Conquering the laundry mountain with Ecover! #EcoverLaundry

Mountains are majestic and huge. To conquer them can take courage and faith and determination. Quotes about moving or overcoming metaphorical mountains remind us of how solid and permanent mountains are, representing something so difficult to shift.

And that's certainly true in our household. Since we had children we have also become parents to a massive laundry mountain. One that does not ever shift or move.

The best I can hope for is to reduce that mountain to a manageable height - with a daily load of laundry, this is just about manageable.

Until, that is, we go on holiday. Upon returning home, we find that our mountain becomes an entire mountain range!

I know I'm not alone. I have a feeling that a 'laundry mountain' is the bane of many parents' lives. So this is my guide of lessons I've learnt along the way. Little things that have helped me to conquer the laundry mountain. We've been putting Ecover's non-bio Lavender & Sandalwood concentrated detergent to the test and that has certainly been of help. Read on to find out why.

Tip 1: A helping hand

Young kids love to help with chores. Make the most of it whilst they are young enough to want to help. They'll see it as part of playtime - sorting the laundry into piles, matching socks, helping to load and unload the washing machine. It's a really fun way for them to learn about colours, counting, size and it gives you a helping hand too!

Tip 2: Look at those labels

I used to think I knew exactly what the laundry symbols on clothing labels meant. Surely it was obvious whether something needed to be hand washed, whether it could be tumble-dried and so on. BUT I had no idea what those additional lines that sometimes appear under the machine wash/temperature symbol meant.

When an expert came out to fix our washing machine, I learnt something new...the more lines, the more gentle a wash that item needs. So no lines - it can have a normal wash, 1 line needs a more gentle wash cycle and 2 lines an even more delicate cycle still. So don't just stick to the same wash cycle all the time - look at those labels and set the washing machine cycle accordingly. Your clothes will last better and thank you for it. Remember that a lot of clothes can now be washed at 30 degrees - saving on energy - making it better for the environment and for your bills! Using Ecover's new detergent, we found that it was great with stains, even at 30.

Tip 3: Clear your cupboards

I used to have a cupboard full of various detergents and softeners but if you find a product that can meet the whole family's needs when it comes to washing all their clothes, not only will it save you money by buying fewer products, it can also clear the clutter from your cupboard by having just the one bottle of detergent instead of 6 different ones!

So whether you've got a newborn baby and you want super-soft babygrows, or a messy toddler where you need to tackle those tough stains, or even the teenage years with oodles of smelly socks to wash, we were pleased to find one detergent in the form of Ecover's non-bio lavender & sandalwood that can handle it all.

The smell is just amazing. I've actually stopped using any softener or freshener in my wash since I've been using this as the lavender and sandalwood scent does the job of leaving clothes smelling super fresh. And not in a sickly overpowering way as some detergents do. I'd go as far as saying that this scent is more of a relaxing spa smell. Personally I love it!

I've tried it out on towels and bedding and even on a dress I bought for Miss T in a charity shop to really freshen it up. I even washed a duvet with it. Hoppy and Patch have had the Ecover treatment and came out smelling super too!

So there's my top three tips to help you conquer your laundry pile as I've conquered mine. I thought it would be fun to make a little infographic of the Beesley household's own laundry mountain to illustrate:

We started by talking about mountain quotes and so I'll end with a lovely positive one from Dr Seuss as I wish you much luck with conquering your own laundry mountain. I'd encourage you to give Ecover a try if you haven't already, it comes highly recommended and we've always adored Ecover's green credentials and how they've been leading the way since 1979 in making products that work brilliantly AND care for the planet too.

You're off to great places,
Today is your day!...
Your mountain is waiting,
So...get on your way!

You can find Ecover on Twitter at @EcoverUK, and on Instagram at @Ecover_UK. We were kindly sent a full-size 875ml Ecover detergent to try for the #EcoverLaundry challenge along with a laundry bag. 

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