the smell of ecover washing liquid..

[hovely]

I just don't like it.
Could I add some essential oil or something? I was thinking of something like rose which I understood is not likely to irritate skin. Do you think this would work?
I am keen to keep using the ecover because we can get refills so it is all very ecofriendly etc etc as well as being good for dd's and ds's mild eczema.

Took me a while to get used to it - bought when local shop ran out of powder. Might sound silly, but helped me when I worked out what the smell is - obviously, as written on bottle...
Query try ecover powder as it does smell different, or boots non-bio powder instead - (only bought ecover when I couldn't get to boots one week) for excema...

Err.. BIL who worked in industry previously advised that powder more 'eco-friendly' than liquid. Can't remember why...

Yes, I am not mad keen on the scent of the liquid ecover, it's like a gentle lavender scent. I used to use Fairy powder or liquid and there's a huge
difference in how little Ecover smells in comparison but I think that's a good thing. Imagine what all that perfum is doing to us. I don't know how successful it will be to add oil and will that F* up your washing machine and what will it do to your childrens' skin.

Actually, I don't mean to hijack your thread but...I sat next to somebody in the rag trade on the flight back from my hols yesterday and we were talking about quality control and chemicals used for dying clothes. He said that if sulphites are detected then the whole line has to stop as it thought to be carcinogenic. Struth. I had never even thought about chemicals in clothes and cancer although I have been reviewing everything in the home to see if I can cut down on chemicals in order to have a more natural approach. He said that buying black very cheap clothes have the highest risk!!!!! Shall only be buying Prada and Gucci black from now on...

I don't use the powder bcause I can't get refills for it as I can for the liquid and I hate packaging waste. I can't see how a few drops of rose oil would be harmful to machine or skin, a lot milder than persil or daz or something like that probably!

yes Chicpea, sounds like the way to go for black clothes
Thanks everybody. That's a good point about the washign machine, I'll check with the manufacturer.

hello hovely just want to tell you that i have mild eczema on my hands and i cant use ecover wash up as the lemon/citrus oils irritate.(so does the wash powder
i use surcare (but id rather use ecover)

Could try Clear Spring - I haven't yet but thought I might. I do prefer the Ecover powder; I thought the cardboard packaging was better than the plastic for the liquid ecologically speaking, but that was a guess.

I only know of one place to get Clear Spring which is here

I love it! Lavendery. Yum. Surcare is also good, or Lakeland do these balls which claim to clean clothes ithout any powder at all (static electricity or something gets the gunk out of fabric). Don't know if they work but maybe worth a try?

Hi aloha, I ordered the balls from lakeland then discovered when they arrived that they do actually contain detergent, it is just in a big solid lump which presumably gets worn down slowly. I have heard of the other type you are talking about, but could not track them down. Anyway, for nappy washing, I assumed you need some type of 'soap' to destroy the bacteria, along with a high enough temperature - is that right?

I too am trying to be good to the planet etc. Try clean house clean planet for those laundry balls. They are quite good. Or, you could add vinegar with a few drops of essential oil in teh final rinse (just mix it up pre-prepared in a bottle and use in the fabric softner place). Make sure the essential oil is safe for kids/babies though. Not sure if Rose is or not...

Also, I just recently heard of a recipe for something called Gloop - no more detergent. Apparently it is ideal for nappies and there is a stronger version that I have listed for heavily soiled clothes e.g. mechanics work clothes... Not tried this myself yet, but once baby arrives I will be doing so as soon as I feel fit enough. Also works out very cheap, and has to be mild as it's mainly just soap. Here's the recipe if anyone is interested.

Gloop Recipe ? No more Detergent

You will need:

A large tub capable of holding about 4 litres, with a good fitting lid (or a few smaller tubs) to store gloop

A big pan

1 bar unscented white soap - something like Simple or an own-brand sensitive skin soap ? Asda 29p bar is good OR a cup of soap flakes.

1/2 cup washing soda crystals - usually on the cleaning aisle of the supermarket

4 litres hot water

Optional:- About 20 drops of a suitable essential oil. (Lavender or any oils safe for children will be fine. ½ Tea Tree, ½ lavender is a good combination for nappies etc)

To Make

Put the water in the pot and bring to the boil. Grate the soap and once the water has boiled, add the soap and turn the heat down. Stir until all the soap has dissolved. Take off the heat and add the soda crystals stirring until they have dissolved as well. Leave to cool until you can safely handle it, then decant into your tub(s) and add essential oils.

To use

Use about half a teacup for each load.

You can add a dose of Ecover laundry bleach if things get a little grey ? this will brighten things up again.

CAUTION
To avoid problems with the gloop and machine blockages:- It is HIGHLY recommended that you put the gloop directly into the drum not the drawer. If the gloop sets hard, chop it into small pieces so that it melts easier. Adding a ½ a cup distilled white vinegar to the final rinse will also help prevent any problems.

Laundry Powder - for more cleaning power

1 Cup Grated White Soap (Asda 29p??)

1/2 Cup Washing Soda

1/2 Cup Borax

For light load, use 1 tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 tablespoons.

Nice alternative to gloop when you can't be bothered to mix up a batch/are travelling.

Put straight into the drum of the machine as you would for gloop instead of the drawer for the same reasons

that sounds very interesting potpourri, I'll give it a try, must be very cheap as well.

What a mistake! I've just used my new ecover liquid and the smell of my washing is awful! I tried putting the laundry through the rinse cycle to no avail, even letting it blow dry on the washing line all day didn't help. One of the reasons I buy ecover is that it doesn't have a smell and the laundry has it's own 'clean' smell when dry.