About Us
Whilst visiting friends in the UK last year, we were very impressed with one particular friend’s renovations to a standard 50’s type house near Bath. They had implemented many simple, environmentally friendly ideas that were effective and efficient. We were surprised that people in the UK were so energy aware, as they certainly have no shortage of rainfall! However their fuel and energy costs are high, so it was still worthwhile from a practical sense and well as “Saving the Environment”.
We took the opportunity to catch up with some of our own laundry, which is when they introduced us to the concept of “Laundry Balls”. This small ball proved a godsend as we travelled around, not having to worry about messy powders or leaking tubes of detergent. We even used it for hand-washing smalls in hotel washbasins.
Apart from the ease of use, economy and environmental issues, we also realized that there were great savings to be made in water and energy usage. For a country such as ours where water is so precious, it was obvious that this could provide a very simple solution for households to save water and energy without any modifications or expense.
Once home, we looked around to obtain another similar ball as we use a large top loader and needed an extra ball for the larger loads. This proved to be difficult and expensive, so we decided to locate the manufacturer and import them ourselves!
This was an interesting process and we have learned a lot about laundry! However, one of the most interesting things we were pleased to discover is how versatile this GreenClean Laundry Ball is!
We have had people use it for:
- Dog bedding and horse rugs – who knew they had sensitive skins??
- Washing clothes for humans with sensitive skins
- Stocking holiday houses, so they never run out of washing detergent
- Carrying on caravan holidays, no more change for laundromat and dubious powders,
lightweight and compact - Homes where people have physical or intellectual disabilities or older people who sometimes get confused – no need to remember to use powder, no messy measuring
- Washing clothes used for hunting, no perfumes or enzymes
- Student accommodation, easy for students to take with them to the laundry downstairs
and no mess
So to summarise:
- Small - cheap to ship, easy to store, easy to transport, reduces carbon footprint etc. – ideal for students, caravan travellers, city dwellers
- Pellets - No powder or liquid, no mess
- Refillable, no landfill etc. economical
- Minimal chemicals, very good for grey water usage etc.
- Detergent Free, therefore no need to use rinse cycle, equates to 50% reduction in water usage. Ideal for Australia, particularly rural areas
- Hypo allergenic – no irritation to babies, sensitive skin or eczema suffers.
- Cute appearance – attractive to all, particularly younger people just setting up house, more likely to be early adopters of this technology.
- Easier for consumers to choose a greener option because of all of the above.
- Cost 16 cents per wash for your 1st box and then 11 cents per wash using refill pellets*
- big saving on normal washing detergents
* Based on one ball for small machine. 32 cents and 22 cents for two balls in a large machine.
Testimonials:
Deborah W., Murrumbeena
This is a very new type of product and I was skeptical until I tried them myself:
- Dog blanket - I have a chihuahua cross who has sensitive skin (and nose!) - we washed his dog blanket with GreenClean Laundry Balls and he has been happily using the blanket with a mild irritation on his tummy disappearing overnight!
- Horse rug - easily got out dirt stains on my cotton combo (use the stain stick for hefty stains).
- Skin issues - My mother had eczema on her body (which she assumed was from sweat) and after switching from a 'gentle/sensitive skin' detergent and doing extra rinse cycles to using GreenClean Laundry Balls her eczema drastically reduced.
Try them yourself - at $14.95 it’s worth it even for a couple of washes - let alone 90!
Gillian W. Wandin Park
I've just got my green ball and washed 3 rugs already in the front loader on E (economy) which I have never used before (!) and the cycle was so much faster and the rugs came out as clean as when I was using a normal cycle and another enviro-friendly type washing powder. I would only wash 2 rugs at a time though depending on size in our front loader.
Saves a bit of time too as I just leave the green ball in there and shove the rugs in and turn the machine on.
I'd recommend giving it a try - 50% less water and 29c a wash - I'm planning on keeping it for my rug wash.
S., Caulfield
I thought you may like some feedback on my washing:
- I have used it on all types of clothes except really grubby ones
- Also use an economy cycle on washing machine no rinse only mode but uses less water than general
- Great for towels and sheets
- Produces clean fresh clothes
- Haven’t used any washing powder since commenced using the little greenball
- So in summary, little or no water saving but saved environment from washing powder
FAQ's
Q: How do Greenclean Laundry Balls work?
A: The laundry ball ingredients include bicarbonate of soda and surfactants, which soften and open up the fibres, allowing the dirt to be released into the wash water. The additional agitation action of the ball's soft ring also assist with the washing process.
Q: How do I use a Greenclean Laundry Ball?
A: Simple! Just place it in the machine and leave it there! Once a month, place in the sunshine for a few hours to extend its life even further. When the pellets and effectiveness diminish, (approx 30 wash loads), open the ball, discard contents into rubbish and refill with new pellets. One ball is sufficient for loads up to 3kgs. Two balls are recommended for larger loads.
Q: Can I use a Greenclean Laundry Ball in any machine? At any temperature?
A: Laundry balls can be used in top loaders, front loaders, twin tubs and portable machines. They are effective in cold, warm or hot water- but do not exceed 80°C.
Because the balls do not contain detergent, water hardness is not a problem, nor do you have the problem of pipes becoming clogged with soap scum.
Q: How do I get the best results?
A: Greenclean Laundry Balls will effectively clean your everyday wash using the deep rinse cycle only. There is no chance of any powder residue either!
- Always separate dark coloured/light coloured/whites/delicates and wash separately.
- If you have heavily soiled items, treat any obvious stains first with our environmentally friendly stain remover, place into machine, start machine on normal wash cycle, fill to appropriate level, allow machine to agitate for a few minutes then stop the cycle for a few hours to allow clothing to soak. Restart cycle and let machine complete wash. Leave ball in wash during the rinse cycle.
- Laundry balls do not contain bleach or optical brighteners so will not fade your colours. However if you want your whites to be lightened, you can add an environmentally friendly, oxygen based bleach and wash in warm water without damaging the balls. (Do not exceed 80°C).
- Ensure you clean your lint filter after every wash to maintain optimum performance from your washing machine.
Q: Can I use fabric softener?
A: Try doing a few loads without adding fabric softener to see if you are happy with the result. The clothes are normally a bit softer naturally as there is no detergent residue to stiffen the fibres. Also fabric softeners tend to interfere with the effectiveness of the machine's lint filter. Ensure you clean your lint filter after every wash to maintain optimum performance from your washing machine.
Q: Can I use Greenclean Laundry Balls with my greywater system?
A: Absolutely! No detergent, no bleach, no Phosphorus, Boron, ABS, LAS or SAS means you can use the water from your machine for greywater systems. Check local council regulations and remember not to store greywater for more than 24 hours.
Technical Data
Laundry balls combine physical with chemical elements to wash clothing, by using a unique design, the ingredients are slowly released during the cycle, emulsifying oil stains and generating high OH-. This increases the water PH and allows dissolved ingredients to filter into the fibres to loosen the dirt. The agitation action of the washing machine separates the dirt from the fibre and disperses it into the water.
COMPOSITION/INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS:
| Item | Chemical Name | CAS Number | Content |
| 01 | Higher alkyl sulfate | 68585-47-7 | 15-30% |
| 02 | Non-ionic Surfactant | 9002-93-1 | 5-15% |
| 03 | Calcium Carbonate | 471-34-1 | 5-15% |
| 04 | Sodium Metasilicate | 13517-24-3 | >30% |
| 05 | Sodium Carbonate | 497-19-8 | <5% |
| 06 | Essence | 3391-83-1 | <5% |
Contains no substances that are detrimental to health according to EU guidelines 67/548/EWG
Links
