Chooks Aloud Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Has anybody used wash balls in their washing machine? Do they work? Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 What's a wash ball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 We use a wash ball in our washing machine... But it might not be what your talking about as we have had it for years... I hope it's not some new invention and I've just made a fool out of myself? Basically ours is just a plastic ball and we poor 2 in 1 liquid in (contains washing powder and fabric softener). And you place this ball directly in with the washing. We've found the wash is as good as with the conventional washing powder/fabric softener with the added benefit of not getting all the gunk building up in the tray and storing both fabric softner and washing powder. I'm not sure if it is a more expensive way of doing it, but it seems to last us ages. The big tip I would give you is don't buy the own brands, buy the ariel ones. It is slightly more expensive but you can use just half the amount (50ml I think) and it makes your washing smell out of this world especially when naturally air dried outside... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chooks Aloud Posted April 24, 2008 Author Share Posted April 24, 2008 No, the wash balls I'm on about are like the drying balls - they are coloured with spikey things coming out of them. You do not have to use any detergent apparently as they just adgitate the washing ionising the water as it goes. I like the idea of no washing liquid, but wondered if anybody had used them before I fork out and buy some (I think they are about £25ish). Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiggy Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 (edited) I use them for clothes that just need a freashen up, if things are dirty they don't work all that well, I still leave them in & can reduce the amount of deturgent I use, you need to pre treat stains more if you use them alone Edited April 24, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keanie Bean Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 I've been using soapnuts for about a year £12 for a years worth of washing hasnt been bad at all.Especially when I do at least 4 loads every day. I just use stain remover for troublesome spots. The wash balls wont get your whites white and wont remove stains but other wise will definately be good for darks and colours. Help save the planet from destruciton, yea Sarah.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pelicano Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 I have used them successfully for things like towels and undies. Trouble I find with them is that they don't last anywhere near as long as the manufacturers claim. Wash cycles can be long these days, and the ingredients inside the balls disintegrate. Ideally you'd need to whip them out before the rinse cycle. I now use soapnut liquid for my towels and undies instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chooks Aloud Posted April 25, 2008 Author Share Posted April 25, 2008 Thanks - I'll have to look into soapnut... Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pelicano Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 This is the stuff I use http://www.spiritofnature.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2espiritofnature%2eco%2euk%2f&WD=soapnut&SHOP=%20&PN=4802%2ehtml%23a4802#a4802 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 I use three green eco balls. They're ok but you can't put washing in on a morning and hang it out when you get home as it's already starting to smell. You have to take it out straight away which is a bit inconvenient really. I have noticed that the more natural the clothes fabric, the less likely they are to smell after being left in the machine! I was told that it's a build up of bacteria in the washing machine and to run a hot cycle every once in a while to get rid of it. Apparently normal washing powder disguises the smell!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted April 28, 2008 Share Posted April 28, 2008 Ideally you'd need to whip them out before the rinse cycle. I always use the rinse hold button on my machine to bypass that stage. It makes the balls last longer and saves water too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 28, 2008 Share Posted April 28, 2008 I've tried both washballs and soapnuts. Very disappointed with both. They seem to work fine at first, but then I noticed the clothes getting increasingly grimy looking and starting to smell a bit sinister. Neither gets greasy marks out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 Same here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keanie Bean Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 Have you tried Kates recipie for washing powder, I've been using that for whites and nappies. With a bit of Ecover laundry bleach for help keeping whites white its really good. Soapnuts are fine for everything else but grease does need a spot remover. Sarah.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJuff Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 Have you tried Kates recipie for washing powder, I've been using that for whites and nappies. With a bit of Ecover laundry bleach for help keeping whites white its really good. Soapnuts are fine for everything else but grease does need a spot remover. Sarah.x What's Kate's recipe?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 I used to use the recipe Kate uses (sorry AJ, can't remember the recipe offhand) but we really need to use a liquid now with the Big Green Poo Machine (bio-digester) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 I've been using soapnuts for a couple of years and I'm quite happy with them, I wash everything with them except my whites (that was the compromise reached with DH, whose colleague at work wears grey shirts, made grey by his wife wash balls). It is true they don't take every stain out, but to be honest neither did the detergents I used before. Generally speaking, I'm very happy with the cleanliness of the clothes and their softness. It is great for bright colours, no fading at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 If anyone wants to try soapnuts, they're not very expensive, and you can buy a sample amount just to try from the following link: http://www.soapnuts.co.uk/shop/catalog/browse?sessid=YRG0SWN5PFc3g9RMCflYcbdWcH5DhyYR0alDSOyamGPADZfMvb5XChlo7iWNnK4t&shop_param= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...