Detergents

I know that this may be somewhat of a dumb question; however, can anyone give me the American translation of what biological and non-biological detergent is here in the UK? I have been here for three years and still am perplexed over these items.

Biological detergents contain enzymes, usually nasty chemicals and petrochemicals, which break down the dirt in your clothes, but over long term also break down the clothes themselves.  They are also harmful to the environment, getting in to the water supply and eco system, where they are harmful to plant and animal life they come into contact with.  People with sensitive skin and allergies can sometimes react badly to biological detergents, as can babies.

There are some really good non-bio's around...I use Ecover.  More info here...

http://www.ecotopia.co.uk/product_info.php?pName=10kg-ecover-nonbiological-washing-powder

Vicky

but does it have a good smell?  smell with laundry detergents is a priority... i LOVE the smell of tide.  i've tried a few powders and none come close.

also... in the US are all washing powders non-bio?

Yeah, i think it smells okay.  They may even do a fabric conditioner, I'm not sure.

Can't tell you about US detergents I'm afraid.


Vicky

I use Ecover liquid. I even found a place at Borough Market that will refill the bottles.

I also have the Ecover fabric conditioner, hand soap and limescale remover. All work fine for me.

It smells okay for a "green" product  just remember that anything that smells really "good" is likely to be lab chemical created.

i use white vinegar w/a few drops of lavender oil as a fabric softener.  i can't use fabric softener on Roisin's cloth nappies b/c they decrease absorbency, so have been using vinegar for a while.

Persil non-bio is great - it's tons more effective than any American detergent I've used.  Of course, some of this has to do with washing stuff in a front-loading machine with long-length wash cycles instead of the 30 min. US washing machine cycles...

Great thread!  I was wondering the same thing..

Another laundry-related question:  They have two types of bleach.  Thick and thin, I think... why?

I use thick bleach for cleaning because it doesn't 'run' like thin bleach, though in a pinch I'll use thick bleach in laundry, but it's not my preference.

Ok, I am really excited!! Just came back from Wembley market today where I found one of the stalls selling Tide!!  I bought 4 boxes!  When we went to pay for them,  we overheard the market stall holders saying to each other "what is this tide?  people keep it buying it buy the boxloads! We are gonna have to get more of this stuff!"

Just thought I would share.  They were selling a 600gm box for 50p.  I didn't think that was too bad!

I was using the Ecover liquid detergent for awhile.  However, while using it, when I was ironing our clothes, I would get a whiff of residual perspiration odor as I ironed over the sleeves.   So it didn't seem like the clothes were getting really clean, although you'd probably never notice it without the application of the hot iron to the garment.  Anyhow, I didn't like the result all the same.  I switched to Bold Lavender and Camomile - the dry tablets, and so far I'm liking that a lot better.

I have always wondered about the bio/non-bio thing too!  Don't remember anything about that from the States.  I miss Tide with Bleach.

I tried the Ecover liquid as well and whilst I think it's ok for delicate things, it's not that great for doing my gym clothes or anything that is actually dirty. I have both bio and non-bio stuff on hand now depending on what I need. 

I'm so glad for this thread!  I bought some 'bio' detergent and then had this fear that the distinction was color-safe/non color safe bleach, so I'd been avoiding using it!!

Another laundry-related question:  They have two types of bleach.  Thick and thin, I think... why?

Thick bleach isnt really for laundry... it's more for cleaning toilets, etc... where you want the bleach to cling for awhile.

Thick bleach isnt really for laundry... it's more for cleaning toilets, etc... where you want the bleach to cling for awhile.

Agreed.  Though I do give our canvas shower curtain a good slathering with the thick bleach when the curtain's bottom edge starts to accumulate moldy splotches, before tossing it in the washing machine.