Eco Balls

[Oola]

Has anyone ever used 'eco balls' in their washing - supposed to replace fabric conditioner and very good I'm told?

[keepersdaughter]

Hi Oola, I bought a pair of these a few months ago. Trouble is I only got to try them once because the dogs keep taking them. Kudzu (little dog) loves them because they are fairly small and he can pick them up easily because of their spikes. I think they worked OK, not quite as well as liquid or dryer sheets, and of course they're not perfumed.

[Rustic Pumpkin]

Glad I decided to search for this, otherwise I would have started a repeat thread!:o

I have just 'converted' to these. I was somewhat sceptical, but found one at ethicalsuperstore.com for just £5.00 for one that was good for up to 60 washes. What do you have to lose, I said, for £5.00 and it might work.

Well, it did. I am very happy with the results. Of course, you do need soap for really dirty, oily, greasy things (not that we get our clothes into that sort of state, do we?)

When using the ecoballs you don't need soap or conditioner so it is better for the environment and your skin. I was concerned about the lack of fabric conditioner, but I am not missing it at all! In fact, I prefer it that my clothes only smell of fresh air. It is great.

Ethicalsuperstore just had them on sale now, the BIG ones (normally £35) but I got them for just £23.00 and free delivery to boot. These should last me about a year, they are refillable, and I should have saved my outlay in about three months compared to powder purchases.

[franbee]

I bought 2 of these from Lakeland for £9.99 including refills and a stain remover. I shared with a friend, though it did say to use 1 or 2 per wash. We have been quite pleased with the results, most things come out clean, though I do use a spot of conditioner with synthetics to prevent static.

[souter girl]

Given that so many of us are allergic to many products these seem to be a very good idea. I also think we wash our clothes more than we need to (not talking underwear, of course!) How often do you wear something once then drop it into the washing basket?

[keepersdaughter]

I think these must be different to the ones I have. The pair I bought are blue, a bit smaller than a tennis ball and you don't put anything in them. They have spikes and you just put them in the dryer and the bashing I suppose from the spikes is supposed to soften the fabric.

[jazzactivist]

I have both the washing eco balls and the spiky drying ones. I bought the same washing ones as franbee did, from Lakeland. I find that they work well on items that are not very dirty, but anything beyond this does call for washing liquid. The spiky drying ones are good with towels, but be careful if you put them in with underwear, as I found that they tore some of my delicates (not that mine are that delicate!)

[franbee]

The washing ones that I have are perforated and have little 'marbles' of soda and such inside.

[Rustic Pumpkin]

There are so many of these on the market, but almost all source back to the same company. The one I bought for £5.00 sells for £7.00 and £8.00 elsewhere, but there are slightly different ones at £10 and £15 and the ones I bought for £23 that are usually £35. They are all based on different wash amounts. My first one @ £5 did up to 60 washes. My current ones @£23 do up to 1,000 washes! Some of these balls are based on a 30 minute cycle, some on a 45 minute and some on a 60 minute cycle. I spent quite a bit of time researching all of this to get the best value based on my personal demands.

[franbee]

Can you give us a summary, rustic, then we can decide whether to go for them or not?

[Rustic Pumpkin]

These are the three main ones I compared. I found the same products available from a variety of suppliers, but these were the best prices

£5.00 e-ball from ecozone (bought from www.ethicalsuperstore.com) does up to 60 washes based on a 30 minute cycle (10p per load)

£12.00 ecoballs from ecozone (from ditto) does up to 150 washes on unnamed minute cycle and use one or two balls per wash (8p per load)

£24.00 (original £35) ecozone ecoballs (from ditto) up to 1000 washes on a 30 minute cycle and use all three balls per load (3p per load)

The last two are refillable and come with a set of refils. At the moment ethicalsuperstore are offering free delivery on orders over £40, and they have a huge amount of ethical, fairtrade, and organic produce available on line. Everything you can think of, you name it they seem to have it. :cool:

[franbee]

Thanks for that rustic, I've made a note for next time.