Campaigning for balls

I’m mounting a campaign to bring more balls into our household, and as you can imagine Neil is resisting this idea strongly.

But before you fall to thinking that I’m considering bigamy (frankly one man is enough trouble thank you very much!), I’d like to point out that the balls I’m hankering after would actually be a lot more useful. I want a set of Ecoballs.

For those not in the know, Ecoballs, made by a company called Ecozone, are an environmentally-friendly alternative to laundry liquid or powder.

They are literally three little balls with a cushioned outer rim (a bit like mini Saturns) that you place into your washing machine along with your clothes.They work by ionising the water and one set, which usually retails for under £20, lasts for 1,000 washes.

Unfortunately my other half Neil is very much a product of our society and years of being brainwashed (pun intended!) by adverts for branded washing powders have led him to believe that you need chemicals to get clean.

I used to have a set of Ecoballs when we first met, but I retired them and eventually threw them out after we moved in together because his dislike was so strong. He remains determined that they don’t clean properly, despite the fact that I was washing with them when he met me and clearly I can’t have been that grubby otherwise I wouldn’t have got a second date!

But I’d like to offer up the following evidence that Ecoballs do the job:

This is my horse Bandit....


"Hello world!"



And Bandit likes to do this.... a lot....

"Mmmmmmmmm mud!"

After Bandit has done this, his rugs and boots have to go into our washing machine. And up until Neil got involved, Ecoballs were responsible for getting them clean.

But with the Ecoballs debate still raging and no sign of Neil giving in, I have had to resort to other measures. We ran out of washing tablets over a week ago and obviously nipping into a supermarket to grab a new box was out of the question.

I have Faith in Nature

Instead I decided to try to find a greener option and once again ended up in Soundbites - Derby’s wholefood shop. I’m such a regular in there now that the staff all know me and I really ought to do a proper blog on all the wonderful things you can find in the shop at some point soon.

But in the meantime, I came away yesterday lunchtime clutching a bottle of Faith in Nature laundry liquid, which was just over £4 for 30 washes. According to the firm’s website, the liquid is derived from plant materials and contains organic aloe vera, which makes it gentle on the skin. It is also free from phosphates, parabens and optical whiteners.

I’m not quite sure what an optical whitener is when it’s at home, but it does sound a bit sinister.

Faith in Nature has apparently won a ‘Golden Bunny’ award from the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection for its cruelty free products and is also approved by ‘Love Your Lakes’ - an organisation that encourages businesses and residents in the Lake District National Park to switch to phosphate-free laundry and dishwashing products in order to help minimise their environmental impact on the water quality.

Neil looked decidedly dubious when I showed him the bottle last night and has vowed not to use it if it “doesn’t clean properly”. However I immediately tested it on a set of Bandit’s muddy white boots and they came up as white as with any of our usual washing powders.

So perhaps Neil will come around to the idea of using fewer chemicals and who knows... one day I may even persuade him to get a set of balls....