Detergent infused with eucalyptus oil

[twinniefan]

Bought some of this Bosisto's Euca Fresh laundry powder to try, Woolworths had it on special and thought I might give it a try, the packaging says it has no added fillers in it, it is all detergent and is infused with 100% pure eucalyptus oil., I guess if nothing else, the loads should all smell nice and clean.
Here is a pic of the box.
P.S. They are having a competition where you can win a brand new Simpson front load washer with 6 months supply of this powder, think I might enter just to have a go,wish me luck.
Bosisto's make a range of eucalyptus based products, eucalyptus oil, a very good multi -purpose eucalyptus spray and the detergent of course all Australian made and owned as well.

 

[ronhic]

Steve

I don't think it is a bad product to be honest...but in my opinion, it doesn't have the shifting power of OMO or Drive...

 

Still, it does leave a very pleasant 'Australian bush' smell and that can only be a good thing...

 

[twinniefan]

Indeed

Yes indeed Chris, you are most probably right, there really is nothing as powerful as Omo or Drive, (actually I would include the liquid Maximat, I spoke of in an earlier post),but being the detergent whore that I am I just have to try different things all the time, I guess I am probably just wasting money, but I have this thing about experimenting.l.o.l. l.o.l.

 

[gizmo]

I have used it before, it's pretty good really but I have sensitive skin and it does irritate my skin a bit.

The product I have best luck with is Ecostore Front Loader from NZ, Woolies/Safeway have it. Bosistos or Euca are my second choice.
Euca is very good, but Woolies and Coles don't carry it. I can get it from Mitre10 hardware stores or from some IGA supermarkets.

http://www.euca.com.au/

 

[gizmo]

ecostore:

http://www.ecostore.co.nz/index.html

 

[passatdoc]

crikey!

I wonder if it's extracted from gums, mallees, or ironwoods?? (note: in USA, all members of the botanical genus are referred to as "eucalyptus", e.g. "silver dollar eucalpytus, "lemon flowered eucalyptus", etc., we don't use the terms gum, mallee, ironwood to sort them out).

Oil of eucalyptus today is often used as a mosquito repellent with properties close in efficacy to "DEET". It still smells like the Australian bush, but probably is safer being an organic.

California has huge eucalyptus forests, all imported from Oz of course. Because coastal California was basically a huge grassland, with forests only in the foothills/mountains, the state needed sources of timber for construction, which meant planting large numbers of trees which would thrive in our climate. Enter the eucalyptus.

The only problem was that they imported the wrong varieties!! For example, the black ironwood, from what I've read, can be used for construction timber in Oz, but they imported the red ironwood, whose wood decomposes rapidly, making it unsuitable for contruction purposes.

Vast forests of various eucalyptus, not suitable for construction, were planted across the state, and never harvested due to their poor construction properties. However, they did thrive and spread by themselves because they were adapted to California's climate. Our trees don't look as green or health as in, say, the Blue Mountains, but NSW's climate is a lot wetter than California's. Our trees more resemble the way the trees in Perth look (and Perth's climate is quite similar to California's).

Eucalyptus did prove valuable in agriculture as fast growing windbreaks for crops that require wind protection. They are widely used in landscaping, particularly in dry, unwatered areas where a tree than can survive on natural rainfall is required. The San Diego Zoo for many years had the only koalas outside of Oz in the entire world on display, because the zoo was able to grow leaves from the half dozen or so eucalyptus varieties that koalas will eat.

 

[passatdoc]

garden safe?

By "garden safe" do they mean the use of "gray water" (using washer rinse water to irrigate gardens)??

 

[sudsmaster]

Most of the trees planted here in California are blue gum.

There are, of course, many species of eucalyptus in Australia. Early Australian pioneers found vast virgin eucalyptus forests with centuries old trees. The wood from these old trees is far more usable than that from young trees. The old wood tends to exhibit far less tendency to warp and split, and therefore has more use as a construction material.

With proper seasoning, young eucalyptus wood can be used for construction. However the blue gum is one of the more difficult to season properly, and is perhaps the least valuable variety in California for that purpose. It has been widely planted in California because of its rapid growth. But when green it's about 50% water, which means it will shrink, crack, and warp considerably if the drying out of cut wood is not carefully controlled. Other varieties of eucalyptus are more useful, such as red gum and others, but still need to be harvested at the right time and seasoned carefully, especially if young and not old virgin growth wood. Seasoning also helps the wood resist rotting.

There were several waves of speculation in eucalyptus growing in California after the Gold Rush depleted the native stands of redwood and oak. Although the problems with the wood became obvious by the 1860's, succeeding generations of speculators failed to heed the lesson of history (or were entirely ignorant of it) and thus programs to spread the planting of the trees were repeated several times up until the 1910's. And, unfortunately, most of these seem to have been the least useful species, blue gum, or Eucalyptus globulus.

It does make a good firewood, as the explosive nature of its combustion was amply illustrated by the 1991 Oakland hills fire.

http://library.csustan.edu/bsantos/section2.htm#PHYSICAL

 

[arbilab]

I dunno about eu calyptus, but my calyptus smells great. (groan)

 

[hydralique]

I love the smell of eucalyptus trees and oil - it reminds me of my aunt and uncles' backyard in Newport Beach when I was a child - but it's the oil that makes eucalyptus trees such fire hazards. Becauase of this and the rapid growth many cities discourage or even prohibit the planting of new eucalyptus trees and categorize them as an invasive pest species.

 

[maytagbear]

The dried eucalyptus

that is sold here in florist shops and craft stores, if fairly fresh and fragrant is a deterrent (not pesticide-) against fleas. When added to regular vacuuming, and the use of a spot drop like Revolution, fleas can be managed without much bother at all. I like to use eucalyptus in dried arrangements.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[twinniefan]

Tried Euca Fresh today

I tried the Euca Fresh in the twin tub today washing the dog's coats and the pads from the steam mop, a real test for any detergent.
I found it actually did a pretty good job, it is low foaming and does have that beaut Australian bush fragrance, the dog's coats and the steam mop pads were pretty clean, not spotlessly white but acceptably clean.
It is not as powerful as Omo, Drive or Maximat, but it does a much better job than that Supreme liquid I tried.
Would I buy it again, certainly would.
P.S. sent the entry form off today for the Simpson F.L. and a Bosisto's eucalyptus product pack.
P.S. Gizmo, thanks for the link to the Euca product, I looked at the little intro video and I will sure look around for some of that to try.

 

[ronhic]

Maximat?

 

[twinniefan]

Maximat liquid

Maximat liquid Chris, here is a pic of the bottle

 

[ronhic]

Cheers...

 

Never seen it and certainly not tried it.