As a nerd of all things green, I was super excited to see the launch of Ecoegg South Africa. Chocolate, wine, natural toothpaste, menstrual cups & laundry eggs – these kinds of things make me giddy.
If the above quote is true, we need to rethink how we wash our clothes. Laundry detergent has always been a tricky one for me. I’ve bought numerous kinds of eco-natural detergents, and have even made my own. So as soon as I got my hands on the Ecoegg, I threw it in the wash to see it work its magic. “How can this gorgeous-smelling, super-cute-looking, baby pink egg wash all my clothes clean?”, I wondered with innocent, eager and sparkling eyes. And the result… well it’s been a tricky one.
Firstly, WHAT IS IT:
Coined as the ‘natural detergent breakthrough’, the Ecoegg is an award winning laundry egg that acts as a complete replacement for washing detergent. Just pop it in the drum of your washing machine – no powder, liquid, tablets or gels required.
The two types of mineral pellets inside the egg get to work, producing powerful – but natural – cleaning foam which powers through the fibers lifting off the dirt and grime.
The EcoEgg has been independently proven (in a lab) to perform just as well as regular detergent, and is a real alternative to harsh chemicals – giving great results, naturally. Supported by Allergy UK and the National Eczema Society, the Laundry Egg is dermatologically tested and perfect for even the most sensitive skin.
So, that’s all good and well, but did it work?
It seems like a completely bizarre concept to bypass the usual laundry detergent and throw this ‘plastic looking ball’ into the drum with my clothes. It is a bit of a mind bender.
After alllll of my washing and testing and thinking, here is my honest opinion: I REALLY like this egg – I love the concept, the fact that it is in partnership with the National Eczema Society (my little one has eczema), a natural alternative, it is kind to the environment, saves you money, is easy-to-use and in general, is a very forward thinking product.
I did, however, initially struggle with it. Not the product itself – just the how and what and why and so on. As with most things, when you move from ‘conventional’ towards ‘green’, you need a MINDSET change. Come on Debbie, you should know this by now.
Listen, my circumstances were not ideal. Since our new (God-sent) nanny does 99% of our washing, I wasn’t really there to keep a close eye on things. Between house renovations, and school holidays, meetings and general life with 3 kids (which is HARD-CORE let me tell you), my ability to completely obsess and scrutinise over how clean my clothes were, was well, a non-event.
So when my clothes came out the wash, looking…well… clean… like they usually do (and not brand-spanking-new looking – a tall order from the get-go) I was left wondering what this egg was doing, if anything. I mean, I knew it was doing something, but was it what I imagined? So back and forth and back and forth I chatted with Marcelle, the lovely South African distributor of the Ecoegg.
Some things looked impressively clean, some things were still a little grubby (mainly our 11 month old’s clothes – which should surprise no one). My nanny commented on how nice the clothes smelled – it’s a very subtle fragrance, one I really need a good sniff at to smell. Because maybe I was pinning all my hopes on the egg changing my life, I was a tad confused. The white sleeves which were covered in mud and avo – would ANY detergent have been able to get that out? My suspicion is no. Our washing machine is also not particularly new, nor fancy, so the 30min eco-cycle that I always use, was that enough? Or maybe I was just expecting miracles no detergent would’ve been able to perform…
I’ve come to the conclusion, that this egg WORKS, and it works as well as (if not better than) my current eco-laundry powder does (you can also ask the 800+ people who reviewed the egg on Amazon.uk). Also, there is also no detergent residue left on your clothes. WIN! And so, considering all the benefits above (good for the enviro/no harsh chemicals/ease/price), in my mind it wins the trophy spot on my laundry room shelf. Also, because I think it’s beautiful.
Take a look for yourself: (there are no edits or filters on any of these pics – promise!)
Also, there is no risk in giving it a try – Ecoegg (UK) and SA have a “Love it or return it” guarantee: If you don’t love your purchase, for whatever reason, just return it within 30 days for a full refund – no questions asked.
My recommendations:
-
- Detox your machine first with an Ecoegg detox tablet.
- Clean out your washing machine filter regularly
- Use a cold 30min cycle (let’s be water and enviro conscious here folks)
- Use stain remover where necessary (this should’ve been a no brainer for me). Ecoegg have a stain remover. I need to get me some.
How much does it cost (and other related products)?
The Laundry Eggs come in either:
- 210 washes (1 year for an average family of 4) for R275.00, or
- 720 washes (3 years for an average family of 4) for R425.00. (Cheap huh!)
They also come in three ‘fragrances’ – Spring Blossom (pink), Fresh Linen (blue) and Fragrance Free (yellow). These are lightly fragranced with essential oils.
They also stock a stain remover at R80 a tube and detox tablets for your machine (for 3 years) for R95.00 – these clear out the junk and build up of detergents.
You want one don’t you? Imagine never buying laundry detergent ever again. Go on, contact Ecoegg:
Facebook, Instagram and email: hello@ecoegg.co.za
Physical Address: 1 Rodgers Ave, Constantia Hills, Constantia.
Web: www.ecoegg.co.za
Great review my Mother in law has been telling about these def need to invest in one
I use an Eco Egg. It doesn’t get tea towels clean and I was bit dismayed to read that because it used powdered (compressed ) beads, that it adds to microfiber in the washing.
Hmm this sounds like a winner!! Definitely one I’m keen to try 😀
Great review! I need one too! 😜
Just wondering do you take it out after a wash cycle as I would assume you need to when Its the rinse cycle?
Nope you don’t! You leave it in the whole time. To be honest, I didn’t even THINK of that…
The imstructions actually say ypu can skip the rinse cycle (if your machine has that option).
Oh nice! Good to know! I’ve been putting mine in for the entire wash… would be good to try the other way. X
I thought of that about the rinse cycle cause would it not be washing it again? I have emailed the company just today, I just got this yesterday…6-14-2018.
Hi Judy, that is exactly what I’m searching for! How does it wash & then rinse if it’s left in the machine? Surely it would wash & wash again!!?
Do you know anyone using cloth nappies that has used this successfully? I’m very very tempted but would need to buy 2 as I have a 12kg capacity machine
Hi Beth. I’m not sure actually. I’ve heard mixed results. I’d recommend you read the reviews on amazon.uk and see if anyone there has been using it on cloth nappies. It’s the same product. X
Hello there, we just got one of bit these recently and do indeed use it with cloth nappies (we use Miosolo ones) and they wash just as well as they did with a non-bio powder detergent… I wish I’d have know about the Eco Egg back when we started using cloth nappies, as we could have saved even more money!
So I just started using my egg. On Thursday night my son did a hefty amount of vomiting on us, the bed, himself, pretty much everywhere. I threw all the stuff in with my egg and took it all out, hung it up to try and when it was dry it still smelt like vomit. Not ideal! Yuck! So I tried again but it still smells like vomit. Any suggestions??? Help please!
Hi Jenni, I’m so sorry! Do you have a fragrances or non-fragranced egg? I’d suggest you contact Marcelle on hello@ecoegg.co.za and chat with her – she is the South African distributor (and will know more about how to help you!) Thanks x
I would use a hot wash and some disinfectant for vomit or other bodily fluids as bacteria can survive a cool wash and obvs is not what you want.
You could also put white vinegar in the rinse compartment, which can help too.
It’s quite likely that these balls are a scam. There are additional links to follow on the wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laundry_ball
Hi
How safe is the water from an Ecoegg on plants and specifically edible plants.?
How significant is the increase in the ph of the water? Is this a concern for plants and the state of the soil.
I am not impressed with egg at all. It does NOT clean like I thought it would. I tried it on a light blue sweat shirt that had a bit of make up on the collar. The make up was only there a few hours as I just took it off. After the wash cycle? It was still there. Faintly, but still there. I use oxyclean normally with my wash and not once has make up survived the wash. Waste of money. And also? My work out clothes needed to be rewashws with detergent to get the sweat smell out. Don’t waste your money. This is a scam.
I wondered how well the white ecoegg works? Does it really make the whites whiter?
I have no idea – I’m so sorry! I suggest you contact EcoEgg directly 🙂
I bought 2 eco eggs. 1 for me 1 for daughter. I use it twice. After a couple of days my clothe smelled really bad.. So I’m not impressed at all with the egg. Thumbs down.
Hi I looked up the ingredients in the Eco egg on the MSDS sheet and Laureth9 is know to cause harm to aquatic life, cause eye and throat burns. Also Sodium Stearate is says to keep out of groundwater supply and drains. Well its probably a small amount but the amount will increase in our water supply with more people using it. I use vinegar and baking soda as a wash and rinse but it doesn’t get out some stains either. Please read the MSDS sheet on any ingredients you use. They are all online for your use. Wish it really was as great as it sounds
Hi Gina, thanks for this! That’s really interesting. Yay for natural alternatives