10 June 2008

What happened to Soapbox?

| zagons
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There used to be a shop at the belconnen markets called soapbox and it sold biodegradable washing powder. Massive bags for $11 – and it worked beautifully on my lawn (after use, obviously). Now that I am addicted to the stuff, the shop has disappeared! Does anyone know if it has moved somewhere else – or know of another place that sell that type of stuff? It was so much more economical.

While I am on the subject, trying to find the same thing in dishwashing powder!!

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Anyone know how I can contact him? He had awesome season tickets to the brumbies which I wouldn’t mind purchasing off him.

Felix the Cat7:07 pm 10 Jun 08

If you leave the outlet hose submeged in the waste water it will siphon back into the washing machine and you will be “washing” your clothes in the dirty grey water. You need to have the hose clear of the water.

You can buy specially modified wheelie bins with proper outlets and submergible pumps, some of the local hardware stores such as Magnet Mart and Bunnings have them (or eBay too – do a search for “grey water”) or there is a specialist place in Mitchell called Adapt2 (http://www.adapt2.net/) that sell them too (as well as water tanks and other water/irrigation type products).

Felix the Cat6:58 pm 10 Jun 08

canberracafe.com said :

In the meantime it would be nice to have a lawn again.

Can a standard washing machine be used to pump suds straight out on to the lawn? I’ve heard horror stories about pumps blowing up and washing machines draining due to a siphon effect if the outlet is lower than the washing machine.

If you try and pump uphill or too far then eventually (not overnight but in the not too distant future) your washing machine pump will pack it in. I just have a short length of corrugated washing machine “grey water” hose connected to the washing machine outlet hose and pump it through the laundry window into a wheelie bin. I then have a pump with a garden hose connected that I pump the water out to the garden as required. You aren’t supposed to keep grey water for more than a couple of days due to health reasons but I have kept it for a couple of weeks and never had any problems. Always wash your hands after handling it just to make sure.

Don’t put it on your vegie patch or where people or animals can come in contact with it (ie don’t put the sprinkler on the front lawn and make the postie ride through it or let the next-door neighbours brats or mongrel dog near it) and ferns aren’t real keen on the water either. Rainwater is better, you can notice a difference in the greeness of the grass between grey water and rainwater, but grey water is better than no water. There is more info on ACTEWAGL website about greywater – http://www.actewagl.com.au/Search.aspx?q=adapt2&t=600

I find the dishwasher powder from these all natural places tends to leave a residue.

There are some biodegradable “organic” soaps that I’d prefer not to use.

The reason Your lawn likes washing water is the Phosphate that it contains. Like the super Phosphate you buy from the nusury to help your grass grow. This is the same reason you don’t want that kind of thing going in to water ways it helps things like algae to grow.

So weather or not you are puting your washing water on your lawn it is good to use the bio variatey of soap. Also another reason it is not good to wash you car on the street.

canberracafe.com2:59 pm 10 Jun 08

so the short answer is no this is not harmful for a lawn. I don’t understand how this works, my instinct tells me that nothing could be more harmful for a lawn! Either that or you don’t get a good wash? Sounds too good to be true?

I have been using the stuff from soapbox in my front loader and pumping it straight onto the lawn…It seems to work better than plain watering. The beauty of it was that it was about half the amount of commercial washing powder – $11 for one kilo.

And my lawn is beautiful – but not unless I find some more!!

canberracafe.com2:50 pm 10 Jun 08

Is the ‘organic’ stuff just as good for washing? Just as hygeinic? I suppose some organic compounds such as eucalyptus and tea tree oil can be quite powerful although I would not put it on the grass? So I suppose it is just as good if formulated correctly although understandably it would be significantly more expensive due to the need to extract and process organic compounds.

Oh bring on Genetic Engineering and lower the costs!

In the meantime it would be nice to have a lawn again.

Can a standard washing machine be used to pump suds straight out on to the lawn? I’ve heard horror stories about pumps blowing up and washing machines draining due to a siphon effect if the outlet is lower than the washing machine.

canberracafe.com said :

how is this stuff on the garden anyway? I thought the salts and chemicals in washing powder would be harmful to the soil and plants?

Not true, if the basis is plant derivatives, it is all good. The tri-nature stuff actually makes my roses grow better. and less watering as it is grey water.

canberracafe.com2:27 pm 10 Jun 08

how is this stuff on the garden anyway? I thought the salts and chemicals in washing powder would be harmful to the soil and plants?

slightly off topic, has anyone tried the tri-nature range at all? we use the dishwashing powder as we have littlies, the active ingredient is citric acid.

2kg is about $35.

Anyone know of a soapmaking supplies stockist? Looking for glycerine base for melt & pour and would prefer to support a local store than to buy online.

He moved to his farm in New Zealand. Game over basically.

You can get other such products at Mooble. Theres one in Civic.

They closed down and are now selling the rest of their stock at Trash And Treasure…

Is what my sister told me.

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