Ecological Laundry balls, or in this particular case Ecoballs, appear to be gaining in popularity of recent times, hence you may have seen them online or in the shops. The product I’m referring to are those little green balls that you put into your washing machine to replace detergent and fabric softener. The reason I have titled this the true consumer’s review, is that I am not simply someone who has been told by their boss or editor to review them, but someone who has actually been using them for about five years now, so I feel I can give a pretty well-informed (and honest) account of how well this product really works.  This review is going to assess the effectiveness of ecological laundry balls, as well as do some basic calculations to see what savings can be made.

How do they work?

Basically, there are 3 balls, about the size of a tennis ball, filled with what looks like little pebbles.  You simply throw them in your washing machine with the clothes and turn it on – nice and easy. In straightforward terms, they produce ionised oxygen that activates the water molecules naturally and allows them to penetrate deep into clothing fibres, lifting away dirt and grime [1].

The claims made by the manufacturers are that [2]:

• One set will last you 1000 washes.
• They soften clothes without the need for fabric softener.
• You can wash at a lower temperature (30ºC).
• The wash cycle can be shortened.
• They are hypoallergenic, antibacterial and contain no harsh chemicals.
• They won’t fade bright colours or damage clothing fibres.

I have also heard claims that they will combat the build up of lime scale in your machine, but I cannot substantiate this.

But do they work?

My experience of using this product is that, essentially, yes they do work, but not for everything. I have found that when washing clothes that are not too badly soiled and stained the balls will work fine. If you are trying to remove tough stains like grass, tomato sauce or red wine, you will need to use a conventional detergent. They are also not very good for white loads; they will get them clean, but after a few washes you will notice a ‘dulling’ of the whites. Bear in mind here, however, that even when using a detergent, to get those whites ‘whiter than white’, you will have to use a very hot wash (it’s impossible to do a complete comparison to Ecoballs in this instance, as the manufacturers don’t recommend using them at over 60ºC). The majority of laundry balls come with an eco-friendly stain remover (usually a soda solution) and applying this to lighter stains will improve their effectiveness quite considerably. The balls also do a very good job at things like bed linen and towels.

In essence, my rule of thumb for using them is:

Yes – dark loads of socks, pants, t-shirts, etc.

Yes – bed linen

Yes – towels

No – whites

No – heavily stained clothes

Definitely Not – washable nappies

For comparison, I have tested the balls against a wash with nothing but water – just to check that there is a difference. The clothes washed in water did seem pretty clean to the eye, but they didn’t smell like they were clean, as they do with Ecoballs. On that subject, I have heard people say that they like their clothes to smell ‘clean’ but think that they won’t without using soap and conditioner. First of all, after so many years using laundry balls, I have found the smell of clothes washed conventionally to be rather synthetic and almost overpowering. Second, I personally think that clothes washed with Ecoballs and then dried outside on the line smell about as clean and fresh as you can get. If you do want that ‘clean’ smell then I recommend putting a small amount of eco-friendly fabric softener, such as Ecover or BioD, in with the wash (this is not necessary, in my opinion).

The savings

Energy:

When using this product, you can run the machine at a lower temperature and, additionally, cut out the rinse cycle because there’s nothing to rinse off (note: not all machines can do this). This will save on the electricity used to run the washing machine and also the amount of water consumed.

I have to admit that I run my machine at 40ºC, but will now lower it to 30ºC after reading Ecoball’s information.

Money:

Ecoballs will last for 1000 washes and cost around £30.00

A 1.5 litre bottle of Ecover laundry detergent will last for 17 washes and cost about £4.50.

A 1 litre bottle of Ecover fabric softener will last for about 33 washes and cost about £3.00

So, if we assume that a wash will cost 36 pence per cycle then 1000 washes will cost £36.00. A saving of £6.00 – it’s not exactly going to fund your children’s university education, but it’s still a saving.  However, here’s the good part; once you have had your 1000 washes, you can refill the balls for around £15.00. Setting aside the fact that inflation will raise the costs of detergent and softener, after 2000 washes you will have saved about £21.00 on your laundry bills.

Ok, I have to admit that I’m quite surprised by the small financial saving, but that’s not the only reason I bought my Ecoballs.

Pollution:

Every time you use detergent in your washing machine it releases this into the aquatic environment. Needless to say, this is not good for the planet. An average wash will use 85ml of detergent and 30ml of fabric softener; 115ml in total. So over a period of 1000 washes, Ecoballs will save a total of 115 litres of harmful chemicals entering the environment.

I should also mention that if you’re not buying detergent and fabric softener (that usually comes in plastic bottles), you are saving on the energy and resources used to produce the plastic bottles, the energy and resources used to produce the detergents and also the energy used to transport them. It all adds up.

In summary then, I think that these are a great product and would recommend them to anyone who wants to do their bit to save energy, save carbon and save money. Now remember that just because you can’t use them on every load, this is not a reason to ignore them. They will last the 1000 washes claimed by the manufacturer, so even if you only use them for 1 in 2 washes, you are still saving on everything mentioned above. Shop around though, because prices do vary and there is more than one type of laundry ball. More recently, soap nuts are available on the market which are another form of eco-friendly washing powder

[1] Washing Balls – www.washingballs.co.uk/index.php?page=work. Online. Accessed 09/06/10

[2] Ecoballs Direct – www.ecoballsdirect.co.uk. Online. Accessed 09/06/10