SmartKlean Laundry Ball Review
Written by Helga
Friday, 13 May 2011 11:02
I know, I know, everything these days is BAD. Chemicals are everywhere, difficult to avoid. We try to do our best for our families by using the least amount of chemicals, but sometimes, chemicals do the best job. Or do they?
Take laundry. Early last year I made the switch to 7th Generation laundry detergent. (Unscented, I never use scented cleaning products.) I have a great front loader washer and it doesn’t need more than a tablespoon or two to do the job well. Throw in a little Borax or vinegar, and you are good to go. However, laundry detergents from 7th Generation or Method are not 100% chemical free, you need to know that. They do contain chemicals like SLS, though in smaller amounts, I believe. What’s the alternative?
SmartKlean Laundry Ball
The SmartKlean Laundry Ball is one way to go. I was given one free of charge to review in mid-March. How does it work?
The laundry ball is simply placed among the laundry in the washing machine. It may be left in the machine for the next load. All that is required is a monthly sun bath for 1-2 hours to regenerate the ceramic beads in order to keep it working at full force! The laundry ball is filled with many ceramic beads, each comprising a combination of different minerals. When these ceramic beads come in contact with water, they form oxygenated water. The water molecules are fragmented into smaller sizes, increasing the water’s dissolution power and enabling better penetration into the fabric’s pores, therefore releasing dirt, grime and odors. This is similar to the effect of detergents on water, but at a molecular scale without harsh chemicals. The natural ceramics are formulated to leave no residues behind on clothes, or the environment.
That is a quote from their website. But…is it effective? Well, the most honest answer is most of the time. I started using it right away when I received it in mid-March. The weather was awful so my kids were inside often. Their clothes weren’t as dirty as they are when they are outside all the time. My husband was very skeptical but after washing a load of colors with detergent and another with the ball, then asking him to figure out which load was which, he had to admit he could not tell a difference, both loads were clean & fresh. Score for SmartKlean! If you have stains you want to pre-treat more naturally, it does recommend dissolving a 1/4 cup of sea salts with a 1/4 cup of vinegar and applied directly, to add to its effectiveness. Clean whites. Just make sure you stain treat ahead of time with whatever you wish to use to treat your stains.
However, what about clothes that are getting dirtier, now that my kids are outside and I am working in the garden? I will tell you that the colors are still getting clean, though I do toss in some vinegar for extra insurance. But the whites, well…not as much. They get clean, but not as bright as when you use bleach. Of course, bleach is a harsh chemical, but I only need about a tablespoon of it in my front loader to be effective. Bleach is also not septic tank friendly (which I have) and can wear out your clothes faster, so I do not use it with every load of whites. You need to stain treat your whites first. I am not a picky laundry person and I do not insist that everything look perfect. I do not need the whitest whites. And I will say that using the SmartKlean Ball with whites is far more satisfying than my disappointing trial run last summer with chlorine free/more eco-friendly bleach, yikes! My son insists on only wearing white tee shirts “like my daddy!” and anywhere there was sunscreen on him (or any one of us wearing sunscreen & whites), after washing with the bleach alternative – anywhere there had been sunscreen on the article of clothing was now stained yellow-ish. Ugly yellow like armpit-sweat-stain yellow. Ick!
SmartKlean does have some more natural, greener suggestions for whitening your laundry without chemicals.
The SmartKlean Ball is gentle on clothes, you can leave it in the washing machine, use it with any temperatures. Just be sure to put it out in the sun once a month to recharge the balls. Or just pull it out of the wash & let the beads dry naturally, if you don’t get enough sun. It costs $45 for one ball and claims it works for 365 loads. I do a load-plus almost every day. The 150 ounce economy size jug of 7th Generation laundry detergent for high efficiency machines runs me about $22 at Target and I can go through about three of those a year. So cost-wise I suppose it depends on how often you do laundry, how dirty your clothes get, how much detergent you use, and how “green’ you want your laundry to be. I think it is worth a try, you could go in on a purchase with a friend or two and get the extra savings & free shipping. (Check out this SmartKlean page to get an idea of how long your laundry ball will last according to your laundry schedule.) It is very septic tank friendly, the less chemicals you use, the less pump outs you need to do, and pump outs can run you $200-$400 per visit. Better for the environment, less chemicals on your clothes which sits on your skin, which then soaks them up.
If you use a SmartKlean Laundry Ball I would love to hear about your experience with it.
12 Comments
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I think any product that does the job and is chemical free is a must to try. I am on septic and detergents really slow it down. I loved your review. would love to have a chance to win this!
Hi H! i’d like to try it out to compare it to my soap nuts. 2yo DS is still in 1 dipe at night, so laundry load has lightened, but still have more laundry to do til he’s 100% trained.
XO! hope you are having a good summer, I know its been cloudy in N.E.. my parents have said its been in the 70′s- well they are on Lake Winnepesaukee on the weekends, so its cooler. matter of fact, they started their one week vacation up there today. they will climb Mt Washington and ride the cog down.
I could totally see you getting into the SmartKlean Laundry ball! Now you are in the running!
Happy 4th!
I have been wanting to try this out!
Thanks for the thorough review you did of this product. I’d love to try it as well. Came by because of your youtube review of the Fiskar Reel Mower, just to give you a thumbs up there!
Good on you for your Green blog, choices, and desires.
Thanks Shyla! Now you are in the running
Happy 4th!
I have been thinking about trying the laundry ball. How do you ”regenerate” it in winter when there is no sun to reactivate it?
For whites I use oxiclean free which is much less toxic than bleach and work great! Doesn’t break down the clothes as much or as soon either. So I’m not too worried about whited and spot clean with it anyway.
I asked SmartKlean about having no winter sun because I don’t have any either – they said to just let the ball sit out and dry for a few hours, doesn’t have to be in the sun. It’s just quicker that way.
I’d like to try oxyclean myself! Thanks for stopping by & commenting!
I am totally intrigued with this product. Would love to have the excess funds to try one…even better to win one. Thanks for reviewing it!
Thanks for stopping by to enter!
This is very interesting. However, I do like my whites, white…but at the same time I do not use bleach all the time.
I am very intrigued by this product and might get one to try at home as well. =]
I think I want to give this a try. Sounds like an interesting concept. We don’t use bleach-or any harsh chemicals in our laundry. I have to say our clothes are not sparkling and, like you, since we’re outside so much these days the stains are everywhere. I am a little skeptical on the plastic-I also try to limit my plastic use. I’ll keep you posted! Thanks for the review.