Ecover

pollys

Bio d is available online from Natural Collection. Clearspring can be ordered direct from Faith products also online, it does foam a bit so use sparingly, we do live in a very soft water area though so this probably makes a difference.

CopperPlate_2

Natural Collection is also in Quidco.com giving you 7% cashback. Bought the washing powder, fab cond, wash liquid, toilet cleaner, Faith in Nature handwash (cheaper from Goodnessdirect.co.uk though) - went a bit mad and decided that I didn't want heaps of chemical, artificial stuff near my/my family's skin. Goodnessdirect seems to be cheaper overall but you can't get Bio-D products from it and there's no cashback from Quidco but it doesn't amount to much at 7% really.

pink_phantom

Wig wrote:

Ecover and all eco or green detergents are green because they use mostly non ionic surfactants, and less than 5% anionic surfactants.

My limited understanding:
anionics are toxic to aquatic organisms
Non ionics are thought to be harmless.

'Normal' washing up liquid, washing powders & liquids will have high levels of anionics 15% - 30%

I just looked at my ecoover and the normal biological powder that i use for tough stains and they both say <5% anionic surfactants?

The rest of the ingredients did differ however with Ecover's coming from plant baised derivatives.

welf_man

You might also want to consider transport costs and pollution - most Ecover products are made in Belgium and shipped over, whilst Bio-D is made in the UK.

There are also issues about the links between Ecover and Group 4, who have been shown to have mistreated asylum seekers at Yarlswood Detention Centre (one of several they run).

See here for more details.

Mel.

1sttimer_2

Have you read the OS threads about soapnuts and Stardrops?
the Soapnuts are natural, compostable and good for quite a few things. Whether you find that because they are not from the UK and so not eco friendly because of the transportation of them, they do have a lot of good attributes. See this link http://www.inasoapnutshell.com/index.html

The Stardrops thread is quite a helpful thread and one poster says it is recommended on their 'Recommended ethical household cleaners, manufactureres, retailers and products' site so must be ok.

Also on the OS forum is recommendations for Microcloths. These look like terry towelling cloths but the good thing is that you use them to clean your house WITHOUT the need of ANY cleaning product. They are very good, cheap and enviromentally friendly to use but I'm not sure about manufacture or where they are made.

The OS forum has plenty of good advice which can be quite eco friendly too. Vinegar is something that they advise instead of manufactured cleaning products, so perhaps we can be OS and enviromental at the same time.

It only goes to show that the OS way of doing things could become NS. What goes around, comes around.

hardpressed

novice_money_saver wrote:

Thanks button has disappeared!!!

It's back again now.:T :T

pink_phantom

Has anyone actually tried the soap nuts?

1sttimer_2

Yep - I've bought some. I think they are really good with the coloured items, but not too great with the whites. The whites are ok if there is no real stains to get rid of but if you pre-soak any stains then they are ok. You don't need any conditioner as there is no 'soap' to get rid of. I live in a soft water area and that may help a little, although by reading the thread all it takes is more of the 'nuts'. On the whole, I think they are well liked by those who have asked and received a free sample. (You have to go through the link to get some)

pink_phantom

This may seem a stupid question but what are they made of and how do they work?

Paul_VW

used ecover washing up liquid for a while, we are in a hard water area. I think it smells much nicer, and works just as well as any other brand!

also been using the washing powder with no problems, and I work on a farm, so my clothes are covered in mud and oil!