Product Review - Eco Balls. Miracle Product or a Load of Spin?
I like to think of myself as a pretty eco-aware shopper so I'm not fooled for a minute by all this big brand biological washing powder hogwash about gleaming whites and natural spring freshness. I know they are just nasty chemicals hidden behind a synthetic fragrance. So for the past three years I have used Clear Spring eco-friendly washing liquid, which I buy in bulk, and a splash of vinegar instead of fabric softener. It works extremely well and I'm very happy with it.
But I have often flirted with the idea of eco-balls, first and foremost because they are possibly even more eco-friendly than my current arrangement but also because, wash for wash, they are cheaper and could potentially save me even more money than my trusty Clear Spring.
So, after being tempted by a special offer on eco-balls, I made the big purchase and approached my maiden eco-ball wash with an enthusiastic, open mind. But I still didn't understand how eco-balls work and the idea of washing my clothes with nothing but water and a couple of flying-saucer-shaped objects still niggled deep in the recesses of my mind. Would my clothes come out clean? And if so why?
According to the Ecozone website, it is all down to ionisation. Which to a science numpty like myself, still means very little.
But ever faithful, I diligently followed the instructions, didn't overload my machine, popped both eco-balls on top of my washing, shut the door, added a splash of vinegar in the fabric softener compartment for good luck and pressed Go.
So did I get super-clean, super-eco, super-washed clothes?
Well, in a word...no.
Not really.
I was really disappointed. I double checked with the Ecozone website in case I had done something wrong, but no I hadn't, and the reviews for the eco-balls were generally great. They seemed to be really highly rated. So maybe it was just me.
Admittedly we have hard water here in deepest Kent and I have two teenogres although, thankfully, they are past the rugby/football kit stage and are at the ‘worn it for half an hour so it goes in the wash' stage. So it was a pretty ‘clean' load.
But I had lots of limescaley gunky streaks on my washing and it smelt ‘stale'. I washed it with the eco-balls a second time and it came out fine but washing things twice defeats the whole environmental argument.
In the interests of a fair trial I did three more loads but had the same result. I thought maybe it was my machine...but again, no. For me it is brand spanking new, ie less than 2 years old.
Also, I found my washing machine now smelt musty and it took a hot (60°C) wash with vinegar to alleviate it. Again, not very environmentally friendly.
So all in all I found the eco-balls a big disappointment and shall be sticking with my Clear Spring laundry liquid.
However, as my long-suffering husband will testify, I am no domestic goddess so I would welcome anyone's comments or advice as to what I can do to improve my eco-balls' performance. Being green involves not wasting things, so if there is a way I can re-use these eco-balls then please let me know. Failing that, I can hang on until we move to the glorious soft water of Cornwall this summer and see if they work any better there.
Jo
www.faithinnature.co.uk/Household-Cleansing/C/7
photos from Ecozone and Faith in Nature websites
15 Mar 09
