Laundry the natural way - use soapnuts

I have been looking out for laundry products that are effective but have no plastic involved in them at all. No bottles, no chemicals just as nature meant it to be.

I have now found some, used some and am happy with the outcome. That is, I do use a few drops of natural oil to make the laundry smell nice. I get the oils through Essential Oils Direct (see in olderblogs) they one I like is the deodorising blend, I use it in laundry, worksurfaces, bathroom and kitchen surfaces.

The product that we've chosen this year is Simply Soap Nuts 1k. This item will be just £9.99 including p&p. The offer will last for just one week and will expire at midnight on Wednesday October 8th. So - if you're running low - now's your chance to stock up!

Waterless (almost) Washing Machine

A British invention, from Leeds University, looks set to revolutionise the humble washing machine and save billions of liters of water in the process.

Using only a cup of water this new machine can wash a full load and leave it almost dry! It works by using thousands of plastic chips (20 kilos per wash) which absorb and remove dirt. During the wash cycle the cup of water, with detergents, is heated to help dissolve the dirt (just like in a normal machine) but then the dirt is ‘collected’ by the chips which can be used up to 100 times - about 6 months worth of washing!

Professor Stephen Burkinshaw, the machine's inventor, said tests have produced “..quite astonishing” results... “We've shown that it can remove all sorts of everyday stains including coffee and lipstick whilst using a tiny fraction of the water used by conventional washing machines,”

Although still in the design and testing stage it is thought the machine will be on the market during 2009.

[ Via MailOnline ]

Speed Wash

How long does your washing machine take to complete its wash cycle? There is now a new machine which can wash lightly soiled garments in just 14 minutes and, lets face it, unless you play rugby every day, much of what goes into the machine is 'lightly' soiled anyway!

The advantage of such a speedy wash is that less energy is used and, if you use an eco detergent as well then you start to make a real 'eco' difference. Beko make the new machine which is also A+ rated for energy consumption, has a 7kg capacity and clever water saving system which can calculate the amount of water needed depending on the type and quantity of laundry.

If you only have 15 mins to wash – this might be just for you.

More details from http://www.beko.co.uk/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductModelID=107

The lowest price we have found was £345.02 from http://www.shop4electricals.co.uk/acatalog/Beko_Front_Loading_Washing_Machine.html#aWMXD760

[Via: Hippyshopper]

Load up the machine

Try to only put full loads in the washing machine and use the lowest setting possible – with today’s washing powder a 40 degree cycle will be more than adequate to clean your clothes and will reduce energy usage, saving you up to three quarters of the cost of the hottest cycle.

More from the "Top Ten List to create a greener home" on the Maplin's Solar Week website

Lighting up

There is a lot of art out there made from recycled objects and materials.

A new exhibition at the Lincart Gallery in San Francisco, USA, just opened with elegant light sculptures and digital prints by Bill Culbert. Recycling isn’t mentioned – and it isn’t an issue in his work (on an eco level), but the results are worth a look and they do use found and reclaimed objects. The piece illustrated here uses Ecover bottles - stunning!