Washing up - again!

I was asked at a recent workshop what liquid I use to wash up. This is such a painful question for me because I've been chopping and changing, searching for something that feels right. Older readers here would remember that we gave away our dishwasher a couple of years ago and had a new sink unit installed recently. Well, I love the new sink. It gives me the room I need for large pots to be soaked totally covered with water. In my old sink I could only fit large pots in on an angle. The new sink helps me clean and makes washing up a pleasure, and now I have finally decided on a washing up liquid I'm happy to use long term.

Honestly, I feel like I've split the atom. Of all the simple things to come undone over, this has been it for me. I just couldn't get it right. There are so many detergents containing harsh chemicals and, quite frankly, I prefer to use soap. I've been using my liquid soap but it takes so long to make up, I can't imagine doing it for all the years I have ahead of me. I tried using my bar soap and it is good on some things, not good on others. Yellow laundry soap was similar. The search was on. Over the past month or so I've been experimenting - looking for something I'm happy with and would be prepared to stay with for a long time. We are a frugal family and I have to feel confident about recommending what I use, so price is a consideration too. In the end, Ecostore dishwash liquid won because it's plant-based, it contains no Sodium Laurel Sulphate or any other nasties and it washes well. It's in the medium price range.  There are home brand detergents at 11 cents per 100ml up to Morning Fresh detergent at $1.07 per 100mls.  This is listed at 88 cents per 100mls on the Woolworths site, and I'm happy with that, knowing I'm getting a safe, effective cleaner that is plant-based. Although if Woolworths are going to sell it in the store at $3.99 by my calculations, that would be 79 cents per 100mls, not 88 cents.

Now let me absolutely open with you here. Ecostore contacted me a few months ago and asked me to review some of their products. I have used a few Ecostore products in the past and while I thought they did an excellent job and had good green credentials, they were too expensive, especially for products we buy a lot of, such as dish liquid. So I told them that. I said I couldn't recommend something that I thought was too expensive. Case closed.

About a month ago I was doing some shopping for the Centre at the local Woolworths. They had Ecostore dish liquid for $2.99 a 500 ml bottle. I bought one for home. I've been using it for a couple of weeks and have had absolutely no problems with it. It cleans everything well, there is a pleasant lemon fragrance, nothing over-powering, and the skin on my hands hasn't dried out or become itchy. Best of all, as it's plant based, I feel very confident using it. So I emailed them and asked if they'd changed their pricing policy.They told me Woolworths has a special price and they expect the price of their dish wash liquid to be $3.99. I just checked online and it's listed there for $4.29, but maybe the online price is higher than the store price. Does anyone know?

So long story short(ish), I bartered some dish wash liquid for this review and a sponsor button on my blog. They will be supplying me with dish liquid for the coming year. I want to reassure you that I will write the truth as I find it. I will keep an eye on the ingredients list and the amount in those bottles and if they change, I'll write about it. Liz, the woman I've been emailing with said she'd been making her own laundry liquid and power but when she went back to work she had no time to make it. She asked me if I would do a review on some laundry products. I've agreed to do that early in the new year. I've asked for the recommended retail prices to be sent too and I'll compare it to what I make here at home. If it compares well, I'll tell you that, if it doesn't, I'll tell you that too. I'm not about to sell my soul for the cost of a few cleaning products.

So there it is. I'm settled and happy with my choice. Now I can just get on with it and enjoy the washing up again - staring out the window at the fading vegetable garden, watching the birds fly in and out and thinking about all of life that is there to enjoy.