bio/non bio/eco balls

[jenjen88]

Hi,
Im 33 weeks pregnant and went to my parentcraft the weekend where we were told to wash babys clothes in non bio. I felt too stupid to ask why!!! Is it because non bio is better for sensitive skin?
I tend to use liquidtabs (any that are on offer!) for bedding, towels and underwear, and then ecoballs for everything else.
Are liquidtabs bio or non bio if they do not say what they are? Are ecoballs save to use on baby clothes as surely they do not contain harmful chemicals?
Me, my husband nor my husbands 8 year old son have had a reaction to the liquidtabs or the ecoballs.
Thanks for any help.
(sorry if in wrong place - didnt know where to put it)

I think studies have shown that bio and non bio are equally irritating /non-irritating.

Eco balls do bugger all, the laundry equivalent of homeopathy.

Baby's skin is very sensitive & can get irritated by the enzymes in the biological washing powder/liquid. Most washing materials are biological if not advertised as 'non-bio' in the UK.

Not sure about the eco-balls tbh. You would have to check with the manufacturers info.

I would expect you'll wash baby's stuff separately anyway, particularly at first, so it might be worth getting some non-bio liquid/tabs/powder & sensitive softener to wash for everything for the baby (towels, blankets etc).

I can also recommend Napisan as an extra detergent - great on particularly soiled items that would need a ' proper' wash normally, but totally safe for baby.

Good luck [busmile]

Liquitabs come in both varieties, it will say on the box if they are bio or non-bio.

Eco balls are pointless for washing anything even vaguely stained. Which rules them out for washing baby clothes in my opinion. They're ok for freshening things up but they are a bit pointless mostly.

My daughter reacts really badly to washin powder. Liquids rinse better I think. Ive also read that bio or non bio often doesn't make much difference. Just don't use very much, use an extra rinse cycle and don't use softener. Softener is really bad for exacerbating eczema and skin conditions.
I've never used Eco balls as reviews weren't good.

I got Ecozone ecoballs cheap from Aldi last week - and am very impressed with them tbh, they took spag bol stains out of light coloured tshirts and I am happy with them.

They do contain surfactants, so there is some science behind them. Reviews are very mixed though, I've looked at many.

I think if you do use them use the Ecozone ones, as some of the cheaper ones are indeed just a waste of time and nothing more than plastic balls.

If you live in a hard water area you'd also need a Magnoball to sort out that problem (am in soft water world here, so don't actually know what hard water is like!)