Washing machine magic leaves

I mainly use Lidl or Tesco own make washing powder and never use fabric conditioner, just white vinegar and a splash of floral disinfectant in the conditioner drawer

Wow GrannyIris5 what is a twindos bottle?

The Melt laundry sheets are very good and can get on a subscription. I recommend them.

I don’t use them too often as my Miele machine uses the twindos bottles which came free with it.

Haven’t tried them, I now just use good old powder and soda crystals. Stopped using pods (and conditioner) after reading how they gum up the machine with gunge - and a couple of hot ‘empty’ washes with just soda crystals showed how true this was - a mass of dirty grey foam ensued.

I really disliked the pod containers, too - besides the plastic factor, too hard to open!

I do keep the powder in a plastic box, to avoid any damp, but at least that box is a once-only.

Aspirin may be worth trying for whites which I read somewhere:

With every wash, white clothes seem to become duller and greyer. So, how do you stop this process? It’s very simple; all you need is a type of medicine everyone probably has in their medicine cabinet. The only thing you need to make sure your laundry comes out perfectly white again is five aspirin tablets of 325 milligrams each.
Put the tablets in a large bowl or tub of hot water to let them dissolve. Stir this aspirin water until all of the tablets have completely dissolved. To make sure the tablets dissolve faster, you can also crumble them up before putting them in the water. Next, place the dull, white clothes in the bowl or tub with the aspirin water and leave them to soak there for eight hours. You can also just add a few aspirins to the washing machine, but the soaking method works better. After you’ve let the clothes soak, you still have to wash them in the washing machine like you normally would.

I've used the EcoEgg for years (with a few refills). I soak anything really grubby overnight - in water with a few drops of (any) detergent. I mostly use the 20C 'Eco' programme too. For the few white items I own, yes, I use liquid detergent, which seems to last a year. I buy 5 L bottles of white vinegar to use as 'fabric softener'. It all comes out clean and fresh - and most importantly, doesn't irritate my skin.

That will never happen if the two halves are clicked together properly. I'm a bit of a fumbler these days but managed it okay with no problem.

Just remember you will still need some Vanish spray for the stains but I would use that anyway.

I might try an eco egg again. Someone leant me one recently, when the cruelty free pods I'd been using gave me a skin rash, but it came apart in the machine. Hours of endless fun scooping the pellets out of the rubber seal with a teaspoon.....

Another healthy choice are these soapnut shells which I haven't tried myself but I would try if I didn't use the ecoegg.
www.soapnuts.co.uk/collections/soapnuts
I think I saw something like this in Amazon too. Again, read the small print.

Well I was surprised to read that Tilly but they often make things out to be a healthy choice, until you read the small print. So many washing and cleaning products have these warnings, but for years I've just used them thinking they must be okay because everyone else is using them. Now I'm thinking we need to go back to white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda!

There are some very real concerns there Chestnut and I am glad you have made me aware, so thank you.

I'm afraid the ecoegg laundry egg wins on points.
It has no harmful chemicals so does not harm the environment.

The magic leaves have the following warning:
Danger
Causes serious eye damage.
Causes skin irritation.
Harmful if inhaled.
Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
May cause respiratory irritation.

I use the ’éco egg’ for all washes. However, I do use vanish on red wine stains.

I bought wash nuts from QVC - also available in Holland and Barrett. Four nuts in a bag are supposed to do four loads. I think they were claiming up to 10 years worth in the two bags supplied. However, they aren’t much good on full loads (IMO not enough water to activate properly) but fine to just refresh a few things.

I preferred powder tablets because they could be crumbled or halved but didn’t make as much mess as a big box powder.
but lo and behold it is all liquid tabs now and even those cheaper small boxes of powder in discount stores like Savers and Home Bargains have mysteriously become unavailable.
Strange ain’t it.😼

Thank you TillyTrotter. I must use up all that I bought yesterday before embarking on buying something new. It does look to be the way forward and at present is a lot cheaper.

I almost have my own personal driver from Amazon I have been buying so much recently. Perhaps it is as well they are going to your house for a change, wherever you live.

Charleygirl these are not Lavender, and as you can buy a big size they are good value (from Amazon).
The big bonus over liquid detergents is there is no plastic being used for packaging.

I'm also an ecoegg laundry egg user. Why waste money and pour all those chemicals into the rivers?

It costs £6 for 70 washes, no harmful chemicals, kind to skin and the environment, suitable for vegans.

I have a sticky note inside a kitchen cupboard door to keep a tally on how many times I've used it. I use Vanish Stain Remover spray for stains but I would use that anyway.

ecoegg Fresh Linen

I am not a fan of a lavender smell so provided I can find something different I am more than happy to try these washing leaves, especially buying them online as they are definitely so much cheaper.

I am ashamed to say I use pods because I do not measure anything so just slosh liquid or powder into my machine which is not a good idea. At least pods are measured.

Are leaves a newish idea? I saw them in Waitrose yesterday for the first time.

Thanks for this. Hadn't heard of these but will certainly investigate. I reverted to powder when I read of how very bad pods were for the environment.

Yes I love them and have been using them a few weeks love the smell,

I’ve just looked at these on Amazon as I’d never heard of them. I might give them a try. I use Tesco own brand liquid and also Lidl own brand. In fact I use own brands on most things I buy. I find they’re good value.

I use washing soda crystals for coloureds and Oxy white stuff for whites. A bag of soda crystals lasts for ages. Used to be 80p a bag but price has now gone up quite a lot, although still much cheaper than laundry liquid. I've never used the pods.

When I'm only washing my own clothes (not underwear and not stained - just a refresh) I use no detergent. The wash and drying outside cleans them just fine.

Bedding, towels, underwear, dirty clothes get detergent of course.

eazybee I was offering this up as an alternative,
and asking if you have used them . 🙂