Its a lovely day to dry the laundry!

The weather is just beautiful and I always say on days like this 'its a great day to dry the washing!'  I absolutely hate using the dryer and only do so if absolutely necessary.

When we sold our old cottage we took our retractable washing line with us and put it up and our new/old leaky garage, needless to say the washing just doesn't dry in there in winter, so off we went and bought a 2nd hand rotary line off Trademe, brilliant!

With the renovations we are building a back porch and will put the retractable clothes line up there, not pretty but our back yard is north facing so it gets all day sun and will be perfect for our cloth nappies as a friend says 'sunshine is like natures disenfectant' and it is brilliant at getting stains out.

Looking for green solutions in the laundry we've found a few different options.  For washing nappies we use a nappy soaker from either Ecostore or Next Generation, only 1/2 a scoop as this can degrade the integrity of the cloth over time (don't soak nappies for long periods as this also can eat away at the fabric and render them useless)  Another favourite is Next Generation Stain Remover Spray, and I honestly have to say this is better than the chemical alternatives.  Ecover or Ecostore Wool Wash are both both great options for your woollens and delicates.

Code Wash Laundry Balls are superb, I've once again found some on Trademe at $30 for 2 sets and they last for approximately 100 washes.  Each set comes with replaceable balls to insert so you should get at least 400 loads for $30, which works out at around 7c a load, not bad at all!  They have excellent washing power to clean most dirt, the only thing they will not clean is grease because they do not contain toxic enzymes, optimisers, and other heavy duty poisonous grease cleaners (but that's what the Next Generation Stain Remover is for) Here are some questions answered:

How do the Laundry Balls work?Activated molecules (ionised oxygen) are released during the wash; these molecules will raise the pH level of the water and soften the water and fabric. This allows for the movement of water in the machine to penetrate the fabric and lift the soil.

Are they Natural?
It is environmentally safe and the ingredients are derived from natural components and inorganic rock. There is no Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) or Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulphate (SLES) in the product.

Do they clean well?
It is just as good as any environmentally friendly product on the market. It does not contain bleach or whiteners so don’t expect luminous whites. If you have stains the Multi Purpose Stain Remover can be applied. You can also pre soak the clothes with the balls in a bucket first.

I have allergies and eczema, can I use it?
It is hypo-allergenic and safe to use for sensitive skin. It has been approved by Action Against Allergies in the UK. Our little one gets eczema and I have not had any problems since changing to the Code Wash Laundry Balls. The main reason I use this product is for my children’s skin problems - the money and time saving is an added bonus!!

Can I wash nappies and baby clothes?
It is perfectly safe for babies and contains an anti-bacterial agent and natural softener.

Are the balls fragrant?There is no smell they just give your clothes a ’washed’, but not scented smell when you get them out of your machine. When you take your clothes off the line, they smell clean but not scented.  If you want a scent just add a few drops of essential oil to the machine when you load it. I find the best is lemon scented Teatree, as not only does it smell nice it has all the antimicrobial qualities of a Teatree without the nasty Teatree smell.  Or better yet is to use Global Soaps Essential Laundry Blend which is a blend of Lemon Teatree, Lemon Myrtle and Lemon oils RRP $16 for 20ml.  I only do this for my nappies as its nice to get rid of the 'nappy' smell and has the antibacterial properties as well to get rid of any nasties.


Here are some links if you are interested in getting your hands on some of these products:

http://www.globalsoap.co.nz/soapnuts.htm
http://www.ongalea.co.nz/Ongalea/SPECIAL_OFFER.html
http://www.nextgeneration.co.nz/