ECover Zero - A Review

I've used ECover a few times in the past, mainly for a household cleaner and dishwater tablets and never had a bad thing to say about them so when i had the opportunity to try their new Zero range i was over the moon.
We had the washing liquid and fabric softener and washing up liquid that i donated to my mum to try as we have a dishwasher and well neither me or the hubby fancied doing the dishes by hand!
Ive never used fabric softener before as I've only heard bad things about it and with us all having extremely sensitive skin i tend to avoid it for fear of the kids coming out in rashes and I'm no big fan of my laundry smelling of some faux flower or other but i have to say i am more than happy with the ECover Zero one, it left no smell at all on the clothes, it left all heavy fabrics comfortable to wear and it seems to be lasting an absolute age! i have to say i am a complete convert and will definately buying the fabric softener again.

The washing liquid is fabulous! I've never used a natural washing powder before what with having 3 children aged between 3 and 8 they are heavy on their clothes and never go a day without changing so i didn't want to try something that wasn't gonna get them clean but the ECover has been fabulous! All the clothes come out clean and in some cases it has even removed some stains that I've been struggling to remove with ordinary washing powder. It has been so kind to the girls skin and not one of them has had an allergic reaction to it which pleases me more than anything. And even with *cough* accidentally leaving the washing in the washer overnight the ECover kept the clothes smelling fresh and clean and didn't need rewashing.
I cant praise this stuff enough its kind to the environment, kind to skin and doesn't cost the earth. ECover Zero fabric conditioner in 750ml, which has lasted us almost a month and there's still about a quarter left is only £1.92, £1.92!! i mean what can you buy for £1.92 now?!! The washing liquid for 21 washes is £6.99. This is more than i normally pay for my washing liquid but i would happily continue to pay this just for peace of mind.
Like i mentioned before my mum gave the washing up liquid a go and being slightly OCD with her cleaning habits she often has red and dry skin on her hands but after using the ECover Zero for just a  few days it eased the itching and redness and tackled the dirty pots like a boss!! She couldn't be happily and i think I've finally managed to convert her to a more 'organic' cleaning lifestyle and at just £2.09 it well worth the swap.
Here's a little about ECover if you are yet to discover them;

About Ecover

With a fruitful history going back over 30 years we suppose you could say we have OCD when it comes to cleaning, well it’s true we have a healthy cleaning obsession...
We have an answer for all your cleaning needs, an answer which would get top of the class when it comes to doing the job – for sparkling dishes, cleaner clothes and beautiful homes.
Not many brands boast their own state-of-the-art factories, factories which craft exceptional cleaning products in a completely sustainable process.
Some people think you can’t be green and really clean, but we’ve proved them wrong!
With over 30 products for your home, laundry and dishes we lead the way versus our petrochemical counterparts to bring you and your family exceptional cleaning (without compromise)
You see with Ecover it’s not just your laundry, toilets and kitchen surfaces that stay fresh and brilliantly clean – the world stays a little cleaner too.

Eco friendly cleaning

Like most people, as it seems now, i have really sensitive skin especially so on my hands but being a "house wife" i spend a lot of my time scrubbing something of a surface it shouldnt be on (thanks kids!) so inevitably with bleach based products i emerge in an itchy red rash in between my fingers.
After reading a friends blog about chemicals and health implications and lots of other scary stuff (and yes the husband does think i was being slightly over dramatic with it all) i decided to look into some natural products i could use that not only do a great job but are affordable and kind to my skin and the environment.
Of course there are plenty of products on the market at the moment that are kind to the environment and your skin like Method or Ecover and yes we do use them for certain cleaning jobs like dishwasher tablets and washing powder and i have no complaints about their cleaning ability and are yet to cause irritation but they are pricey and being the thrifty so and so i am i dont want to be spending a fortune on cleaning products on a regular basis (yes i do have slight OCD!)
So armed with Pinterest and a few hours i scoured the internet for recipes and hints and tips on cleaning the vintage way. In the 50s for example they didnt have flashy cleaning products just a passed down recipe on keeping things clean.
The foundation for most, if not all homemade cleaners is white vinegar and this would be the part where i start jumping up and down with excitement about not just how great it is for like EVERYTHING but its cheap too.

I started with an experiment, just to see if it worked, with cleaning my long over due oven. I found a recipe for a 50:50 mix of water and white vinegar as a cleaner for both the oven top and in the inside.
I also used baking soda for this as a scrubbing, draw away the grease cleaner.
I sprayed with water/vinegar mix onto my stainless steel hob and simply wiped away baked on stains and really made the steel shine, i then sprinkled the baking soda on then wiped away to remove any residue of the vinegar. I used this method on the baking tray on the inside and actually the oven and ive never seen anything remove grease like it! EVER in the history of the world!! Ok that may have been a little over enthusiastic but seriously TRY IT!
The water/vinegar mix can be used to clean pretty much anything, its excellent on glass, i clean both inside and out with it and it works a treat, i use it on work tops for every day cleaning and it leaves a lovely fresh smell behind, you can also add a squirt of fresh lemon to your mix, it helps with shine and that vinegar smell if it offends you. I even use it on the kitchen floor when i mop and it it makes my lino shine like new!! I even tried just the white vinegar in the dishwasher, empty of course, to clean the inside and the tubes, my dishes have never been so clean! And so much cheaper AND environmentally friendly!! i even made the microwave look like new with using the same method!
So for me this doesnt only prove that i dont need to buy bleach based products to ensure a beautifully clean home with subsequently saves the pennies but that more poor hands dont need to take a battering everyday just to keep my home that clean and most importantly simplest is best. Just two ingredients, thats all it needs.

L x