Cora Ball Product Review – Does this Microfiber Catcher Work?

This Cora Ball product review is kind of a long time overdue because I’ve had The Cora Ball for about 2 years now. However, this is actually beneficial because I’ve had 2 years to really try this out and I can give you a lot of information about this amazing laundry ball that catches microfibers in the washing machine.

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About The Cora Ball

In case you aren’t aware, one of the problems in our ocean is that microfibers from synthetic clothing are coming out of the washing machine (when we wash our clothes) and they end up in our oceans. The microfibers are harmful because they’re made from plastic and sometimes harsh dyes etc have been used on them as well. Then once they’re in the ocean, the marine life swallow them.

So the design of The Cora Ball is so cool! It’s design is based around the function the coral has in the ocean. The fact that coral reefs move with the ocean but also filter debris etc out to keep it all clean. It’s a very clever idea.

The stalks of the ball are rounded on the ends to protect your clothes and they have spikes to catch the fibers as it rolls around in your washing machine.

It’s designed to withstand very hot temperatures so if you accidentally put it in your dryer it doesn’t matter and won’t effect it.

As its design is to collect the microfibers you do have to be careful when washing anything with tassels, laces, crocheted bits etc – as it will wrap around the Cora Ball. They recommend you put any clothing items like that, in a laundry bag or similar to prevent damage.

You don’t need to clean it out after every use unless you particularly want to. When I first started using it I didn’t notice any fibers for several weeks, (that doesn’t mean they weren’t there just that I couldn’t see any), with the larger threads that build up over time you can then see what the Cora Ball has collected.

Removal is relatively easy as long as you don’t leave it too long. You just part the stalks and pull the fibers out. If some are particularly tangled you can just cut some of it to make it easier to remove but essentially it’s similar to removing hair from a hairbrush.

What I Like About It

• Made from 100% recycled plastic
• Durable and said to last 5+ years
• Easy to use, just put in the washing machine drum
• Minimal and plastic free packaging
• They have a replacement spindle kit
• If it’s faulty beyond repair, you can even return it to them at the end of life

Does Cora Ball Actually Work

On their website they do state that you might not notice any microfibers getting caught in The Cora Ball for a while and sometimes it’s more noticeable when you wash fleecy types of clothing because that sometimes has more visible fibers.

There’s been a few studies done on The Cora Ball to determine it’s effectiveness and it’s said to prevent 26% and 31% of microfibers being released into the ocean. It also helps to prevent microfiber shedding which is awesome as that extends the life of your clothes.

Source

There’s also a really interesting Forbes article which talks about the Lint LUV-R washing machine filter and the Cora Ball being useful to use together. This is because the Lint LUV-R removes 87% of microfibers through it’s filter which connects to the back of the washing machine. It also says in the article that the Cora Ball is particularly good at collecting the smaller fibers therefore they generally recommend the use of both.

The Lint LUV-R costs around $140 plus installation so if you can afford both it’s definitely a good investment, however if you can’t then definitely don’t feel bad about it. I appreciate it’s a lot of money and the washing machine filters are something that I have put on my list for the future.

Source

The Cora Ball Product Review

So I’ve said previously, I have been using this Cora Ball for 2 years now. I’m impressed by how much it does collect. I don’t clean it out every time I use it, because I’m really lazy with things like that! 🙄 However, when I do notice that quite a lot of fibers have built up I get some scissors and cut some of the biggest bits to make it easier to remove.

Granted it would probably be easier to clean it out more regularly but I’m a single parent to two children so honestly, this just works best for me.

Majority of the time I’ve used The Cora Ball over the last few years I’ve been washing microfiber cloth nappies on a daily basis. This means that I have really gotten a good amount of use out of this laundry ball and there’s definitely no signs of wear and tear yet. Which is of course excellent!

Once I’ve cleaned all of the fibers out of the Cora Ball and put them in the bin, I do notice that it does take several washes to build up enough that you can visibly see and remove if you want to.

Another sort of bonus is that it does also collect cat hair and hair from my own head that ends up in the washing machine. My hair is very long so it’s sort of added reassurance to me that my hair won’t be clogging up my washing machine in any way and I can just remove it all from the Cora Ball when it’s convenient for me to do so.

I hope this Cora Ball product review has been helpful for you, even though the efficiency of a Cora Ball is only up to about 30% I do think that it’s a truly amazing product and if it stops some of the microfibers from reaching the ocean – that has to be a win right!

Directly on the Cora Ball website you can buy a Cora Ball for $42.00. It is also available to buy on Earth Hero as well.

If you’re in the UK you can buy the Cora Ball from Babipur on the below button. It’s currently priced at £29.95 which I believe is the same price that I paid for mine 2 years ago.

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to making your laundry routine sustainable, that’s why I’ve written a post how to have a sustainable laundry routine. I’ve also recently reviewed Earth Breeze laundry sheets which could be useful.

I hope this Cora Ball product review has been helpful, I know microfibres from clothes is not always something people think about but it’s worth considering if you have synthetic clothes.

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