Detergent Free Laundry, to Save Money & The Planet! Plus WIN A Biowashball worth R395 {29/07; WORLDWIDE} CLOSED

I am excited to bring you my review of a product that is a fantastic alternative to using laundry soap, the Biowashball! Biowash are also offering one reader of African Babies Don't Cry the opportunity to win one of their Biowashballs! Read to the end for full details on how to enter. 

I was beyond thrilled to review the Biowashball, thinking primarily of how awesome it would be to try it out with my sons cloth nappies. Prior to reviewing this product, I was having to do the water intensive and costly rinse, wash and then rinse, rinse, rinse as my son is very sensitive to even the slightest trace of laundry soap in his nappies. So you can imagine my excitement to share this product with other cloth nappy using mothers, when I realised how much money I was saving. Not only am I saving money on laundry soap, but on electricity as I no longer wash at a higher temperature than 40°C, and on water as the nappy washing procedure is down to one pre-rinse and one wash... and that's it! No more extra rinses required to rid the nappies of excess soap! AND the nappies are just as clean!


The Biowashball is a plastic ball which is non-toxic and dyed green with natural pigments, it is filled with natural ceramics and therefore 100% recyclable. It has a lifespan of 3 years or 1000 washes, making it an economical investment. In my household, we would make up the price of one Biowashball with only 3 months worth of laundry detergent, and it lasts 3 years! The Biowashball also saves you electricity, as you cannot use it above 50°C, and indeed you do not need to as even white linen comes clean at this temperature with the ball. 

You could in fact eliminate the rinse cycle completely, thereby saving water, as there is no detergent to rinse out of your washing. The water draining from the machine is safe to use in the garden, to water your vegetables, and is completely phosphate free making it environmentally friendly. 

Most of all, the Biowashball is better for you, with no more irritating detergent residues in your clothing and linen, making it hypoallergenic!

How it works:

The Biowashball is filled with different types of ceramics which break the surface water tension, letting the water penetrate the fibres of the laundry, at the same time the ceramics emit negative ions  which attracts the dirt particles (positive ions) into the water, thus allowing the dirt to be literally washed away. The Biowashball also kills bacteria, and thereby eliminates odours.

The Biowashball can be used for 3 years, or 1000 washes. It should not be used for loads heavier than 4kg's - which worked out perfectly for me, as I have a washing machine with a 7kg capacity, and you should never overload your machine when using the ball, as the water needs to circulate freely and come into contact with the Biowashball. Every month, place the Biowashball into the sun for a minimum of 1 hour to regenerate the ceramic micro balls. 

With laundry that is particularly dirty you can use one fifth of the normal amount of a biodegradable laundry soap that you usually use, in addition to the Biowashball. You should never use fabric softener however, as this coats the ceramic balls, and will result in the Biowashball being ineffective. Indeed you will no longer need to use softener as the Biowashball leaves your clothes and linen nice and soft. You may still use vinegar as a rinse, which I was thrilled about as I use it to rinse the cloth nappies to kill any leftover bacteria. 

I found the laundry came out smelling very pleasant, and almost anti-septic smelling. You can however, add any essential oil to the rinse dispenser to leave your clothes smelling fragrant. 

I have been using the Biowashball for a month and can tell you that it works like a dream. The clothes are coming out clean, they smell fresh and it is saving us tons of money! I still add a small amount of detergent to very dirty loads of laundry, and as I said I rinse my cloth nappies with vinegar. Also, any tough marks or stains I pre-soak in detergent. The nappies and linen I wash on 40°C, which simply helps to open up the fibres letting the water in. All my other laundry I wash on cold, with perfect results. 

I cannot understand why everyone doesn't use one of these! All round an amazing product!

BUY IT!

You can purchase your own Biowashball from Biowash for R395 each. Biowash is offering readers of African Babies Don't Cry a 10% discount on any purchases of Biowashballs made for the duration of this giveaway, simply click here and follow the instructions to make your order. Alternatively, download the voucher below and email it to info [at] biowash.co.za to make your order.

WIN IT!

For your own chance to win a Biowashball from Biowash, enter by leaving a comment and using our Rafflecopter system below. The winner will receive one Biowashball. Contest is open WORLDWIDE.

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit Biowash and tell me what is the lifespan of the Biowashball! You must enter your name and email address in the Rafflecopter entry system for your entry to count, after leaving a comment on this blog post.

Leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. Email addresses in Rafflecopter are not made publicly visible. Please leave the same valid email address in your mandatory comment so we can verify entries, you may leave your email address like this: christine {at} africanbabiesdontcry.com to foil spambots. 

BONUS ENTRIES: See the Rafflecopter entry system for bonus entries to increase your chance of winning after completing the mandatory entry. All bonus entries are entered directly into Rafflecopter. Give it a try, and email or leave a comment if you have any questions!

Contest closes 30 July 2012 at 11:59 p.m. CAT.

a Rafflecopter giveaway