In pursuit of the Selfsufficientish Laundry

[hedgewizard]

That sounds about right. I'll have to do a search on that stuff - previously the only thing I'd seen was geoblok, but it's way too heavy duty. More for driving cars on really, for when people want to park on their lawns rather than doing the accursed modern thing of concreting them! I'll start the chamomile off in plugs and then plant them through the mesh, so I guess I'll have to put fabric down to kill the grass off first... and yes, it's for a drier!

[ina]

if it's for a clothes drier then surely the ground wouldn't be sopping...

Shirley, it's been glorious weather today - but the ground around my clothes drier is sopping wet, and will be for a few days to come, even if the sun shines again tomorrow! I would have had my washing out today, but the goats are still in that bit of the garden (must get electric fence sorted out!); goats and washing don't mix!

[nick]

Wombat, what are your thoughts on the laundryballs

http://www.laundryball.com.au

to me it sounds like a good concept. no rinsing required.

[Cheezy]

OK, alternative theory..........

I have been reading up a bit and it seems that soap residues do not rinse out of clothing as well as the modern detergents do, soooooo the acid asissts in removing soap residue in the clothes.

Nev

Nev that's right. More over I remember a lecture I once got on surfactant chemistry, it was given by an ex Lever Bro.chemist.

Apparently it's all a bit of a con this conditioner etc. They make the washing soaps only partially soluble in water, thus leaving a residue behind which makes the clothes feeling not very soft. You then buy a second soap (conditioner) which removes the residue of the first.

Clever way of making you buy two products, when you could pay a little more and get a completly soluble first product and do away with conditioner.

[Wombat]

Wombat, what are your thoughts on the laundryballs

http://www.laundryball.com.au

to me it sounds like a good concept. no rinsing required.

Interesting site Nick, sounds simple enough but also sounds pretty expensive for what it is. The site is also a bit manic (but wait.....THERE'S MORE!) for me and I find it a bit of a put off. I suppose the proof of the pudding as they say, is in the eating. Maybe they are worth a go.

I can't help the thought that you could do similar yourself for much cheaper..............

Nev

[hedgewizard]

This is the same product as the laudry balls mentioned in the start of the thread. I never trust someone WHO talks in CAPITAL LETTERS and feels the need to use PERSONAL testimony to justIFY their product!

[ina]

You are right - that kind of advertising puts me right off, too.

Good to see you are with us again, Hedgie... I was beginning to think the builders had driven you mad and out of the country!

[Wombat]

Well in our continuing search for the Sish laundry, we gave away our top loader and bought a front loader to make the laundry work easier for Mrs Wombat. But this weekend I finally plumbed up the front water tank through a 12 volt pump so that I can fill up the twin-tub without buckets!

I did the laundry with the twin tub using 12 volt and rainwater today and it was remarkably satisfying!

Nev