Mrs Alexander's Blog of Household Management - Green Washing Powder That Works

I have been coaxed down from my feminist soap box, to give my opinion on washing powder.  I know sisters (and brothers), it's an outrage, but before you click away in disgust, let me make my case.  I once blogged about threatening to leave an evening out, after the conversation turned to washing powder.  Do not fear, washing still symbolises to me, more than all household chores, the tiresome domestic drudgery I 'accidently' inherited on becoming a stay at home mum. 

So why on earth am I reviewing washing powder?  Well, it seems I can just sidestep from my 'feminist' to my 'green' soapbox.  Yes, I have finally found a washing powder that is green, cruelty free and as good, in fact better, and cheaper, than the leading non bio I have reluctantly come to rely on.  If I must put down my pen, laptop or children to do battle with the washing pile, then woe betide any product that doesn't make washing light work, and my conscience cleaner. I give you Simply...

Ok it doesn't look very green, in fact it's very pink, but do you see that little white badge on the right?  That's an EU Eco label.  More about that later. 

I've tried environmentally friendly washing powders.  They've failed to clean.  They've left permanent white marks over black designer shirts. 

I have tested Simply and it is the way forward.  Muddy camping gear?  Clean!  Juice covered jumpers?  Clean! Snot covered bears? Clean!  Bag of spaghetti and chocolate covered clothes we left in the car for a week after the kids had a silly half hour in an Italian restaurant? Pretty clean! (You don't expect miracles do you? Neither do I, but Simply alone removed more than a good soak in a tough stain remover and a wash with our normal brand.)

Simply has been awarded the EU Eco label.  The environmental criteria for this scheme are tough and only the very best products, which are kind to the environment, are entitled to carry it.    Simply is approved by the National Eczema Society and the Vegan Society.  No nasty chemicals or animal ingredients.  My conscience is squeaky.

The lovely thing about it is it doesn't smell overpowering, because who really wants to smell of washing powder?  Forget what the adverts suggest, who really wants to snuggle up with a child coated in chemical fragrance?

Here's the science bit...the tablets dissolve fully in under one minute, whereas normal tablets take seven, yet Simply tablets keep working throughout the wash before rinsing away and completely biodegrading.  No bulking agents to make you think you have a better deal (yes manufacturers really do that).  No risk of ingredients dissolving slowly and staining clothes or hanging around on skin or the environment.

My only gripe would be the packaging (plastic tubs), I would normally buy a cardboard box which seems the greener option to me.  Simply packaging is completely reusable though (great storage tubs) and recyclable. 

It's rare that a green product comes in cheaper.  I did the maths though, and it works out at 11p a wash, even buying huge boxes of loose powder we currently pay 20p a wash. 

Simply is also phosphate free, phosphates allow algae to grow unnaturally fast which can lead to lakes and rivers drying up.  My research suggests most washing powders are phosphate free nowadays, but not all dishwasher tablets are phosphate free.  Simply do dishwasher tablets too. 

Simply is a brand to support brothers and sisters.  For the world, for the children, for the animals.

I'll get off the soap box for now, you can order it via Netmums at a discounted rate, until March 28th.  I will be making the most of that offer.  Also available in most major supermarkets.

Never too young...

I am a member of the Netmums Blogging Network, a unique community of parent bloggers from around the UK who have been handpicked by the Netmums team to review products and brands on their behalf. I am paid an expenses fee to cover my time (and childcare if the fee is big enough!) but Netmums have no editorial control whatsoever about what I blog about. Being a member of the Netmums Blogging Network means that I get to try out products and brands and get my expenses covered but that I retain full editorial integrity.

Media Monkeys - Kids say the funniest things

Once upon a time, in a faraway place, before I had children, in what seems many moons ago, I taught Media in a secondary school.   My A level groups did a research project called Children and Television, in which they researched the effects of television on young minds.  This often resulted in them making hugely spurious claims of the effects of television.  My role was to challenge them to see young children as more than porous empty vessels to be loaded with violent, sexist, consumerist, mixed up messages about the world. Now I have children, life feels like a daily media research project.  I still credit children with being incredibly media savvy, they can decode messages, and process them in line with what they already know about the world.  But I realise my four year old is going to need a lot of help with that ( 'Mummy stop, look at the terrovision, I want that!').  I realise how important media education and literacy is (I have listed some resources for young children below).  By that I don't mean teaching media is bad, it's not.  In fact much of it is hugely creative and exciting.  It also offers huge employment possibilities, who knows maybe my children will become ad designers or TV producers.  But learning to decode television's messages and make up your own mind, that's what I will be aiming for.  Especially after this exchange with four year old Miss L:

Miss L and gran are beating buttercream for fairy cakes.  Miss L loses her grip on the spoon and smears buttercream across her dress.

Miss L: Mummy is it tough?
Me: Yes, mixing buttercream is very tough.
Miss L: No I mean is it tough stains. I saw it on the telly. For tough stains you need something to put in the washing machine.
Me: ha ha, spluttering on my tea.

I had no idea she was picking up so much from adverts, she rarely even watches programming with ads.  So forget learning to count and write letters for now, we are going to start media education.  Here is an excellent list of five tips to create awareness of advertising and here is a fascinating snippet of research into three year old's brand awareness.  Would love to hear about other people's advertising/tv experiences.

Picture credit The Advertising Archive