A few of my favourite kitchen things!

Well, its been a while since I've been on here, about 2 years in fact, that's how old my middle boy will be in a few weeks, and that's why I've been too busy to blog about all things green, environmental, sustainable and organic - all the things which I love and strive for.  But things are hectic in this house of rascal boys - 3 of them in fact, the youngest is nearly 6 months and it doesn't get busier than having 3 under 5 - well in fact it could but lets not go there.

So to get back into the swing of things I thought I would start out with a few of my favourite things at the moment!

Hilary Foods Peanut Plus+ and Hilary Foods Cereal and Nuggets, we were lucky enough to trial both these products and they are a winner.  The banana and honey cereal has protein from 3 sources which is fantastic for fast growing little bodies (and big ones!) and they are super tasty with or without milk.  Hillary Peanut+ combines peanuts, grains and honey along with added vitamins and minerals with crunchy bran crisps to boost crunch and fibre, it is totally different from any other Peanut butter I have ever tried, and its yummy!! 

The other product I am loving in this hot hot weather are Zooey Freeze Pops, which are BPA free (always a must for me!) ice block mold they give a decent amount of ice block and the holder is perfect for little hands, big enough to grasp and catch all the drips, one of my best treats for the boys is to make a green smoothie with spirulina, coconut water, banana and spinach out of the garden, any left over gets frozen into these molds, its a healthy and yummy treat on a hot summers day!

Laundry Liquid

I'm very pleased with myself - I have made 10 Litres of Laundry Liquid at the cost of around $2, I'm very lucky my husband used to bring our Laundry Liquid back from the US (way cheaper over there) but I thought this would be even better and so we saved the super large containers that he brought back and refilled them!  I followed 2 very similar recipes one from http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2007/08/various-recipes-for-green-cleaning.html and the other from http://www.wendylsgreengoddess.co.nz/Cleaning_Recipes.php  


Making your own Laundry Liquid is even do-able for the super busy - its quicker than whipping down to the supermarket to buy it, cost effective and kind to the earth - just have a go!  Check out both these websites, there are recipes for all sorts of cleaning and beauty substitutes, which they kindly share with us all for FREE!!!


Here is Rhonda's recipe from Down to Earth http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/

Laundry Liquid - Makes 10 litres
You may add any essential oil of your choice to these homemade cleaners. Oils like tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender or rose are ideal but are not an essential ingredient. They are not necessary to the recipe but do not detract from the effectiveness by adding them. Use essential oil and not a fragrant oil.

Ingredients
1½ litres water

1 bar Sunlight or generic laundry soap or any similar pure laundry soap, grated on a cheese grater OR 1 cup of Lux flakes

½ cup washing soda – NOT baking or bicarb soda

½ cup borax

Tools

Saucepan
10 litre bucket
Slotted spoon or wooden spoon for mixing
Into a medium sized saucepan add 1½ litres of water and the soap. Over a medium heat, stir this until it is completely dissolved. Make sure the soap dissolves properly or the mixture will separate when cold.

Add the washing soda and borax. Stir until thickened, and remove from heat.

Pour this mixture into your 9-10 litre bucket then fill the bucket with hot water from the tap. Stir to combine all the ingredients. The laundry liquid will thicken up more as it cools. When cool, store in a plastic container. I use one of those 10 litre flat plastic box containers with a lid. Use ¼ cup of mixture per load or monitor to see what works well for you. I keep a ¼ cup measuring scoop in the box to measure the mixture into the washing machine.

This detergent will not make suds when you wash as it does not contain the chemicals that supermarket detergents add to make suds. You do not need suds to wash your clothes or for the detergent to be effective. The agitation of the washing machine does most of the washing. Additives loosen the dirt and grease. If you use the greywater from your laundry on your garden, leave out the borax.

Dryer Balls

Further to my post on Laundry Solutions I have come across another laundry helper - Dryer Balls.  Dryer Balls have spikes on the outside to lift and separate clothing, allowing the heat and air in a tumble dryer to circulate more freely.  Clothes dry more quickly and you use less energy.  They also soften your laundry naturally by physically manipulating the fabric.  The can cut drying time by up to 25% (and who doesn't want to save power these days considering our August power bill was $650 eeekkk)  Laundry balls will last up to five years and they are hypo-allergenic too, brilliant!!  It is the safe, easy way to soften fabrics while saving money on chemical fabric softeners, dryer sheets and energy. Clothes will dry up to 25% faster too. Dryer balls are reusable over and over again and they last for years! 

How do I use the dryer ball?
Simply place both of your dryer fluff balls (there are 2 per pack) into the dryer with your laundry and set the dryer to desired heat setting. 

I've just ordered mine off TradeMe for $5, the same seller also does 3 Washing Balls and 2 Dryer Balls for $40

Toxic Products especially Nail Polish

Did you know that the average adult uses at least 9 personal care products per day, exposing them to 126 synthetic chemicals? And that 89% of 10,500 ingredients currently used in personal care products have NOT been evaluated for safety!  Let me start with most mainstream skincare products these days have some level of toxicity (im not talking about Natural or Organic products) and by skincare I refer to face care products, toothpaste, body wash, makeup, hairspray, shampoos, liquid soaps, moisturisers and deodorants and that's just naming a few!


Nail polish seems to have an even more toxic recipe, traditionally nail polish has many chemicals in it including (but by no means limited to) toluene (solvent), formaldehyde (preservative and polish strengthener) and Dibutyl Phthalte (DBP) (plasticizer - allows movement and keeps polish adhered to the nail)  Toulene effects the central nervous system and is a possible reproductive and developmental toxin (definitely not the best to use if you are pregnant!)  Formaldehyde (also called formalin) is the chemical used to preserve dead bodies and may cause allergic reactions in some people and is also a carcinogen (can cause cancer)


As for DBP, studies suggest that phthalates cause birth defects in laboratory animals and recently been shown to cause reproductive organ birth defects in boys particularly and has been banned in Europe after the EU banned it along with many other personal-care product ingredients known or strongly suspected to cause cancer, mutations and birth defects.


Now dont completely freak out, here are two things to consider: one is that nail polish makers are under pressure to reduce or eliminate potentially toxic ingredients and in 2006, several makers agreed to phase them out.  Two, these chemicals are found everywhere in everyday mainstream skin care products and I mentioned above.


The good news is that there are alternatives, try and change not just your skincare products but also all your cleaning products to ranges like Ecostore, Baby Bird or alternatively get Wendyl Nissen's book 'A Home Companion' and 'A Domestic Goddess on a Budget' (I'm waiting on tender hooks for her new book on baby care to come out!) or check our her site, Wendyl's Green Goddess and try and make your own, she lists all her recipes on her packaging and on the site, well done Wendyl!

Look for skincare products that are organic or as natural as possible (don't go by what they are called, such as 'Natural Essences') actually check the ingredients and if you dont know what to look for or if you dont understand what an ingredient is, dont buy it until you have checked it out here - if in doubt, check it out!  Take control of what you use in your house and on your body, you DO have a choice, especially if you are pregnant - remember everything that you breathe in or use on your skin goes directly to your baby via the umbilical cord.

And at Rejuvenate I only use natural or organic products and that goes for what I clean the room, the sheets and the towels with.  My nail polish products SpaRitual are DPB, Toulene and Formaldehyde free and the SpaRitual manicure and pedicure products are made with certified organic ingredients!

Arrange a Better (and more beautiful) Bouquet

A lovely bunch of flowers bought from the florist or the supermarket may have been grown in a greenhouse thousands of miles away (Kenya is the largest supplier of cut flowers to the European Union).  Apart from the environmental issue of transport over long distances, the boom in horticulture in some developing countries has a high social and environmental cost.  In Colombia, the flower industry uses enormous amounts of polluting pesticides and exposes poorly paid garden workers to chemicals that may be carcinogenic or toxic.  In drier regions, such as Kenya, horticulture requires substantial amounts of water and, as a result, overuses local water resources.


Flowers especially Roses imported into New Zealand (which let me say most Roses that we buy at florists or supermarkets are imported - I'd be surprised to find any that aren't) are dipped and sprayed with anti-fungals, virus and bacteria killing toxic chemicals.  So not only are they bad for the environment becuase they have been transported from overseas, grown using pesticides, and large amounts of water but they are really unhealthy to have in your house.  We have always had huge Lavender hedges growing around our houses, and I always plant Iceberg Roses, so we always have a supply of flowers in the garden for vases all year round.


If you want a traditional bouquet, seek out organic or Fair Trade flowers, Look for the Fair Trade or VeriFlora labels, which ensure your flowers come from farms with high environmental and labour standards.  And consider buying or giving a potted plant from a local nursery as a gift rather than a bunch of flowers.  Check out the Give Plants website on how to send a plant rather than a bouquet - gosh I'd love to receive one of these, they look amazing and it will last far longer! 

Make Up - Do you think about what you are putting ON your body's biggest organ - the skin?

I came across some amazing blogs recently one is Anya's Green Baby and Anya has written a guest post on Kanelstrand Organic Living, this post was about Make-up and some great alternatives and what to look for when you choose Make-up.


When we are 'greening' our homes and clearing out the toxic chemicals quite often we forget about one of the most important things which is to check the products we use on our skin and hair, she has put this beautifully in her blog, check it out and re-think what you use and why:

http://blog.kanelstrand.com/2011/05/time-to-save-superwoman-from-her-make.html

Whats really in your Sunscreen?

I know its the wrong time of year for us but I just received an email from 'Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' and thought id share an excerpt with you:


"Have you ever wondered about the claims on the bottle of sunscreen in your medicine cabinet or beach bag?  Environmental Working Group (one of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' founding organizations) has released its 2011 Sunscreen Guide.


Of the more than 600 beach and sports sunscreens analyzed, EWG can only recommend one in five.
Why? For starters, the sunscreen industry continues to use misleading, sky-high SPF ratings that may protect against UVB rays that cause sunburn but leave skin at risk for UVA damage.
Plus, many companies are still using retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A that might actually speed the development of skin tumors on sun-exposed skin, as well as hormone disruptors and nanoparticles (a particular concern for spray and powder products), both of which  present other potential health threats.
Fortunately, there are companies making effective and safe sunscreens. Find safe options, see the "Hall of Shame" and learn more about sunscreen safety: Read EWG's 2011 Best Sunscreen Guide"


I have the most amazing sunscreen available at Rejuvenate, USpa's Organic Sun Defence SPF 20, this unique moisturizer created by Uspa from the ground up provides sun protection as well as offering anti-oxidant benefits and soothing hydrating properties. The Green Tea extract provides powerful antioxidants to assist in the fight against signs of aging and sun damage. The Aloe Vera nourishes and hydrates by infusing the skin with humectants. Uspa Organic Sun Defense also contains light Rose Oil, Lavender Oil, and Vitamin E to help soothe and nourish the skin. This is the perfect combination for your defense against the sun. Screens harmful UVA and UVB rays. PABA free/fragrance free. Regular use of sunscreens can aid in the prevention of some skin cancers and premature aging of the skin. Highly hydrating without leaving a residue or white tint.  Sunscreen by Uspa Screens harmful UVA and UVB rays. PABA free/fragrance free. Regular use of sunscreens can aid in the prevention of some skin cancers and premature aging of the skin.


And my wonderful Sensé Daytime Protective Emulsion has an SPF15 in it, perfect for everyday use!

Don't eat what you don't agree with - vote with your $

In our house we only eat Free-Range eggs, bacon and chicken, if we cant afford it we don't buy it and go without.  My theory is I'd rather eat vegetarian than support industries that are in the business of making money without caring about the welfare of their animals.


We love Freedom Farms ham (well my son does!)  And lots of other companies out there are jumping on the Free Range bandwagon and good on them, our new favorite is Kiwi Bacon who are doing New Zealand Free Farmed, its a slightly cheaper price which makes it more accessible for all, and its readily available from Pak'n'Save


My main point here is vote with your dollar, if you don't agree with something then don't buy it!

Beware of Off-Gassing

New non-metallic products that contain VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds) will 'offgas' for years, which means they will release chemicals into the surrounding air by evaporation (this is what you can identify as the 'new car smell') in your home or place of work.  The effects are even more toxic in a well insulated building.  Buying second-hand furniture means that it has done most of is off gassing already and you are also giving a home and life to a piece that may end up in the dump.


I specifically chose a second-hand cot for my son firstly because of the off-gassing issue (I chose a Nature Baby Touchwood cot more than 4 years old, as the oil used back then was less toxic), secondly its an item used for a short time and doesn't need to be new, and thirdly we would never have been able to afford to buy new as these cost close to $1100 with the mattress (I'm a true believer in buying second-hand quality products that will hold their value for re-sale in the future!)

Give your Clothes a Second Life

Fashions change and clothes gradually accumulate in wardrobes.  On average, the manufacture of 1,000 items of new clothing produces over 200Kg of waste as cloth, paper, and packaging.  If old clothes are in good condition they can be put back into circulation on the second-hand market, TradeMe is perfect for this as its a win/win situation, someone gets your old clothes that they want and will use and you get their money.  You can also give to charity or if you know ow to sew, alter old clothes into new garments.  The second-hand market offers an economic, environmentally friendly alternative to new clothes.


Sift through your clothes, and donate those you no longer wear to charity or sell them.  Clothes that are too damaged to be worn again can be used as cleaning rages.  When buying clothes think of alternatives to new, such as TradeMe or Op Shops, which is an increasing trend, keeping up with fashion, while consuming less - I bought the most lovely cream Dorothy Perkins top from an Op Shop the other day, brand new with tags, never worn $12!!


And its not just clothes, think household items as well - there are some amazing bargains to pick up - and vintage is cool!

Weed by Hand

Each year gardeners pour millions of litres of chemicals onto their lawns and gardens.  Excessive use of herbicides and other pesticides threatens biodiversity and freshwater resources, two essential elements of life on earth.


Avoid using chemical weed killers.  To remove weeds from your garden, hoe regularly, and pull weeds out before they can seed.  Boiling water from a kettle (I tend to use what is left over from when I make a cup of tea), Vinegar and lemon juice can also be used to kill some weeds.

Do the small things, but don't lose sight of the big picture

Making small adjustments to our daily habits is important.  For example, if every household replaced one regular bulb with a compact fluorescent, it would prevent the equivalent of the emissions generated by 800,000 cars (however, at this stage we have decided against using CF's in our house, as I'm not totally comfortable with what may be some negative effects, more information on this website http://hubpages.com/hub/Negative-Side-Of-Compact-Flourescent-Bulbs-CFLs)


However, we cannot alleviate the strain on our planet simply by buying better dish soap or using rechargeable batteries.  As we implement the small improvements, we must keep in mind the need for greater change.  reducing the amount of petrol we use by driving hybrids or small fuel efficient cars is good, but creating public transport systems that eliminate the need for cars is much better.  Some of the big-picture actions we should keep in mind are ridding ourselves of oil dependence; reducing the amount of land we require for food and limit the environmental impacts of big agriculture; re-imagining our communities and living standards to curb unsustainable suburban sprawl; and electing officials, from the local level to parliament, who have clear environmental priorities and policies.


Don't compartmentalise your efforts: Understand where each gesture fits into the larger context of sustainability and always look for ways to make a leap toward great change!

Air Freshners.....

The CFC's (choloflurocarbons) in aerosols are now illegal in the EU, but artificial air freshers are still an energy-intensive and toxic way to produce a 'nice' smell.  Each year the UK uses around 600 million aerosol cans, yet aerosol propellants contain flammable and nerve-damaging ingredients as well as tiny particles that can lodge in your lungs.  Fragrances of all kinds can provoke allergic and asthmatic reactions, also take into account the new advertising genius of 'botanical' and 'aromatherapy' plug ins - these again are nothing more than chemical creations with nothing beneficial to your home or body!


Replace artificial air fresheners with an essential oil diffusers, candles, incense (be careful of which one you choose, as these are have also been proven to be as bad as smoking), fragrant plants or flower arrangements (citronella, honeysuckle or lavender).


My favourite oil diffuser is the Aroma Stone by Absolute Essential one that stays on 24 hours a day at the cost of about 20c per day, it contains no water, you just place about 5 drops of the essential oil directly on the stone, and viola, a lovely smell!


And remember essential oils or aromatherapy, not only smells nice but you can use different oils to help with health issues, I regularly use Absolute Essentials Head Ease when I have a headache or migraine, it can often help and I wont have to take medication.  


Absolute Essentials have an amazing range of products and what I LOVE is that they are labeled so that I know which ones are Mother-to-be, Baby and Child friendly!  Check out their website www.absoluteessential.co.nz and if you wish to order anything I can get these into Rejuvenate for you!

Pumpkin is in abundance - Pumpkin and Spinach Lasagne

Well its that wonderful time of year when everything in the garden is fruiting at once, we've had a pretty good tomato harvest which has all gone into salads and into pasta and veges for our wee one.  Our perpetual spinach, just keeps feeding us, its amazing, every week it provides us with at least one vegetarian meal.

Our neighbours and friends from our old house popped over and gave us 2 pumpkins, I made a sensational Pumpkin and Spinach Lasagne, a total triumph!  I also made a pumpkin and lamb casserole in the crockpot, a total disaster, that went into the compost!  My husband wanted to give the other pumpkin away, but as pumpkin lasts I think I'll hold onto it.

Pumpkin and Spinach Lasagne

1/2 Medium Pumpkin, chopped, cooked in vegetable stock and mashed

1 Onion, chopped finely

2 Cloves garlic crushed

10 Large Spinach Leaves chopped finely

1 Large container Cottage Cheese

2 eggs

1/2 cup of Edam Cheese

Salt and Pepper

6 Fresh tomatoes

San Remo Wholemeal or Organic Pasta

Pine Nuts

Use the left over stock from the pumpkin and cooked down the whizzed up or finely chopped up tomatoes, cook down in an open pot for 20 minutes or until it has reduced down to a thick sauce.

In a bowl combine Onion, Garlic, Spinach, Cottage Cheese, Eggs, 1/2 of the Edam and Salt and Pepper.

Assemble lasagne by placing a layer of the tomato sauce, followed by sheets of lasagne, Spinach mixture, pumpkin, continue until you have used all the ingredients, you should get about 3 or 4 layers depending on your container.  Sprinkle the top layer with the left over cheese and pine nuts.  Cook in a moderate oven for 35-45 minutes, enjoy!

Our Autumn table, our neighbours kindly donated Pumpkin, our yellow tomatoes and some beautiful flowers that my husband bought me!

Dairy and Egg Free Savoury Pancakes

I'm trying to come up with ingenious recipes to use the vegetables out of the garden.  I made pancakes for lunch the other day for the family as I wanted to use up the huge Courgette out of the garden and had run out of eggs.  These were delicious and easy, and a great way to get veges into the little ones!

1 Cup Flour

1 Cup Soda Water

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 1/2 Tbsp Rice Bran Oil (or any other oil you have)

1/2 Cup Rice Milk

1 Grated Courgette

Fillings of your choice - I used mushroom, tomato and ham

Mix all ingredients together except for the fillings, pour into an oiled pan, when bubbles form place in the fillings then flip in half, fry until cooked. Yum!

New Products I Love!

Thought I'd just do a shout out for a few new products that have graced the supermarket shelves lately that I've been impressed with


San Remo Wholemeal Pasta range, I cant rave about this enough, not only does it taste great (adults and children would not know the difference from normal pasta), the price is reasonable too.  It comes in Penne, Spaghetti and Lasagna, yum!  San Remo also do really reasonably priced Organic range.  Available currently at Countdown


Vileda Naturals range of cleaning sponges and scourers, my favorite is the Vileda Naturals All Purpose Scouring Sponge, I loved their normal 3 in 1 Scourer, but this is brilliant (I must say I was skeptical, but it proved me wrong!)  Its made from renewable and recycled materials – corundum, cellulose, recycled bottle flakes and coconut shell abrasives.


Sistema have just started making a range of baby plasticware that is not only BPA Free but also Phalate free and the price is fantastic!   I picked some food storage containers and a sippy cup - but the range is extensive. Currently available from Countdown supermarkets.

Homemade Breadrolls (for Burgers)

I quite often make a double batch of Rissoles, one night we have them with potatoes and salad and the next as Burgers.  However, my husband insists on fresh burger buns and this puts our 'one shop a fortnight' system into disarray.

His brilliant idea was for me to make them, and it really was easy, although my misbehaving toddler made my afternoon, one of those that needed a gin after!

I'm very proud of myself, they were an absolute triumph!

Whats in the basic breadroll dough?

This makes 16 rolls, which for a family of 3 is excessive, I would tend to 1/2 the recipe or par-bake half of them and pop them in the freezer, and then next time we're having burgers I'll just pop them into the oven for 71/2 minutes and viola! Fresh burger buns!!

400ml Spring or Filtered Water
2 Tbs Oil (Olive or Rice Bran)
1 Tspn SeaSalt
4C High Grade White Flour (or wholemeal or a mix of both)
2Tbs Manuka Honey or Sugar
2 Tspns Bread Machine Yeast
2 Tbs Milk Powder

How do you make them?

Throw everything in the order of ingredients into the breadmaker and switch on to a dough setting, once its risen (and I usually forget it about and by the time I've got to it, its risen nearly to the top!)  Take out of breadmaker, divide into 16 balls (this mixture is quite wet) and I kneaded in quite a bit of flour so that they weren't so sticky.  Bake in a moderate oven 180 degrees C for about 15 minutes.

Free Computer Recycling Event E-Day Tommorow Saturday 06 November

New Zealand is kicking off its first E-Day event tomorrow, Saturday 06 November, where all unwanted PC's, computer peripherals, mobile phones, game consoles and digital cameras can be disposed of to help divert part of an expected 80,000 tonnes of e-waste from the landfills.

Check out the link for places where you can drop off your unwanted waste!

http://www.eday.org.nz/

Its the small things you do....

The thing about thinking greener is, it really is a state of mind and a way of life, just a total awareness.  It means that everything that we do, the thought goes through my head 'Is there a better way of doing this?', 'Can I use less?', 'Do we really need this?'

From when looking for a job making sure I could walk to work, buying a car that was incredibly fuel efficient (and no its not a hybrid!), being a 1 car family, saying no to plastic bags!  (If you can carry it to the checkout, why do you then need a plastic bag to take it to the car?!)  Hanging the laundry outside and not using the dryer, not using the heated towel rail for more than is needed, composting, worm farming, living very close to amenities so I can walk with the pram, the list is endless!  In every way if we can just stop for a moment and be aware of what we are doing and aware that there may be a better, greener and cheaper way.

Not long ago I read an article saying that we (as in the world) have 100 months to make changes to the way we do things before there is no turning back, we will have damaged this earth to the point of devastation (its actually down to 74 months now).  And remember there is no Planet B, this is it!  You have choices every single day, will you be uninformed or lazy or think that what I do won't count or will you think about small changes you can make?

I know what I'm going to do!  I hope you'll join me......

Here is the link for 100months.org with some great ideas.

http://www.onehundredmonths.org/

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/