Baby it’s cold outside. Minus 26 in fact. But here in my bedroom/office, the sun is shining through the blinds and Ruby and I are taking advantage of some quiet time. I’m doing a little blogging; Vivaldi is playing in the background and Ruby is doing what she does best—sleeping in a sunny patch on my bed while I wait for my sheets to dry.

And that brings me to my topic today: laundry, and specifically a great product line called Nellie’s All Natural Cleaning Products that I discovered last month.

Nellie’s features non-toxic and hypo-allergenic dish and laundry detergents, an oxy brightener (stain fighter!), and dryer balls. I have to be honest, I was drawn to the product because of the packaging. This is straight home-baked-apple pie and gosh-darn-it-Leave it to Beaver-packaging; cute with just the right amount of kitsch to make a person yearn for those days before smart phones made our lives easier and when laundry smelled like sunshine and nothing else.

Using conventional, chemical-heavy detergents has been rubbing me the wrong way for a long time. I want to be a conscientious consumer where I can. You know…if everyone did one small thing…

So I bought Nellie’s laundry soda and the dryer balls. I was ahead of the game in the space department alone. No more boxes of dryer sheets and breadbox-size container of laundry soap taking up gobs of room. My laundry area was de-cluttered immediately. I was happy and I hadn’t even washed a thing.

But does it work?

Hell yeah!

I’ve been using Nellie’s laundry soda for almost a month and it has obliterated every spaghetti-sauced tea towel, icky dish rag and blood-stained pillow case I’ve thrown at it (nosebleeds people, don’t get any ideas…). And all you need is one little spoonful.

Okay, let’s talk balls.

Nellie’s PVC free Dryerballs are about $20 (with tax) and last 3 to 5 years. The balls go to work lifting and separating clothing, allowing air to flow through more efficiently, decreasing drying time by 15 to 20%. That equals less money spent on electricity and a total cost of about $4/year for the balls. I figure I spend somewhere in the area of $30/year on dryer sheets…ha! Not anymore! I was skeptical at first if these Dryerballs could work…but they do. They don’t get rid of all the static like dryer sheets do, but they do a pretty darn good job. I will never buy dryer sheets again.

Nellie’s website is full of information. Take note of the “Health Issues” section on the FAQ page and you will never use dryer sheets again. Chemicals. Respiratory issues. Fire hazards. Yikes. The company also posts results of a lab test done on the Dryerballs to back up their claims.

I’m sold on Nellie’s…if you’re curious and want to make the switch, Nellie’s can be found in Edmonton at London Drugs and Planet Organic, or you can purchase products online.