A question for European mamas re: detergent

[MrsHutch]

If you live in Europe, or particularly Eastern Europe, do you know of any good cloth detergents that you can order online and will ship to you for a reasonable price?

I have found one detergent here that seems to only have a tiny bit of perfume, and it is about the best one I can find. I'd like to order a good one online but I don't know anything about shipping here. I guess I'd need to order from a European-based company?

Help me! :)

[megmac]

I don't know if this helpful at all :shrug3 but I order our stuff from here (http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/) they do deliver to Europe but I have no idea of costs.

Have you considered not using detergent but something like soapnuts instead? Of course that's only if you are really having issues with finding the right detergent.

HTH

[expatmom]

:think I'm trying to remember what I used on diapers when I lived in eastern europe. I think I used Ariel. They had a fragrance free type. I just bought it at the local supermarket.

[Tuesdayschild]

Can you provide a list of a few brands that are in your local supermarket? Maybe I will recognize the names and be able to suggest which ones are 'safe'.

Ecover is quite widely sold, green detergent that has always worked fine for my cloth :shrug3

[expatmom]

I also remember following a rabbit trail once trying to figure out which soaps to use. I looked at the websites for some of the major diaper makers/baby carriers to see who was their distributors in some of the eastern european countries. I ended up finding some more natural minded stores that way, particularly in the Czech republic and :scratch Hungary if memory serves me correctly. I never ended up ordering anything from them though.

Another thought would be for you to post at MDC in the tribe section because I know there are some eastern european mamas there who could probably fill you in on the local products better.

[MrsHutch]

I haven't seen any ecover yet, but I will keep looking. The baby detergent I had used a couple of times was already starting to give him a rash, so I started using some shavings from a regular bar of laundry soap. It says it's 72% laundry soap, and animal fats... is that okay?

What is soap nuts? :scratch

[Tuesdayschild]

Indian soap nuts: http://www.salveo.co.uk/health/eco/soapnuts.asp

Mixed reports about effectiveness

That laundry soap sounds fine - you can usually buy bags of soap flake in supermarkets here, I think Le Marseillais might do it :think

Otherwise here's a recipe:

Recipe for Making Your Own Laundry Detergent:

1 cup soap flakes *
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax

Mix the soap flakes in a pan with 3 pints of water over medium heat, until it all dissolves, roughly 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the washing soda and Borax. Mix until everything thickens, another 3 minutes or so, then remove from heat. Put 1 quart of hot water in a 2 gallon bucket, then add the soap mixture you just made. Mix well.

Now fill the bucket with the mixture with cold water. Stir until well blended. It will thicken and separate as it cools. Stir or shake well before using. Use 1/2 cup for each load, or more for very dirty items.

Note: washing soda is sodium carbonate and belongs in the same family as baking soda. However it has a pH of 11 and is much more caustic. In concentrated doses washing soda can remove paint and wax! Be sure to wear rubber gloves when using washing soda. Do not use on aluminum or fiberglass. Be sure to follow all manufacturers instructions.

An average gallon of laundry detergent is around $5.00. This recipe is environmentally friendly, and costs about 25 cents per gallon (1/20th the cost!), so you save the green in two ways!

*Soap flakes turned out to be harder to find than either borax or washing soda. Ivory stopped making soap flakes in 1993, the last major manufacturer to do so. Grating any pure soap, such as Castile (e.g. Dr. Bronners) works fine. I used my Microplane grater (available at kitchen specialty stores like Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma) the greatest grater ever made and achieved a very light fluffy soap flake.

from http://www.greenhome.com/info/magazine/001/soitriedit.html

HTH!