Wash balls - Laundry balls - Eco balls (merged)

caz739

I used to put a couple of drops of tea tree oil in the nappy bucket with the first nappy - disinfects and helps the smell. Then dry on the line outside and any remaining stains magically disappear :T (till they are on solids anyway)

Ben84

There's reasonable doubt that ecoball washing products do anything at all. The claims about how they work are vague and refer to things like activated water, which in scientific terms has no real meaning. Which magazine also tested them a few years ago and concluded they did no more than washing with just water.

Justamum

Ben84 wrote: »

There's reasonable doubt that ecoball washing products do anything at all. The claims about how they work are vague and refer to things like activated water, which in scientific terms has no real meaning. Which magazine also tested them a few years ago and concluded they did no more than washing with just water.

I would probably agree with you here. I tried washballs for a while and used them for the nappies for my DD2. They didn't get the stains out. You really need to wash nappies on a hot wash with some detergent to get stains and germs out.

Pink.

Hi broodylass,

It may be worth having a read through this thread to see how other Old Stylers rate Eco balls:

Wash balls - Laundry balls - Eco balls (merged)

One of us will add your thread to that one later.

Pink

Simeno

I wonder if all the people who voted no have tried them. I think that somehow they work, or at least they let you save a lot of powder. The first ones I tried were crap so, browse around and make sure you try the good ones.

[Deleted User]

I use the eco wash balls and had such good results that I bought a great load of them when lakeland had them at half price. They give me a superb result, time after time, I use 2 balls at a time as the instructions say and even my white microfibre tea towels come up looking clean. I am conscious of the bleaching effect of the sun and always try to use that too

vreemt

considering a wash ball - or at least what seems to be the actually working version with the least investment

Lakeland - Cat Ref: 22900 - Lavender Wash It Laundry Ball
these are 5gbp, at that price they seem worth the experiment...

currently using white vinegar (local place had 5L for about 2.50, don't think I've used a litre yet - filled up the spray bottle I had before that, which seems to be the same as Dri-Pak sells... using for windows, mirrors & the green bin as well, *should* be able to use the natural stuff for dressing too) for good colours and softness and general trying to keep the washing machine clean (it should work on those black mould type stains in the detergent drawer and inside of the grey drum lining thing - right?) but not tried soda crystals yet... not found them anywhere cheap...

no Lakelands near me (over 6miles), so possibly trying different shops (Wilkinsons! I like them (: or Aldi/Lidl, as I do have those nearby) and hopefully updating...

the magic of the balls is making you believe you can use less washing stuff right? might try that without a ball, then see if a bashing ball (or multiples) makes a difference...

thanks for all opinions (yes, I have just read all 10 pages of this thread... MSE can be addictive like that - please feel free to pick apart my statements & I'd be especially grateful for any questions answered)

thank you! (:

[Deleted User]

hi, i use tesco value malt vinegar @ 13p per 568ml, and it works fine on my white egyptian cotton bedding and white wash. I do miss the smell of conditioner, though i would not swap using vinegar, as it brings it up so soft, but still experimenting. Have tried essential oil, but that left little oil splats and tried fab conditioner in a spray bottle, but it took away some of the softness. Any suggestions. p.s. not used wash balls, but was eyeing up the citrus burst ones on bid tv - anyone used these.

PixieDust

What I do is buy fabric conditioner, decant half of it into another bottle, and then to up each bottle with cheap value malt vinegar. I use half to one capful in each wash. The clean washing always smells of the conditioner, never the vinegar

ps...we were given eco balls.......they were pants. Andnot particularly clean ones either And then one day the plastic housing broke leaving me with a drum full of pellets....which somehow managed to find their way all over the flipping place - I was picking them up for months!!!!!!!

Wash nuts were somewhat better but I really didn't like their smell so I shan't be buying those again.

[Deleted User]

I am definately going to try that and will let you know what i think - wont be for a while though, as we have just had the kitchen gutted and having a new one installed.