Washballs, EcoEggs et al

[BurlyBeaR]

First of all, shame on you QVC for allowing a guest to imply that people spend £1 per wash on laundry products. Tell me how many people do this and if you can't, (which you cant) don't mention it.

Secondly, if this concept actually worked, proctor and gamble woud have been all over it years ago.

Stop. Bullshitting. Us..

 

[SuziQ]

All I can say is that I used wash balls for years, and bought the eco egg when it was a TSV- and love it. I still pre-treat stains like I would with bio powder, and whites I wash occasionally in bio to keep them bright. Other than that, I use the egg and love it. My kids all have slightly sensitive skin so the egg is great for that, plus colours don't fade for me like they used to with the stuff I used to buy. I have loads of friend and rels who use the wash balls or egg as well, so I know it's not just me and I'm not mad!

I can't comment on what they say people pay per wash, as I have always bought whatever was on special offer, stocked up on really great offers and used coupons on the rare occasion I have one. Having not bought any bio since last November however I do know that I save money on what I used to spend prior to discovering wash balls.

As a side note, the egg casing in the TSV was rubbish and kept falling apart! Luckily I had read someone else warn it happened to them and had placed it in a zipped mesh laundry bag, so the balls didn't get into my machine. I contacted ecoegg rather than QVC (who would probably have just told me to return it) and ecoegg were great, sending me out a replacement egg the very next day. Fantastic customer service!

 

[Akimbo]

I hate the smell of laundry detergents and fabric softeners and I've used balls for years. I take one on holiday with us if we're away for 2 weeks, great when the kids were little. There's a lot of scare-mongering around laundry, suggesting clothes need to smell fresh, wash whiter than white, etc. to be clean. I have a bottle of stain remover if I need it. My son's footy socks represent the ultimate test and once washed at 30 or 40 degrees with a washball or eco egg they pass the sniff test.

When I worked at M&S we'd advise against washing bras in biological powder because the enzymes in it can cause them to go grey quicker. Non-bio powders rely more on bleaching agents which keep your undies looking better.

All refillable washballs are prone to opening in the wash, so I use one of the drawstring bags they used to supply with laundry tablets, it's just the right size and I just tie a knot to keep it fastened.

The eco balls TSV was fab value as it was about £16 and on free p&p, so I ordered 2 options and would say that the scented one is barely noticable, so if they repeat a freepost offer or the TSV price I'd advise ordering, great value!

Don't confuse perfumed with cleanliness, even washing with just water in the machine will clean most of the day to day lightly worn clothes if you have a sedentary job/lifestyle.

The Father-out-law worked for P&G and could get us v cheap ariel, lenor etc but I'm never really tempted (plus it'd mean going over there to collect it) :sad:

Jude xx

 

[nicnac]

Well I have to agree with BB, in my experience washball are carp! I must have used them for about 3/4 years, as my middle son, matthew, had reactions to certain wash powders, liquids and conditioners.
Occassionally certain items would come out of the machine stinking. Even though they did not smell before they went in!
The final straw for me was when matt came home home from a bike ride covered in oil, problem chain that he managed to fix, and in the process got his white top covered in oil. After all sorts of stain removers we did manage to clean it, using swarfega. Put the shirt into wash with the wash ball and couldn't believe the result. Where we had used the swarfega to remove the oil stains, the shirt was a white/white the rest of the shirt was a grey dingy white! Tried other white tops, marked them with stain remover in stripes, washed them with the ball and the same effect, where the stain remover had been, was whiter than the rest of top.
Also was sick of finding broken balls in machine as well. Drove OH nuts finding the pellets all over the floor!
Went back to using non-bio liquids that you placed into the drum with the clothes and the low temps that they recommended, untill reading a post by BB few months back. Now using bio powders at 50/60 temps, unless delicate clothing. Using less powder than I would have years ago, so no too-much-powder-used build-up either. Now i have no probs with washing and stains, and the best thing is the black mould that wanted to grow in the dispenser drawer is no longer there, and the manky smell from inside the machine has gone.

Thanks BB :mysmilie_12:

 

[boffy]

i sent mine back as after the balls came out of the ball and my clothes starting to smell unclean so its back to washing powder for me!

 

[bartybabe]

I love wash balls and have used them for years. I bought the eco eggs when on TSV and have had great results with them. Once or twice I have use liquid detergents for heavily soiled item but hate the overpowering smell. Also clothes washed in detergents - especially towels go really hard quite quickly, whereas this doesn't happen with wash balls. My last towels were washed 100s of times and still stayed a good colour and never faded. Jeans also keep their colour and don't go hard. My mum has sensitive skin and can't use anything else. I know it sounds too good to be true but they do work - obviously the detergent companies rely on repeat sales and pressure/guilt sales and so wouldn't make enough profit from long lasting wash balls. The eco eggs are quite a tight fit to screw together but by ensuring completely fastened together mine I haven't had a problem.

 

[Gemma1]

Nicnac, I have a problem with a nasty smell coming from my washing machine. Did BB recommend something to cure it? Any advice would be much appreciated. Ta.

 

[Weathergirl]

Never tried those eggs. Been using Bold powder all my life, always buy it half price about £6 for 42 washes but I het more than the box states. So that's £1 for 7 washes at least. You use the same electricity using the egg as you would with powder, less on fact as a superquick wash is fine. When possible dry outside. My wash is a bit more as I live in a hard water area so use Lidl limescale tablets too which work out much cheaper than Calgon. I have had sensitive skin and eczema all my life and Bold ( and surf, I think) are the only Bios I have been fine with. Can use most non Bios, never bother with gimmicks like liquitabs which cost loads.

Can't believe I am suffering with insomnia talking about washing powder, but this just shows that the price is nowhere near what they state, that sensitive skins can often cope if they shop around, the washing is clean and fresh smelling, and no stinky washing machines.

 

[Weathergirl]

Well that worked for me. Sleepy eyes.. Night night

 

[China Girl]

I always use Bold or Ariel tablets and they don't clog up the dispenser drawer like normal powder. Have never wanted to try washball type things.

 

[iloveshopping]

do an empty wash with detergent at the highest temperature. this should be done twice a year. also check that the rubber seal by the door isnt full of gunk and dry it. also take out the detergent compartment if its dirty and clean it.

 

[Sarah Pocket]

So far as the nasty smell in the machine is concerned, there were some cleansing tablets came with the Ecoegg and I remember it saying to run the machine with the tablets but otherwise empty after (I think) 70 or so washes. I haven't been counting my washes but am probably ready to do this. I can't remember how many tablets to use though! I've not had any problems with my Egg and I check it is firmly screwed tight before use but thanks for the tip about putting it into a wash bag just in case.

 

[Akimbo]

It's just one eco-egg detox tablet in a hot wash Sarah P.

Jude xx

 

[yesilkedi]

Love my eco-egg. I was finding my black trousers were turning brown with washing powder and my towels were getting harder and harder. I did put my egg in a little bag which eliminates any problem with it splitting open and when I had problems with the egg going a bit out of shape, eco-egg CS were great in sending out another one with no charge. Maybe it's something to do with the hardness of your water, I live just outside London and it's notoriously hard.

 

[Weathergirl]

I notice hard towells whenever I dry them on the washing line in the sun rather than in the tumble dryer, when they are always soft and fluffy. My mum does too. They are always washed the same way. Would love to know why this happens.

 

[madmax]

Over the years I have used all types of washing medium from liquid to powder to tablets to wash ball and even washing sheets.
They all have there place and I now switch between Alids liquid and some washing sheets from the local "cheep and cheerful" which are 50 pence for 40 sheets so under a penny a wash.
I find them OK on lightly soiled washing but step it up to the liquid for stuff which is really dirty.
I did find that when I ONLY used the washing sheets my machine started to smell so I now do one hot 90c wash every couple of weeks using liquid and that keeps the machine smelling sweet.

 

[Marzy]

I notice hard towells whenever I dry them on the washing line in the sun rather than in the tumble dryer, when they are always soft and fluffy. My mum does too. They are always washed the same way. Would love to know why this happens.

Always happens to me too but I hate putting clothes straight in to the tumble dryer after washing them so I dry them on the line & then pop them in to the dryer for 10 - 20 mins.

Works a treat.

 

[BurlyBeaR]

the concensus on moneysavingexpert.com is that you can achieve the same effect as a washball with a teaspoon of bicarb and a reasonably hot wash.