ruby
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Wash ballsWe use the wash balls - (I think they are Ecover ones but have lost the box...) They are three green plastic balls with little white grains in. Initially they seem expensive at over £30 but we are still using them well over a year later and at least daily use and they are still washing clean. I add a few drops of whatever essential oil is getting a bit old and I do also use a spray stain remover for the odd spots. Much better for the wallet and the environment
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judith
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It's good to have a recommendation for these things - they are so expensive that I've never had the nerve to just buy one and give it a try.
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Guest
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Bit of a mad moment when I got them I came over all green at CAT (Centre for Alternative Technology) but very pleased now and I have a large grubby family 
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halloween
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We've been using these things for about two months now and are highly delighted with 'em. I must admit I was sceptical when the OH got them, but I'm convinced now!
As I recall from the box, if you aren't happy with 'em, they'll give you your money back!
Got to at least be worth a try!
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mochyn
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We've been using them for a couple of years now and no probs! Nothing to worry the septic tank there. Excellent.
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Andrea
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I've been using them for over a year now with no complaints. More than paid for themselves in what I've saved in washing powder & have lasted far longer than the 80 washes advised.
There's someone selling them on ebay just now, 2 for £10 inc P&P. Seller is clearance.tv.products. Can't vouch for this make as I haven't used them yet, but I've ordered a second set.
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Lozzie
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They're fab - we're even taking ours away on holiday with us.
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portwayfarm
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We have them but I am not totally sure. Sometimes I think they have worked others that my clothes are still grubby looking. I place my 3 balls on the top of the clothes and sometimes add ecover conditioner to make the washing smell nice and be soft.
I find that white things t shirts and OHs work shirts still have dirt ring marks around collers and although I am aware that our eyes are conned into seeing white by chemical agents in normal washing powders, even my eyes can see that a grubby grey colour to his shirts etc. This grubby look is not there when I use Ecover washing powder in machine instead. So I now use Ecover for whites and eco balls for coloureds. But I am sure I should be able to use Eco balls on whites and bed spreads. What am I doing wrong? I do not want to have to use a stain remover everytime I use Eco Balls. I do not need a stain remover for Ecover (oil marks etc yes, but not normal farm dirt.)
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Andrea
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| Andrea wrote: | | There's someone selling them on ebay just now, 2 for £10 inc P&P. Seller is clearance.tv.products. Can't vouch for this make as I haven't used them yet, but I've ordered a second set. |
They arrived yesterday & though I've not tested them yet they look like a good deal for a tenner.
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farmwoody
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herhmmm.....I think that there must be varying degrees of 'mucky' cos these ball thingys dont touch my lots washing! 
Admittedly being smallholders we are often liberally sprinkled with piggie poo, duck poo, sheep poo etc etc. Not to mention plain, old fashioned dirt but despite having tried these balls for 6 months, they just didnt cut the mustard. Our clothes looked dingy and grey and stains would not shift.
Sorry to say I'm back to ecover washing powder.
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halloween
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I notice that the ebay balls are rated for up to 80 washes while the ecoballs do up to 1000.
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judith
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What happens to the balls over time? Do they wear away or is there some active ingredient in them?
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Guest
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| halloween wrote: | | I notice that the ebay balls are rated for up to 80 washes while the ecoballs do up to 1000. |
Might be a good way for someone who'd not tried them before to test the water without spending a fortune though. On 80 washes it works out as 6.25p per wash, and if they're anything like my existing ones I'd expect them to last longer than that.
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Guest
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| Judith wrote: | | What happens to the balls over time? Do they wear away or is there some active ingredient in them? |
Mine have what look like very little pebbles inside which you can refill.
I think there's two sorts though aren't there?
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jema
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If there is no active ingredient then all they can do as far as I can see is help agitate washing, most of which would wash pretty well without detergent anyway! ecoballs indeed!
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Andrea
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| jema wrote: | | If there is no active ingredient then all they can do as far as I can see is help agitate washing, most of which would wash pretty well without detergent anyway! ecoballs indeed! |
Putting an old tennis ball in with your wash is supposed to help agitate but I it didn't seem to make any difference when I tried it.
(Remembered to sign in this time!)
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halloween
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| jema wrote: | | If there is no active ingredient then all they can do as far as I can see is help agitate washing, most of which would wash pretty well without detergent anyway! ecoballs indeed! |
From the website...
Eco-balls care for your clothes, your washing machine and your environment. Eco-balls stand for everything we believe in; they're natural, environmentally friendly, efficient and cost-effective, and deliver a clean, fresh, sensitive alternative to conventional washing powders that pollute our water supply, reduce the lifespan of our washing machine and break down the very clothing they're supposed to care for. Environmentally friendy eco-ball is a scientific breakthrough in cleaning technology. Just place the three eco-balls in your washing machine instead of detergent. Together they produce ionized oxygen that activates the water molecules naturally and allows them to penetrate deep into clothing fibres to lift dirt away. They are reuseable for over 1000 washes and costs on average 3p per wash. There are no harsh chemicals so less pollution. Rinse cycle can be shortened saving water and electricity. They will not fade bright colours or damage clothing fibres. Hypoallergenic so suitable for sensitive skins/eczema (including babies and children). Eco-ball softens clothes even in hard water. As your clothes will be softer no fabric conditioner is necessary. Also anti-bacterial and kills Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus Aureus. Comes with a 30 day money back guarantee! Includes free refill pellets and a stain remover. Imagine not having the hassles and expense of carting bulky powders and liquids home from the supermarket ever again! Voted one of the Ten Best Green Household Products by The Independent January 2005
Make of that what you will.
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mark
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don't worry about the balls .. they are pretty much a scam and though they do work - so does putiing your kids balls or dogs chew balls in the machine - or just a doing a plain water wash!!
the so called science on the websites advertising such products is complete balderdash ( some claim to work by having magnets in which alter the structure of the water, others by a catalyst , or contain chystals that impact the waters "memory" others are just ceramic balls or disks - and generally babble a load of unsupported pseudo science - some manufacturers have been taken to court and fined in the US and in Australia for making unsupported claims.
however one hidden secret of the washing powder manfacturers is that most of the time our washing gets clean anyway with just water and doesn't need detergent.
also a lot of the time we have detergent in there without realising it cos after one wash the detergent stays around for the next two or three washes in the clothes and in the machine anyway (as my excema lets me know)
so why not try cutting out detergent altogether for your coloured washes - and just using it on stuff that is really stained!
Most if the time we use too much anyway and could cut it down to about a third of the usual amount an stil get a good effect - and reduce the polluting effect of detergents!
actually this may explain why some people are so happy with their balls - despite the fact they do not work when used alone in blind tests - if they use the fairly strong recomended stain removing agents before washing - it may well be enough to function as a detergent & bleach through several washes!
anyway if the balls make people pay use less unnecessary powder great! No harm done - excpet maybe to the pocket and pride of the purchaser once the realise they spent money on something they idn't need to wash without detergent.
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Coobeastie
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My scientific-minded brother reckoned that the contents of the balls would have a slight 'fizz' effect in the wash, which would lift the stains more than just a tennis ball on its own. I'd only use them for things that aren't really dirty; they caved in under the pressure of my brother's mud encrusted trousers (from going out building paths), and I had to scrub the mud off the balls, which I don't think is the point! If you're a non-muddy person they might be worth it.
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judith
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| Coobeastie wrote: | | If you're a non-muddy person they might be worth it. |
Well, that's me and my OH out for a start!
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Cathryn
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Just come back to this one - very interesting cos I agree with a lot of whats been said. I should have said that I live in an area of very soft water and that I noticed it took more than a few washes for the detergent to dissapear (oooh sorry too much red wine) after about a year did start to feel too homespun and reverted back to detergent for a few washes plus we had incontinent kittens and dogs so even used biological at times (oh dear will I be thrown off the site.....!) but overall pleased with the result. I missed the nice smell so use essential oils. Feel the soft water really helps. Very interesting this though so more information please. (Should have eaten BEFORE checking out the wine.......)
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dart
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On the subject of washing machines.... Does anyone know if you can
run a standard washing machine from the header tank rather than straight from the mains? It means we can use the rainwater collected.
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tawny owl
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Don't see why not - a goodly proportion of the population isn't on mains water anyway. We had our own well, pumped to a header tank and used the washing machine no problem. You'll just have to ensure that there's enough water in there, but with modern machines it shouldn't be a problem.
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bloomeenee
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| mark wrote: | don't worry about the balls .. they are pretty much a scam and though they do work - so does putiing your kids balls or dogs chew balls in the machine - or just a doing a plain water wash!!
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someone else mentioned tennis balls...
I'm tempted to try this, but doesn't the colour come out of the tennis balls? Would dog chew ones be better in this respect?
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