Eco balls

[Nemesis]

Penners - resist the temptation.

This is serious, especially for those of us with septic tanks who like to use as few chemicals etc as possible.

I wondered if anyone had tried these, and if so how they found they perform?

http://www.greenshop.co.uk/

 

[middi]

Don't know Nemesis, I tend to be a bit sceptical about anything which says " green" in front of a product.

As the population is gradually becoming more conscious about the need for a "green" planet, the market forces tend to jump on the bandwagon by using the " green" word.

Take the adverts which you kindly posted, who on earth would want a PLASTIC log basket or a tin can crusher. Stamp on the blo**y cans.

It is a start I suppose.

 

[virtuaffinity]

I wondered if anyone had tried these, and if so how they found they perform?

http://www.greenshop.co.uk/

We've tried these and found them to be very good. For heavily soiled items we had to revert to using conventional methods but for general washing they were fine. The clothes were clean and much softer once dried without having to use conditioners.

We would still be using them now if my girlfriend hadn't put them in for a wash dry cycle. They're not meant to go in a drier and the heat has warped them. :?

 

[Nemesis]

Actually the can crushers do work, and I can't stamp on them hard enough to get them small! When you have to store stuff to take to recycling it's all a help. We dispose of our own refuse in the main and don't rely on the wheelie bin collections.

I haven't seen the placcy log basket, but maybe it lasts longer than wicker from China!

I do use many 'green' products - I'm careful about the companies I choose and the products, but I do find they work (a plug here for Faith in Nature geranium and lavender shampoo which is lovely) and anything which reduces the world's dependency on Pr*ct*r and G*mbl* and I'm quite happy about.

So if these things do work it is interesting to know so I can try them. Thanks for that info.

Much of what we wash isn't really filthy but needs freshening, and maybe I can keep the heavy duty stuff for laundry which needs it.

 

[virtuaffinity]

We've also found soap nuts to be quite good and pretty cheap to. http://www.gogreen.cellande.co.uk/shop/products/soapnuts/soapnuts.php

 

[Nemesis]

I've seen those advertised too but never quite got round to trying them.

Thanks!

 

[BMcD]

We've been using Eco-balls for a few years now and they seem fine. Although you are meant to replace the granules inside from time to time to keep them effective

 

[Flyfisher]

As the population is gradually becoming more conscious about the need for a "green" planet, the market forces tend to jump on the bandwagon by using the " green" word.

I agree. 'Turbo' was a very popular marketing buzzword at one time. 'Digital' is also often used in a similar fashion. I filled my car tyres with 'Digital Air' the other day, according to the big sign on the air pump :roll:

 

[Nemesis]

Well, we could call them ecologically sound, or give them a fancy title. Green is as good a shortcut as any.

I prefer things which are gentle on my surroundings, my clothes, the environment and on me.

 

[Flyfisher]

Call me a cynic but phrases like "The manufacture say they produce ionised oxygen that naturally activates the water molecules." smacks of trying too hard to impress with pseudo-science to me.

This article might be of interest. If you still want to spend 3-4 decent bottles of wine instead of just using a bit less washing powder then at least you can save a fiver by getting them from here.

Yes, 'green' is fine as a label - it's the misuse of it that's the problem.

 

[Nemesis]

I was just interested to know that someone has tried them, and they seem to do as it says on the tin.

 

[Mark]

I understood that the main part of the effectiveness was increased agitation in the machine. Someone claimed good results with a few pebbles.

 

[Penners]

The name says it all, I suspect.

I notice you can also get drier balls. Handy for sportsmen.

 

[wobs]

I've used them for a couple of years. Worked fine for me, although I do use the excellent stain remover that comes with it occasionally.

I sopke to my boss who used to work for Unilever. He said that they had looked into a similar system, but had been unsuccessful. He was quite interested in the description of how it works, as he thought it had possibilities.

The only time I use detergent now is for snot rags, and I rinse out the machine afterwards. Overall, it has probably paid for itself, as I haven't had to buy any detergent for a number of years (not many colds!)

I guess you could try not using anything in the wash at all and compare, if you have any doubts.

Here is a post off another forum I go on:

"They did similar loads of laundry in a few different ways, and compared the results over a variety of factors -- stuff like stain removal, odor removal, overall appearance of cleanliness, feel, etc.

Their conclusion was that while the claims of the ecoball people were more or less substantiated -- that these little gizmos cleaned every bit as well as conventional detergents, and were ostensibly better for the environment, the REAL solution for the environmentally concerned was to forego detergents altogether.

They found that after showing the results of three different loads to a bunch of people in a blind study, that the differences were practically indistinguishable to the crowd, no matter how the load had been done: with typical detergents, with ecoballs, or with no additives whatever -- only water.

The only difference additives made in any scenario was with the toughest stains, where a stain-removal agent WAS found to help in producing a cleaner garment -- although there was no difference once that agent was added, whether the garment was then washed with detergent or not.

I have since resolved to go detergent-free with my laundry, perhaps adding a couple drops of essential oils to the wash in the event I want to spruce things up a bit. And true to the study, I have found no significant difference in the results of my wash.

The study's conclusion: ecoballs may be better, but why settle for better, when the simplest, cheapest solution is also the best?"

I guess many machines are so good these days that you might not need anything to go in them.

PS. I don't have kids, so I appreciate, that given that it's a child's duty to get their clothes as dirty as possible, it might not be up to the job. Although I have removed mud with it.

 

[Moo]

Does using a cool wash have any effect?

 

[wobs]

I just tend to use them at 40C. It says the maximum is 60C, but I just suspect that using them at 60C regularly will reduce the life of the balls, so don't bother. Also, I've never really needed to use 60C.

 

[Moo]

I was thinking of 30 degrees, which is what the eco-warriors are now encouraging us to use.

 

[Moo]

(I seem to have posted a duplicate, but the system won't allow me to delete it.)

 

[Penners]

Best idea is to click the edit button and change your apology into something profound and meaningful.

 

[Moo]

The thought did cross my mind, but I can't do profound and meaningful.