Has anybody used these products instead of dryer sheets?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

Descriptions of the products can be found on these links:
http://www.gaiam.com/retail/product/06-0598
http://www.gaiam.com/retail/product/06-0531

I'm trying to determine whether they're worth a $40 investment...

[matcom]

1. they are supposed to be used as DRYER SHEETS?

:blush:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

3. Recycling for other uses is encouraged, I'm sure

:rofl:

[AllegroRondo]

2. is that a sea urchin?

i think I saw it on Iron Chef a couple weeks ago.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

4. I think a sea urchin would break in the dryer

[dr.strangelove]

5. I've used those first items

but for something entirely different. This explains a lot about how fluffy and fresh I felt that day.

[liontamer]

6. i haven't used them personally

but I've been told that an old tennis ball works (the fancy dryer balls are just a clever way of marketing the idea)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. Wouldn't a tennis ball just make the laundry smell like rubber?

[liontamer]

24. i'm not sure

but it supposedly makes everything softer and fluffier while dampening static

[u4ic]

7. I saw them recently

I haven't tried them.

There was another gimmick from the health food store I tried years ago, supposedly to eliminate static and dryer sheets - they were rings. $30, and they did diddly squat.

I just use an organic liquid fabric softener.

[kay1864]

9. Yes. They're useless.

Fortunately we didn't pay $40.

Consumer Reports tested them and said stick to dryer sheets.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

14. Good to know, but

I'd still rather hear from someone who used them. I don't always trust CR...

[kay1864]

22. "Yes" is an answer to your question. I've used them. They're useless.

And Consumer Reports confirmed it.

Why don't you trust CR? They dried many more loads than I did with them. And their tests are more accurate.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

26. Thanks for the info...

I found numerous instances where CR gushed about products I was shopping for (air conditioners, gas grills, and dryers) while consumer comments posted elsewhere and heard from people I know were less flattering.

I haven't experienced the opposite, but I find my previous experiences have tainted my image of CR...

[madinmaryland]

10. Bill O'Rielly has!!1!!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

17. Then I'll definitely stay away from them.

:rofl:

[Kali]

11. why do you use dryer sheets?

I don't "get" fabric softener??? It keaves such a funky coating on fabric. And dryer sheets stink like bad perfume. Of course I don't even use a dryer, so I guess I should step away from this thread.

(Clothes don't feel clean to me unless they are stiff from the sun - :rofl: )

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. Static electricity reduction...

no other reason.

I really hate the sticky feel of the clothes...

[KitchenWitch]

12. People use dryer sheets for s*x?

:evilgrin:

[NMDemDist2]

15. oooo baby

don't knock it till you've tried it

;)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

18. Static electricity can be sexy...

All those sparks...

[Critters2]

16. I use vinegar as a fabric softener. I use vinegar for damn near everything.

It's cheap, it's non-toxic, it's renewable, it's plant-based.

Vinegar, it's a fabric softener AND a salad dressing.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

19. Do you use it in the dryer or the washer?

I don't really care about softness. It's the static removal that I use them for.

[Critters2]

20. I put it in the fabric softener dispenser in the washer. I have noticed lately,

some static in the clothes, but the air has been so dry here. So, I've been spritzing a little 50/50 water/vinegar (I always have a spray bottle of this, because I use it as my household cleaner) on clingy clothes as I take them out of the dryer. Just a little, not to get them too wet. It works great. Most of the time, just putting it in the rinse works fine, but just the last week or so I've needed to do this little touching up as I take clothes out of the dryer.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

27. Thanks for the tip!

Sounds like a winner!

[wovenpaint]

21. That first product would definitely "soften" fabric

as it would be beating the fibers around-I don't know about less lint though. It could compromise the construction of the textile and affect the yarns, i.e. cause the yarns to loosen up and lose their twist somewhat-so I would think more lint....and shorter life span for your clothes....
Anyway, I agree with the vinegar added to the rinse cycle at the washing stage (when/where you'd add the softener). This is what I use instead of the commercial dryer sheets or liquid. Those products can actually coat your textiles over time and make them dingier...so it's good to give your fabrics a "break" from time to time, even if you like the chemical softeners better.

The second product I don't know about....I guess it's the carbon fiber that counteracts the static?!? Again, the vinegar is effective -and inexpensive!
:hi:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

28. Thanks for your input!

I'm going to try that!

[salin]

31. Before I try it - do your clothes end up smelling like vinegar?

or does the smell evaporate?

[wovenpaint]

32. No smell when dry

Of course it smells when you pour it into the washer, but it gets rinsed out at the end so clothes smell fine when dry. And, actually, it's nice not to smell that chemical floral or rainfresh crap! Cotton smells like cotton.

It's realy great when the textiles are dried using the solar dryer, lol.

[Kali]

33. I'm curious what would make vinegar reduce static.

I know it makes a good rinse agent to remove soap - used to use it for rinsing hair as a kid, but how does it affect static?

[Oeditpus Rex]

23. I prefer gerbils

[GoddessOfGuinness]

29. Mr GoG's kids once had a hamster who got loose, and...

well...
It's just too horrible to speak of.

[mockmonkey]

25. Yes

But not in the dryer! ;-)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

30. I guess I'm a prude or something...

because I really can't imagine doing anyhing but laundry with those items...

But I'm impressed by you creative DUers! :rofl: