Selfsufficientish.com

So Ariel has a new product which allows your clothes to get clean when washed at 15 degrees. There's an article here about it:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... /07/energy

But am I right in thinking that the ingredients used in this may not be all that good for the environment, despite the obvious reduced energy benefits? And if this was as green as it purports then someone like Ecover would've done it instead? Or am I being cynical?!

I wash most things at 30 degrees with Ecover anyway, unless it's really dirty it's fine. Can you even set 15 degrees on most washing machines?

What do you think?

My washing machine hasn't even got a 30 degree setting!!!
However, I'm not going to all the expense of buying a new one when our current one is only a couple of years old.

It does make me wonder though whether your stuff would actually be clean if washed at 15 degrees?

Just had to go have a look at my old washer and 30 is as low as it goes.
I wouldnt go to the expense of buying this. I get confused easily enough with tablets, aqua gel things, scoops or whatever next they can think up! They're all full of chemicals and bleaching agents.
I wash at 30 with wash balls and if stuff is really dirty it goes in twice then i give up.

However, if it makes people turn the temperature down when washing then that must be a good thing. I know loads of women where i work who boil wash most things.

My washing machine has a button which once depressed cuts out the heating element, therefore clothes are washed at the temperature of the water entering the machine, this may be a spanish thing though. In my case it is fed in directly from the solar hot water heater, though I can turn this over to another set of pipes which will provide cold water, which is how I wash my woollens, and they always get clean. My late MIL swore that hot water actually set stains

Clara wrote:My late MIL swore that hot water actually set stains

Don't know about hot water, but I do know that soap can set stains. Especially things like egg, blood and powder paints - the 3 most common stains in my house Rinsing with plain cold water until the stain's completely gone is the only way I've come across of really getting these stains out.

Lynne

lsm1066 wrote: Don't know about hot water, but I do know that soap can set stains. Especially things like egg, blood and powder paints - the 3 most common stains in my house Rinsing with plain cold water until the stain's completely gone is the only way I've come across of really getting these stains out.

Lynne

Don't know about the paint - but in blood and egg it's the protein that seems to settle once treated with hot water. I was taught to always wash them out cold first. But other muck seems to fare better with warm(ish) water.

Clara wrote: My late MIL swore that hot water actually set stains

Some stains are set by hot water - blood for example - but boiling water poured from a modest height removes fruit stains - just have to check really.
Don't like Ariel products myself - too chemically, always gave my elder daughter eczema.

All cleaning chemicals need to meet certain biodegradabilty criteria under the european detergents directive anyway, so you'll probably find they're all pretty similar interms of biodegradability now whterh from Ariel or Ecover. Soaps and detergents are also generally toxic because of their nature and action on microbes etc.

I lived in Australia for several years where it is common to wash clothes in cold water. I've been doing it for years now - I can turn my temperature dial off completely. I wash sheets/towels/dog bedding (not together!) at 30, but the rest of the clothes really don't get dirty enough to warrant warm/hot water (no kids!). Those that are (those we use for gardening etc) don't really need to have all the stains removed in the first place. The only stain I haven't been able to get out from normal clothes was turmeric and I don't think any chemical would remove that - I just dyed the top to hide the stain. I use Ecover tablets, a bit of oxygen bleach additive if I think it is needed and white vinegar as conditioner for the towels.

For most of the summer over here I use the old cement washtank in the garden for our clothes, the water ids from the well and comes up freezing, I have to leave it a while to warm up but it works perfectly, all I use is a block of laundry soap, doesnt smell fantastic, sort of carbolicky... but its cheap... and does the job. Cold water does work.

I use a product called ECOVER, dosen't have the horrid chemicals that comes with most other products and works a wonder at 30 degees.

Here's a link to a shop that sells all thier products and has some information about the company, I must stress that you can buy ecover in most highstreet retailers. link >> http://www.biggreensmile.com/brands/eco ... 1AodqkvEzA

okay, so along these lines, can anyone tell me what is the lowest setting that they have washed oily work clothes at? Husband regularly comes home smelling of grease and kerosene, and as we have cloth nappies to wash our temperature setting is often at 40 degrees. I use white vinegar and ecover stain remover, but once they're really dirty that seems to be it.

Lorna x

Dose 15 degrees kill of bacteria?

Eve

I don't know about 15 degree washing, I have a cold wash setting in the machine, then 30. I use a variety of temperatures to clean, I like to do towels & sheets & such like on 60 degrees.

As for blood, I find soaking in borax first seems to work well, and sometimes if weather permits any stains there after washing fade when hung outside to dry.

My washing machine is still fairly new, so I am experimenting with different temperatures & washes.

I like to use borax in my washing powder mix but have had real difficulty getting hold of any. Any tips?