Hi Moms,
I'm trying to make better ecological choices. I've tried Method laundry soap. It didn't take out the basic dirt marks that seem to be on the majority of my laundry. In terms of dishwasher soap, I've tried two different phosphate free brands: Planet (from Safeway) and Method. Neither takes out tea or coffee rings or oatmeal. We use a lot of tea, coffee and oatmeal in this family. It seems that the stuff that's the worst for the environment is the best for getting out these marks. I kind of feel that if it doesn't take off the dirt and grime I can see, what's it doing with the ickies I can't see.
Any suggestions?
BTW: I need to use a powder for the dishwasher because I have the dish drawers which require powder and jetdry, no liquid or tablets.
Thanks!
I tried Trader Joe's brand dish washing powder and it worked! It takes the tea rings out of the cups and even takes off crusty oatmeal. Yipee!!! - a green alternative that is as good as the phosphate/chlorine counterpart!
Still looking for laundry options though...
Hi, I like Trader Joe's powder detergent for the laundry- it works well.
For dishes with coffee, tea and food stains, I sprinkle some baking soda, then a bit of water and let it sit for a while before scrubbing.
Hi J.,
we've had great results with Seventh Generation both for clothes and dishes though there are other brands out there that also work well. I also use Ecocover non chlorine bleach when needed and either Zainz or Zout for spot cleaning boost for stains on clothes.
With our old dishwasher we used to have a lot of problem with tea stains and foods like oatmeal. The new dishwasher handles them much better though it is still best to scrape out the oatmeal well before placing them in (scrape not rinse to save water). We occasionally have a particularly heavily stained tea mug that doesn't come clean first time (or if I see before that it likely wont) which we soak with a little bicarbonate soda and hot water then wipe it out before placing in the dishwasher.
Hope this helps
K.
I gave up on finding eco friendly dishwasher detergent, but I do like Ecos laundry detergent. You can get a giant bottle of it at Costco.
Hi J.,
I read that the worst thing for the planet in terms of laundry is washing in warm or hot water - because of the carbon footprint of simply heating the water. That said, when it was time for me to buy a new washing machine, I bought a front loader (which saves water and does a better job of getting the clothes clean), and switched to cold water wash except for the very dirtiest of dirty laundry. I use Tide for cold water wash, and it works very well. I don't know what ingredients specifically you are hoping to avoid, but... my logic is that if I can remove the biggest part of the carbon footprint from my load of wash, and then get the clothes clean enough that I do not have to replace them all the time, I am doing a good thing for the environment.
As far as dishwasher detergent... good luck. I've never found anything that works as well as Cascade with dawn (but those are little packets, so may not work with your dishwasher). Again I did read something about dishwashers and how to reduce your carbon footprint - apparently the worst thing we all do is pre-rinse the dishes. It wastes a ton of water and is mostly unnecessary with modern dishwashers. I think mine uses 3 gallons of water total for the entire load, but who knows how much I use on pre-rinsing everything. It's a bad habit I am trying to break!
Anyhow, I'm curious to see the responses to this question. I, too, love the Method products otherwise (hand soap, dish washing soap, looooooove their wood cleaning spray, love that cucumber all-purpose cleaning spray, and their daily granite cleaner is divine...)
My friend uses products from Melaluca and LOVES them! I have info on the company if you would like it.
i work with a company that manufactures and sells safer eco-friendly household products. they don't sell them in the store but if you email me, i'd be happy to share the info on how you can try them. :)
good luck!
D.
www.livetotalwellness.com/springer
