade solutions. Nellie was a minimalist and bought only what was needed. She bought quality goods, meant to last.
 
With these values instilled in his core and his entrepreneurial spirit, after she passed, James wanted to find a way to keep her memory alive.
 
Back in the day, the only natural solution to softening fabrics was to toss shoes or tennis balls in the dryer when drying clothes.  Consumers were becoming more eco-conscious, and James was determined to find a product that could have the same effect, without the chemicals.
 
15 years ago, he came across Dryerballs.  After some testing, he realized that not only did Dryerballs provide a natural alternative to fabric softeners, but they also reduced static and drying time!
 
Nellie's First Dryerballs
 
 
 
With that in mind, James decided to commercialize Dryerballs.  To get Dryerballs into the hands of consumers and deliver education on their benefits, he manufactured our very first dryerball and hit the fair and festival circuit.  Something Nellie’s still does today! The more dryerballs that sold; the more consumers were raving about their amazing effects!
 
 
Nellies Blue Dryerballs
 
 
 
It wasn’t long until hundreds of other companies were producing dryerballs. To keep moving ahead with selling Dryerballs, James developed a blue dryerball, with an oval shape and decided his dryerballs needed a brand identity.  Enter - Nellie’s Dryerballs!
 
 
 
 
Fun fact! Nellie’s Dryerballs were the first product to carry the Nellie name and are still available today! To be more planet-friendly, Nellie’s moved to 100% New Zealand Wool Dryerballs, added Scented Dryerballs and the ever-popular patented Flyerballs! And the rest, as they say, is history!
 

Problem:

  • Stiff clothes
  • Static
  • Long drying times
  • Harming the environment
 

Solution – Dryerballs!


Two or more Dryerballs in the dryer lift and separate clothes while they are drying, softening fibres, and creating airflow during the cycle. This continued action keeps synthetic and natural fibres separated, reducing static. And by default, reduces drying time up to 25%!  Dryerballs can replace up to 1000 single-use toxic dryer sheets. Nellie’s Dryerballs last 2+ years, saving valuable time and money!
 
Follow along on the @nelliesclean Instagram for more fun facts and exciting promotions!
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How to Get Soft Laundry without the Chemicals

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No matter how you go about it, laundry is a regular part of life. Even more so if you have kiddos running around and getting dirty! While many might hang our clothes on a line to dry, the majority of us choose the convenience of the dryer. One of the most toxic things we do on a regular basis is use fabric softener or dryer sheets. These products are full of nasty chemicals! Exposure to such toxins is linked to skin irritations, neurological disease, cancer, hormonal imbalance. Yikes!
Chemicals infiltrate the clothing we wear, which in turn gets on to our skin and is absorbed by our bodies. There are reports that show the occurrence of brain disease is growing, as well as the levels of industrial chemicals being found in human bodies. Some suggest the two are linked! Using alternatives to these products is a great way to avoid increasing the amount of chemicals being absorbed by your body.

Soft Laundry with no Toxins


Don’t worry, you can still have super-soft and scented laundry, without subjecting your body to horrible toxic chemicals thanks to Nellie’s Lamby Wool Dryerballs and Nellie’s Flyerballs! Both are made with 100% pure New Zealand wool, so no nasties! They reduce drying time by helping dry your clothes faster, so you’re saving energy and money. They also reduce wrinkles, all while softening your clothes. Plus, they’re chemical free and will last about 2 years. What’s the difference between the original Lamby Wool Dryerballs and the Flyerballs? The wings on the Flyerballs are designed to help float through your dryer to separate fabrics, shortening drying time and reducing static.
If you prefer your laundry to have a fragrance, the Scented Wool Dryerballs are infused with pure essential oils and available in CitrusLavender, and Simply Fresh. The scent will last about 50 loads, so you can enjoy the chemical-free natural scent. We recommend tossing one scented wool ball with your four unscented wool balls to enhance your drying experience.
 
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Say Hello to the All-New Flyerballs!

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One sheep, two sheep, three… Introducing the brand-new Flyerballs! Sheep all over New Zealand are lining up to strip down for the newest addition to the wool dryerball family.
Soft, silent, and undeniably adorable, Flyerballs are the wool dryerballs you know and love, reinvented. Made of pure New Zealand wool (as always), Flyerballs have added wings to float through your dryer and help separate fabrics, cutting down on both static and drying time – saving you money and looking cute while doing it!

How to Use


After washing with Nellie’s Laundry Soda, place three Flyerballs in the dryer with your fabrics. Nellie’s Flyerballs shorten drying time, soften fabrics, and reduce wrinkles, all without the use of nasty chemicals. Separate natural fabrics from synthetics to help reduce static.
No sheep are harmed in the making of the Flyerballs or Lamby Wool Dryerballs.
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When to Wash? Here's Our Laundry Guide

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We wash our clothes to keep ourselves, our families, and our favourite items smelling and feeling fresh, but there is actually such a thing as washing too much or too little! There are downsides to both: laundering your clothes more than necessary can shorten their lifespan and ultimately wear them out more quickly, and washing them too infrequently can be unhygienic and lead to bacteria growth. Yuck! Here are our general laundry guides for you and your family:


For your clothes


Bras: After three to four wears


Underwear: After every wear, of course!


Stocks and stockings: After every wear


Sports and swimwear: After every wear


Jeans: five to six wears, although some advocate washing as little as possible


Tops: One to two wears


Dresses: One to two wears


Pants, skirts, and shorts: Three to four wears


Jackets and blazers: Five to six wears


Coats: Once every two months of wear, and before storing away for the season


Pajamas: Three to four wears


Get your clothes fresh and clean, but don't sacrifice your health and the environment! Wash clothes (and towels, bedding, etc.) with Nellie's Laundry Soda, and remove tough stains with the WOW Stick. If your clothes need some extra brightening or whitening, choose Nellie's Oxygen Brightener instead of toxic bleach.


For your kids' clothes


Washing your kids' clothes doesn't need to be a massive chore! Most experts say you can wash their clothing along with yours anytime you see stains or they don't pass the sniff test. The problem is that kids tend to get dirtier more often than adults do, so those stains and smells come up more frequently. Here's a handy guideline: the lighter and softer the fabric, and the closer it hugs the body, the more you need to was it. But as long as you don't notice dirty patches or stains, kids can wear clothes multiple times before they're ready for the laundry pile, just like you.



For your baby's washing


It seems like the hamper is constantly overflowing with onesies, blankets, burp cloths, bibs, rompers, and tiny adorable socks! Unlike grownups, who typically wear one or two outfits per day (not to mention wear an item of clothing more than once before washing), babies are mess machines with their spit up, drool, diaper leaks, or the dreaded blow out. Because of this, it's not uncommon to change their clothes as much as 5 times per day! So when it comes to washing your baby's clothes, there are two schools of thought:


1) Wash one load every day because it can be done quickly and won't pile up


2) Wash everything once each week so that you only have to spend one day dealing with laundry


Whichever one you choose, make sure you're washing with Nellie's All-Natural Baby Laundry Soda, which is formulated with baby's soft skin and messy mishaps in mind. Thanks to a concentration of sodium percarbonate for natural brightening, as well as the addition of pure vegetable soap, there is no need for an additional whiteners or brighteners. The stain-fighting formula is effective on cloth diapers and removes stubborn baby stains such as milk, baby formula, and spit-up. The formula is derived from plant-based and mineral-based ingredients and is non-allergenic, leaves no residue on fabrics, and contains no fragrance.


In the dryer


When drying your laundry, use the Lamby Wool Dryerballs to cut down on drying time, soften fabrics, and reduce wrinkles, naturally! Then, smooth out any remaining wrinkles and creases with the new Wrinkle-B-Gone.


Of course, these guides don't apply when excessive sweating or accidental spills occur, or to those that have different hygiene preferences.

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The Healthy Way to Soft Laundry

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Unless you live in a nudist colony, wearing and washing your clothes is a part of regular life. Of course, some of us hang our clothes on a line to dry, but it’s safe to say that the majority of us choose the convenience of the dryer. As a result, one of the most toxic things we do on a regular basis is use fabric softener or dryer sheets. These products are full of toxic chemicals! Exposure to such toxins have been linked to skin irritations, neurological disease, cancer, hormonal imbalance, and ultimately your overall health can be impacted. Yikes!


Chemicals infiltrate the clothing we wear, which in turn gets on to our skin and is absorbed by our bodies. Some reports show that the occurrence of brain disease is growing, as well as the levels of industrial chemicals being found in human bodies. Some suggest the two are linked! Since manufactures are not legally required to include a list of ingredients on their dryer sheet packages, we have no way of knowing what kind of chemicals are being used.


Get Soft Laundry Without Toxins


Don’t worry  - you can still have super-soft and scented laundry, without subjecting your body to horrible toxic chemicals thanks to Nellie's Lamby Wool Dryerballs. Our dryerballs are made with 100% pure New Zealand wool, so no nasties! They reduce drying time by helping dry your clothes faster, so you’re saving energy and money. They also reduce static and wrinkles, all while softening your clothes, but the best part is that they’re chemical free and will last about 2 years.


If you prefer your laundry to have a fragrance, the Scented Wool Dryerballs are infused with pure essential oils and available in Citrus, Lavender, and Simply Fresh. The scent will last about 50 loads, so you can enjoy the chemical-free natural scent. We recommend tossing one scented wool ball with your four unscented wool balls to enhance your drying experience.

Read more →