Laundry Balls

I'm sorry if the title of this post offends anyone

My most recent "green" purchase is the enza-wash balls. Currently we use this specific company's septic cleaner and have been pretty pleased. I mean we haven't had a problem with our septic in the 9 years we have lived here. Holy Crap! Has it really been 9 years? That's amazing!Anyways I have been searching and researching for "greener", cheaper, better ways to do everything around the house. I know it has been a while since I posted anything about being green, that doesn't imply that I have fallen off the wagon, I just have been busy posting about the girls and house and everything else. I am still living greener by the day. I haven't bought paper towels now in about a year (yes I said YEAR), I use vinegar for just about everything (I just taught Marcus that vinegar is good for mosquito bites and sunburns, try it, it really works), we use reusable bags at the grocery store, buy everything my wallet can handle that is organic, I am still trying to convince my dad that "organic" does not mean "grown in the ground" (dad you don't HAVE TO use chemicals), we recycle EVERYTHING and drive nearly 40 miles to do so (even Kaylee knows what gets recycled), changed most our bulbs to CF, I am sure there is more that we do but it is so routine that it has escaped me this very moment. And I know there are a thousand more things that we could be doing to help our planet Earth! Now if I could just get Marcus to not run the shower for 10 minutes before getting in and the sink the entire time he gets ready, that would really help with our water waste.

Back to my laundry balls, I was just about to run out of my laundry detergent and start a new venture in making my own, when I got a call to purchase these little "puppies". It all sounded like just what I have been looking for

1 less or no chemicals
2 good for the environment
3 not harmful to the septic
4 saving money
5 easy on me

This product seems to have fit all the criteria. Now, I know that sales pitches are designed for just that reason, to sell a product. So all of the products positive attributes are highlighted and all the negative ones (if any) are forgotten or not mentioned. I decided to pay the 90 bucks for the product of my dreams and try it. The 30 day money back guarantee made the decision a little bit easier, I figured I could do a whole lotta washing in those 30 days to thoroughly test them out.

The enza-wash balls are about the size of a softball and are made of a non-toxic plastic. Inside the plastic balls are 4 different types of small ceramic balls. First are the de-chlorinating balls that alter the PH level of the water for natural bleaching and softening. The second type of ceramic balls are the anti-bacterial balls. They sterilize harmful bacteria and absorb the impurities and harmful heavy metals. The third type of ball is the super ceramic ball. They have a high far infrared emission (not quite sure what that means). And the last ceramic ball is the negative ion ball. These ionize the wash water to effectively penetrate all types of fabrics.

So it has been about a few weeks now and I am loving my laundry balls so far. They are so easy, you just keep them in the washing machine, no detergent to measure or anything. You just put them outside in the sun to "recharge" every couple of weeks or so. One of the first things I learned when starting to live greener.....most smells/scents are artificial. And by that I mean chemicals. When you pull your load of wash out of the washer and get a big whiff of that TIDE (or whatever detergent you use) that smell comes from the chemicals in the detergent. No smell=clean and chemical free! And that is what I have with these laundry balls. Thankfully our family doesn't suffer from any sort of skin allergies/reactions, but if we did then these would be good for that too. So far I am super pleased with them.

Another thing I like (and makes them all the more green) is the packaging. They came in a little box with just 2 pieces of paper. Think about this..... how much money is wasted on packaging and fuel to ship other detergents all around the world. Most detergents are heavy and bulky and packaged in plastic, the thought of all that waste.......where does it all go? Even if you do recycle! Have you ever driven down a street on trash day and noticed every ones overflowing trash cans, it is amazing how much waste we create.

Now I cant say that these are the "cure ALL" for laundry. They do not get out EVERY stain! But they do work pretty darn good. I don't treat most of our stains anymore, just the really bad ones. And depending on the load, I do add a bit of baking soda and/ or vinegar to the load. And if there are some REALLY bad stains, I add 1/4 of our regular detergent, as directed by the enza-wash balls. I am going to keep them, and enjoy 1,500 wash loads before buying more detergent! I still have enough left from last years purchase to get me through the really rough stains.

I am super excited about these little balls. Now if I could just find something that will fold and put away the clothes after coming out of the dryer.