Handmade replacements for everyday items is a great way to both support the arts and help be a tad greener. Rebecca Pickering is one of these artists who creates fun and very useful laundry items that are all natural and greener than what you can find at a store.
She sells her items through her Etsy shop (link) and they are a wonderful alternative to the chemical laden items that most people use.
What inspires your ideas?
I am usually the one on laundry duty in my house, which I really don’t mind. But whenever I would fold the laundry the dryer sheets would always end up on the floor or anywhere but the garbage. I was fed up using dryer sheets and looked online for an alternative. That is where I discovered felted dryer balls. So instead of paying someone else for them, I googled how to make them and got started. I haven’t bought dryer sheets ever again. I was inspired by the fact that I didn’t have to pay for something I didn’t particularly like but instead create something by hand that I LOVE!
So from felted dryer balls..the next obvious creation was all natural laundry detergent. Knowing what ingredients are used on my clothes makes me feel so much better. I like using products that are better for the environment and in turn better for me and my husband. It also saves us a ton of money!
Can you tell a bit about the things you make?
Felted dryer balls are a great natural, eco-friendly alternative to liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets. They work by separating the clothes as they circulate in the dryer, softening clothes, reducing static cling, absorbing moisture and significantly reducing drying time.
As the dryer balls bounce and tumble around, they get wet lumps of laundry moving to allow hot air to better circulate.
Dryer balls are perfect for cloth diapers – using fabric softener or dryer sheets with cloth diapers will cause the diapers to repel moisture and leak.It is best to use 2-4 dryer balls for small loads and 5-7 for large loads.
All natural laundry detergent is GREAT for those with sensitive skin! And gets cloth
es VERY clean!. This laundry soap is low sudsing and does not leave a very strong scent in your clothes. There will be no soap residue or chemicals on your clothes like store bought detergents.
What the process like?
All natural laundry detergent doesn’t take too much time. I grate the soap and then add equal parts of washing soda and borax. The house smells great just making it.
Felted dryer balls take more time. I wind 100% wool yarn into a small core (ball) and put in the wash and then dryer 2 times. After the initial felting is done I wrap more yarn around to get to the desired size and repeat the felting process.
To view her awesome items, you can head on over to her Etsy shop: Becca8228 and be sure to find her on Facebook and say hi.
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