A great idea (Eco Balls)

Member Name: helican

Product:	Eco Balls
Date:	27/05/09 (117 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: economical, detergent-free laundry

Disadvantages: smelly washing

Ecoballs are made by Ecozone, creators of many clever environmentally-friendly products, & there are lots of compelling reasons for using them.
They use 'ionic cleaning power' - in other words the dirt is attracted out of the clothes without the need for detergent. This in itself is a plus for our waterways, but of course there are addded benefits from a soap-free wash: as there's no need for a rinse cycle less water is used, & the lack of detergent means the washed clothes are less prone to fading & are suitable for babies & people with sensitive skin.
Increasingly found in shops they are also available from Ecozone's website at £34.25 for 3 balls, free refill pellets & stain remover. It's a price that makes me do a doubletake but as the balls are reusable for up to a thousand washes it works out at around 3p per wash , so a sensible long-term investment.
I was really keen to use the Ecoballs as they seemed the perfect green solution. For day-to-day washing they seemed good enough; I'd heard a few tales of how they didn't get clothes clean enough & of people having to use added detergents. This wasn't a problem for me as Ecozone don't make extravagant claims for the cleaning power of their product & even include stain remover themselves in the box. As long as long as my lightly-soiled washing got clean - & it did - that was fine.
The problem however was that I often leave my wet laundry in the machine or basket till I get home from work & hang it out, & I soon discovered that not only did my washing lack any 'fresh' smell - again, no big deal - but things that had sat damp for any length of time smelled badly musty, & that smell didn't shift even after a spell outside on the line. Note this wasn't after four days in the basket but morelike four hours, & I found this a bit troubling & not at all what you'd expect from a load of spanking clean washing.
I also noticed that sweaty items (sports kit, & my partner's t-shirts) didn't lose that BO smell & needed rewashing.
So I've gone back to my old soap powder: an enormous shame, as I would have loved to be impressed by Ecoballs. I may try them again - clearly many many people swear by them & there must be something in that, but I'm not very hopeful.

Summary: A marvellous-sounding product with disappointing results