What brand of washing powder is suitable to flush out onto the garden?

Question

I need to purchase a washing powder low in phosphorus so the water can be pumped out onto the garden from the washing machine without damaging the plants and polluting the soil.

Answer 1

We are in the middle of a pretty devastating drought here in Australia. All watering has to be done by bucket if its not "grey". My nurseryman said was ok to use laundry water from the washing machine, so long as it has with no more than 2to 3 grams maximum, of phosphorus,per full load.Using the recommended amount of detergent.
.Its really important not to use bleaching additives like Napisan etc.or bleaches.
The laundry detergent I have been using is Radiant,its 2.5 grams per load,it was the best I could find here in country Victoria..
The plants, including the orchids and tree ferns, are doing okay no bad effects at all.
Except for lack of a good drenching of "aqua pura".
Detergents for dish washing with no phosphorus are easier to find.
You can still buy pure soap at some specialty shops. But its not economical or much use for washing clothes.
Happy watering!

Answer 2

I would make a bet that major laundry detergents are fine as far as phosphates are concerned. I would be more worried about bleach. I believe that phosphates in laundry detergent was a big deal in the 70s. Back then all detergents had some form of TSP(trisodium phosphate) in them, and they worked really well. The industry caught alot of bad press for polluting waste water streams with phosphates, causing algeal blooms which killed fish. Because of this I believe most big brands do not use phosphates. As an R&D chemist I guarantee that the 200+ PhD's at Procter and Gamble research the heck out of stuff like this and definitely look at environmental impact before introducing a product.

Answer 3

We are on very strict water restrictiions in Brisbane Aust. and all watering must be done by buckets but I am lucky as we have a grey water tank in the ground which has a submersible pump in it which I can switch off to retain the water to use on the gardens and fruit trees as well as my pot plants including orchids and I use Green Care laundry liquid in my washing machine as it is biodegradeable, phosphate free and has an organic stain remover in it and find it washes the clothes very well and my plants etc. have had no ill effect from this product and I have been using it for a long while and fruit trees are fruiting very well and plants etc. are growing as they normally do. I buy this laundry liquid from Woolworths and its price is compareable with other laundry products.

Answer 4

SA8 is a laundry powder from Amway/Quixstar, and my parents have used it with the drain on the washer going into the backyard/garden area for over 30 years with no harm. It can be bought from the Quixstar web site. I use it also, and I think that it has made my last washer last over 20 years. I just bought a new one and will use it in my new washer. It is a wonderful laundry detergent. However, I do NOT recommend joining Quixstar, but they do have some good products.

Answer 5

Seventh Generation's vegetable-based laundry detergents are tough on dirt but gentle on your clothes and the environment. They are non-toxic, biodegradable, and contain no chlorine, phosphates, artificial fragrances or dyes.
sold at places like 'Whole Foods', Rainbow store,Wild Oats

Answer 6

Melaleuca has some called MelaPower that is great and non-toxic--they don't use phosphates. check out www.melaleuca.com

Answer 7

Arm & Hammer

Answer 8

heres a good site to check out
http://www.naturalchild.co.uk/ShopHome/index.html?target=dept_106.html&lang=en-gb
call around at natural food stores and ask they will help you out