Washing. Where to start. Okay, so we want to do away with plastic bottles (if possible) and certain leave nasty chemicals behind.
Just as an aside – my husband and I are both mildly asthmatic. I’d never thought about it before, but when I made the chance to an eco washing liquid for my clothes, lo and behold, I breathed a lot more easily. I’d never thought about that side of things before.
I’m going to start hard core with this post, and gently slip into reverse. So…
Conkers: Yes, believe it or not, you can do your washing simply by using conkers. You’ll need a wee bit of prep first. Collect your conkers and remove the green husks. Cut them into quarters and dry them on a towel if they are damp. Store in glass jar. To use, put 1/4 cup of conker bits into 1/2 cup of warm water and leave overnight. The resulting liquid will do 2 wash loads, and you can re-soak the conkers a couple of times at least.
ecoegg Laundry Egg: Some people love these, others think they’re a waste of space. Essentially, they contain two types of mineral pellets that produce a cleaning foam to lift off dirt without the need for laundry powder or liquid. Although they are made of plastic, you can buy the pellets separately to top up your egg, so it should last for ages. You can buy a scented or unscented version and they are allergy free and you don’t need to use a fabric conditioner. They’re available from Lakeland & Robert Dyas amongst others, or online. I have an ecoegg and I’m pretty pleased with its performance. It’s a good idea to treat stains with a stain remover first, and I must admit I do wash heavy duty dirt or the dog’s towels with an eco friendly laundry liquid. So, a thumbs up from me on the whole.
Smol laundry capsules: These are posted to you in recyclable packing and Smol claim to use less chemicals than conventional laundry liquids. I’ve just applied for a free trial, so I’ll keep you posted on these.
