I need help before I give up on the Green way altogether.
So we used soapnuts for a long while, but the clothes often retained a bit of a musty whiff, even on a higher temperature and always line dried. So we bought a new washing machine ( not because of this, we really needed one, but we hoped this might have helped), but the clothes still had that smell. We switched to Ecover and it seemed to manage ok. Obviously there’s no harsh brightening agents so over time whites dulled and appeared a little grey, hats ok though, there are remedies for that, and I’m not so keen on white clothes for anyone in this household anyway But there has been a longstanding problem with staining, particularly grease stains. Most stains, if they don’t come out right away, will fade over a couple of washes and line drying on sunny days, bu grease stains just don’t shift. DH is getting really annoyed with his clothes quickly becoming unusable, as is DS2, and quite a few of the littlies clothes have become unwearable before being outgrown which is extremely annoying. It’s impossible though to ask a 2 year old not to wipe her fingers on her dress whilst she’s eating!
So what else can I try? I’m loathe to start making washing any more time consuming than it already is, and I want to stay as “green” as possible, but equally I want stain free clothes, and white collars on DS2’s school shirts would be nice too without messing around with lemons etc every washday.
Thanks for any suggestions
Oh and we have tried hard - soapnuts for over a year, then a spell with Eco-balls, then Ecover for the past three years…....... we don’t give up easily
We use Method, which is paraben-free, bio-degradable, lightly scented, so clothes smell “clean” and seems to work on grease too. It had trouble when I actually split oil on a skirt, but is pretty good on greasy hand marks. It comes in a refillable pump bottle and recommends 4 squirts per wash. Everything I have just said is on the basis of using 1 squirt per wash. I guess you could use more for really greasy stuff.
Ooh, where do you get that from Angie?
Oh and the parcel came too, thanks very much, what do I owe you for postage - H opened the parcel for me whilst I was at work so the packaging was completely destroyed lol.
I’m not sure if it will work for you, but we seem to use successfully Bio-D washing up liquid. Yes, washing up liquid. It comes in 5 litre container for just over 8 pounds (I think, a bargain), and it’s most natural I’ve seen around for washing. I’m a person who doesn’t like to have many things around, so I like simplifying as much as possible. I also prefer to use one thing for multiple purposes. I figured out that since the washing up liquid cuts through grease while washing dishes, it should be good for clothes too. Despite some people telling me that there will be too many suds in the washing machine, the Bio-D one doesn’t seem to cause any problems. For rinsing, I use some vinegar. Good luck in finding what works for your family, Bianca
Hello.we use the simply tablets,and they are great for us,as er get eczema.but I put lavender in clothes and tra tree in with nappies and my husband work clothes .I was thinking of trying the violets laundry.x
Hi all glad this question came up starting to get fed up with grease stains myself! Love the washing up liquid idea especially as I already use it for everything else round the house! Lol could we have more details please bianca like how much do you use? And have you tried ecover? (that’s wats in my kitchen at the moment!).
I use ecozone laundry liquid and chuck in a bit of ecover bleach if I have a white wash or heavy staining and it seems to work well. Vinager for rinse cycle and essential oils. I have also used method and its fantastic stuff, smells lovely.
I use about 40ml of Bio-D washing up liquid. Years ago, we used Ecover washing up liquid, but only to wash the dishes. Oh yeah, I also put a few drops of Tea Tree when washing nappies. Oh, and I’ve started to use the washing up liquid to wash out hands. I was contempleting to use it to wash hair as well, but at the moment we use the Suma Simple shampoo, and have lots of it, and also like it.
I have tried almost all the eco laundry liquids (and powders and eco balls) I have come across in the last 10 years as it has been a bit of a mission for me to find something I am genuinely happy with (works really well and is eco friendly).
I have ended up with Sonett, a superb German eco brand which is sold from Greenfibres in the UK, but I found it is cheaper to order it from Germany on http://www.violey.com
I buy it in bulk (10 L) and I also buy a few other things at the same time which means that despite the delivery cost it actually turns out good value with everything that goes in the parcel.
But there has been a longstanding problem with staining, particularly grease stains. Most stains, if they don’t come out right away, will fade over a couple of washes and line drying on sunny days, bu grease stains just don’t shift. DH is getting really annoyed with his clothes quickly becoming unusable, as is DS2, and quite a few of the littlies clothes have become unwearable before being outgrown which is extremely annoying. It’s impossible though to ask a 2 year old not to wipe her fingers on her dress whilst she’s eating!
