saving money on washing powder

Big-T_7

Have been using value brand bio for months now for myself and partner and tescos brand of non bio for my little one. Dont rate them too much smell is non exsistent and doesnt get stains out of little ones clothes!!

However, sometimes it really gets me down bein a cheapy (plus gives me a headache tryin to suss it out) , as alot of things def dont taste, smell or do the same things and I find they are a false economy, sooooo was in costco and decided to treat ourselves and brought 10kg box of persil non bio cost £12.91 (inc tax) and to be totally honest have not really noticed a great deal of difference only that assumed consumer satisfaction that you are buying a dearer brand product so you expect it to be the best!!:rolleyes:

rach

i tried making the gloop. it may well be worth it, the jury's out as far as i'm concerned! it only cost pennies to make so no loss if it doesn't! sometimes i'm not sure if sweaty/smelly stuff gets properly clean. i'm going to try adding a bit of value powder to the gloop to see how that goes!

i usually use persil colour tabs and only ever use one!

spiddy100

We normally use own brand washing powder, half the amount it says on the box if not less. I nearly always get my washing out onto the line for a good blow, unless it's absolutely pouring with rain. Sunshine is great for stain removal (works brilliantly if your kids are messy eaters like mine), and apparently has anti-bacterial action too, and having your washing out in the fresh air gives it a lovely smell which is better than any product to me. I'll normally put the washing out even if it's spitting, just to get some fresh air through it.

EDITED to say I always use washing soda in there too, it seems to help

mo1_2

i use aldi washing tablets non bio,i find they last a long time and wash really good

vickyj

Eco balls are great. I have been using mine for a few weeks nw and they are soooo good. They seem to deal with all marks really well and i have 3 children 8yo boy, 7yo boy (super messy) and a 3yo girlall three look as if they have been mud wrestling by the end of the day and i have nothing but praise for eco balls.
I bought them from the ethical superstore they were about £28 inc p&p which i thought was a huge outlay at once but they last up to 1500 washes so they will work out amazing value for money in the end. Also you can skip past the rinse cyle on your washer to save water as there is no soap or chemicals involved.
Good luck

hazzie123

I buy Netto`s big box of 5kg Bio for £1.88 mixed with 2 bags of 59p Soda Crystals and only use about 2 tablespoons of powder.This lasts me for roughly 3 months and I find it cleans as good as any top brand powder or liquid.

Daisies

I use eco balls too and find them great, plus you can skip the rinse cycle so it saves on water and electricity. (I'm on a water meter). I got mine from Lakeland Limited, and it comes with a stain remover stick too. So far it's even coped with my washable sanitary towels!

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/product.aspx/solutions/washing!5718

I've also always had to be careful about washing powders and toiletries as I do get some skin reactions but have never had a problem with eco balls.

bigpaws23

vickyj and daisies - do you have hard or soft water?
Our water is very hard, so I'm a bit hesitant to try the ecoballs. I also wonder what difference there would be between using those and using NO product at all. Have either of you experimented with that?

Oh, same question to dianadors as well please - do you have hard or soft water and do you have messy clothes / children to contend with?!?!

TIA
bigpaws x

Daisies

bigpaws23 wrote: »

vickyj and daisies - do you have hard or soft water?
Our water is very hard, so I'm a bit hesitant to try the ecoballs. I also wonder what difference there would be between using those and using NO product at all. Have either of you experimented with that?

The water's really hard where I am and they still seem to work OK. I don't think I've ever tried using no product at all. My SIL uses them too for her family (two sprogs).

Have you thought about cutting down on the amount things get washed too? I used to wash everything after wearing it once, now I'm much more restrained and only underwear gets that treatment!

bigpaws23

Daisies wrote: »

The water's really hard where I am and they still seem to work OK.

Thanks - that's good to know.

Have you thought about cutting down on the amount things get washed too? I used to wash everything after wearing it once, now I'm much more restrained and only underwear gets that treatment!

I've never washed things after only one wash; only if things get really dirty do I do that.

Bigpaws x