Washing hacks with #EcoverLaundry

What's the best thing about a sunny day? It means you can hang your washing out to dry of course! With a houseful of people the washing machine at JibberJabber Towers is used every day and sometimes twice a day! The weather in the UK means that you can have a whole week where you hang everything out and then there will be other weeks where you will be struggling to find room in the house to get everything dry. This means you need to be organised as nobody wants to be rushing around in the morning trying to find clean school uniform. As well as ways to get your laundry sorted what's important to me is what I use to wash our clothes, bedding and towels with.

When I was a child my mum knew that she couldn't use a certain brand of washing powder as it brought me out in a rash. I have to admit I avoid that brand even to this day. Over the years I have used other washing powders and liquids which have had an effect on my skin. Choosing what to use as a washing liquid or powder is obviously important to me. I'm also conscious of the amount of washing I do means there's a lot being washed away in the water system.

Trying to find a washing liquid which is kind to both the skin and environment plus actually being able to wash the clothes well can be tricky. Since 1979 Ecover has been helping to keep the environment in the best condition it can. The first step they did was to create a phosphate-free washing powder. Since then the range has been developed further and now includes washing and cleaning products for all round the house.

We have been trying out the new Ecover Non-Bio Concentrated Laundry Liquid. It has plant-based and mineral ingredients which is suitable for the most sensitive skin. The lavender and sandalwood scent gives a freshness to the washing. The first batch of laundry I used it on was the weekly white wash. Both the kids wear white shirts to school which means they come back with anything from pasta sauce to paint on them. The cuffs also seem to collect every bit of dirt their desk have on them. The whites came out bright and clean and still looking like they had just been bought. I've also tackled a number of other washes. So far no nasty reactions to the liquid and a nice pile of clean clothing. The added bonus is the lovely scent filling the wardrobes now.

What are my top tips for doing the laundry? Here are my top tips.

Laundry hacks

- Wash only full loads to make the best use of the water and electricity involved.

- White clothing should only be washed together otherwise it will start to lose its brightness and will go grey.

- Sunshine is a natural brightener and bleacher which is great for white fabrics.

- It can also help to remove tricky stains such as carrot and butternut squash purées or soup.

- I wash the kids' clothing on designated days each week. This means they all have school uniform ready and the right outfits for their other activities. There's no risk of clothes getting caught up in the bottom of their laundry baskets.

- The way you hang clothes is very important – make sure any trousers or skirts with pleats or folds in are hung with them in place. I pull the pleats down on skirts and fold trousers. This helps to keep them in place and minimises ironing and often eliminates it!

- I also hang clothes with the heaviest part hanging downwards to help the creases fall out naturally. So jeans are hung upside down and have their waistbands at the bottom.

So here's to more sunny days and a house filled with clean, freshly scented laundry!

This post is an entry for BritMums #EcoverLaundry Challenge, sponsored by Ecover.