House hack: "The super-strength laundry liquid that's great for the environment."

One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2018 was to run a more environmentally friendly household. And to be honest, until recently it was not going all that well.

You see, a lot of products and practices may seem environmentally friendly at first, but when you actually knuckle down and do the research into what these products actually contain and how they are made, things are not always what they seem.

It can be difficult to do that level of research on each product you want to use while still attending to your busy life. 

I’ve got my KeepCup so my war on waste is well sorted there. And I’m good with turning lights on and off to save energy. But one area I needed to make a change was with my laundry liquid. Is environmentally friendly laundry liquid as good as the usual stuff I buy? I put one to the test to see if it would sway me away from the toxic chemicals I’m ashamedly rather used to.

Laundry liquid trial: ecostore (RRP $9.99).

It quickly became clear to me that using a naturally derived laundry liquid would be the best way to make my entire home more environmentally friendly, more sustainable and overall healthier for me and for all the friends and family I’ve had staying with me recently.

I read up on ecostore, a brand started by New Zealand couple Malcolm and Melanie Rands in the ’90s. The Rands were using sustainable and organic gardening practices on their property, but found themselves still exposed to too many toxic chemicals in cleaning and body care products. So, they decided to create their own products using ingredients that are better for both our skin and the environment.

When I picked up the ecostore laundry liquid bottle, it was quick and easy for me to check that all the ingredients used were plant and mineral based. I also noticed that there were no bad chemicals or synthetic fragrances secretly snuck in and hidden within the fine print – so anyone with sensitive skin or allergies should feel safe.

Once that little bit of Sherlock Holmes level detective work was out of the way, it was time to put it to the Laura dress test.

The Laura dress test.

A whole bunch of my favourite summer dresses had been sidelined from my closet as they were waiting for the wash, so they were the first to go in the washing machine with a splash of ultra concentrated ecostore laundry liquid.

After the washing machine finally whirred to a stop, I was pleasantly surprised and very happy with the result. All my good dresses came out fresh, clean and with their colours a little crisper and brighter than the normal liquid I use. The liquid was gentle enough to use on all my “special” clothes while also using no horrible, strong chemicals to get that nice finish.

I felt pretty smug and happy with myself going into my next load of laundry - the day was still young and already I had made a conscious effort to look after the environment and my own health.

The "everything else in Laura's basket" test.

The next load, however, was a little bit tougher to wrangle. I had just hosted a house full of guests for a few days, and now I had only one free weekend to get my little home in order before a few more family members dropped by for an overnight visit.

Which means I had a mountain of sheets, pillowcases, blankets and towels that all needed a good wash. This time I opted for the ecostore ultra concentrated laundry liquid with eucalyptus, and it proved to be a pretty smart move.

I loved that while I was folding and sorting my freshly laundered linen that they felt clean, soft and were covered with the lingering and welcoming scent of eucalyptus. That's a whole lot nicer than the harsher, medicinal smell my regular laundry liquid leaves on my belongings.

After a full week of road-testing the ecostore laundry liquids, I have to say that I am now fully converted.

It's a nice feeling knowing that without even thinking about it, I'm making my home more environmentally friendly every time I do my laundry, without adding extra stress to my already busy days.

And now, I always smell very faintly of good deeds and eucalyptus, and that can only be a win.

What do you do at home that's safer for you and the environment?

This content was created with thanks to our brand partner ecostore.

You can find ecostore products at Woolworths  Supermarkets.