Eco household cleaning gadgets? Any good?

[Alcdrew]

OK, I'm in the process of buying an eco house, eco(ish) car, already have an eco bike But to top it all off, and save as much money as possible at the same time. I have been looking at eco friendly products, but do they work as well as thay say? Any one tried any? Stuff like below...

Eco balls instead of washing machine powder.
Mango ball Limescale remover.
Toilet descaler

 

[stevenb]

The Eco balls are a good idea.....but by the time I bought them and had them shipped I'd be better of with normal soap tablets. Certainly better if you have a family and use your machine on a daily basis though

 

[domd1979]

I use vinegar and water as surface cleaner which seems to work OK.

Bicarbonate of soda can be used as a cleaner as well.

Plenty on t'internet on making your own cleaning stuff.

OK, I'm in the process of buying an eco house, eco(ish) car, already have an eco bike But to top it all off, and save as much money as possible at the same time. I have been looking at eco friendly products, but do they work as well as thay say? Any one tried any? Stuff like below...

Eco balls instead of washing machine powder.
Mango ball Limescale remover.
Toilet descaler

 

[bonj2]

No.
You need strong chemicals, like sulphuric acid.

 

[Smokin Joe]

No.
You need strong chemicals, like sulphuric acid.

Better still, a wife.

 

[magnatom]

Sulphuric acid is the same as a wife surely. Both will burn a hole in your pocket.........................

I'll get me coat!

 

[Elmer Fudd]

Sulphuric acid is the same as a wife surely. Both will burn a hole in your pocket.........................

I'll get me coat!

 

[Johnny Thin]

No, a wife is worse - it doesn't have to actually make contact to make you shrivel up and dissolve into the floor, a look is enough.

Here's a site run by wives with info on environment-kind cleaning products:

click. The borax is amazing, it goes through grease like shoot through a blanket.

 

[fossyant]

Watch the car thing - just get one good on fuel, not a Hybrid as the carbon footprint is horrendous, and the damage the battery plants have done are real bad...

 

[Alcdrew]

Watch the car thing - just get one good on fuel, not a Hybrid as the carbon footprint is horrendous, and the damage the battery plants have done are real bad...

Don't worry, just going for a Yaris diesel, it has low emmisions and good mileage. And the best part road tax is only £35 PA. But not looking at getting it till November/December.

 

[radger]

This book is quite good for ideas, and is only about £1.

Eco Balls are good - I find them especially good for towels. I don't always use them though, I also use a biodegradable liquid detergent, and have heard very good things about soap nuts
Not sure about your magnetic descalers, but in my old flat in London we had a magnet on the cold water tap in the kitchen, and the kettle didn't fur up in three years, so it should be good

 

[magnatom]

I'll give a thumbs up for bokashi. It's a great way to reduce your food wasted. Have a look here http://www.bokashi.com.au/Bokashi-Instructions.htm for information.

Basically it is a method of pickling your food waste (cooked or uncooked) in such a way that you can either put it in a composter (this is what I do and it speeds up the composting) or dig it into the garden. During the pickling process they also produce liquid that you can use (1:100) to feed garden plants. Ideally you need two bins one to be filling and one to be pickling. They take about two weeks to fully pickle.

Had it for about 2 months now and it is working a treat. The only smell you get (if you do it right) is a slightly pickled smell (funnily enough ).

 

[Twenty Inch]

You can clean just about anything with vinegar, bicarb, or borax.

Recycled washing-up water (with your standard Fairy liquid) is good plant food. All ours gets chucked on the garden.

 

[Arch]

I use Ecover stuff - washing up liquid, laundry liquid, fabric softener, multisurface cleaner... All bought in bulk and decanted into handier bottles.

Would try the ecoballs, but don't have a washing machine, and I don't think they work for handwashing....

My one mean green trick is heating the water for the washing up afer dinner. I've got an electric hob and imersion heater for the hot water (rented flat, not my preference), and the rings retain heat, even if you switch them off a little early). So once I've served my rice, pasta or spuds I give that pan a quick rinse and wipe to get rid of any residue, bung some cold water in it, and leave it on the turned off hotplate. By the time I've eaten, I have some warm water for washing up... I really only need the water heater on when I want to do laundry....

 

[barq]

A bit like Arch's hob trick, I normally turn off the oven about ten minutes before I take the food out as it retains its heat for a long time.

Periodically I sterilise my Camelbak and drinking bottles with hydrogen peroxide. If you save the peroxide water you can use it to bleach your sink, washing up bowl, scrubbing brushes and all sorts of other things. And when you are done with it you can use it on the drains or down the loo.

I can't add any more to all the vinegar, borax and bicarb tricks except to say that they do work and you can even use a borax/bicarb mix in your dishwasher!