Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 18:20:10 -0700 (PDT)
From: Gene Thompson <gthompso@ccsf.cc.ca.us>
To: emuller@exploratorium.edu, pinhole@exploratorium.edu
Subject: Re: Laundry balls
In-Reply-To: <33E888CF.4D67@exploratorium.edu>
Message-Id: <Pine.HPP.3.95.970806181658.21422A-100000@hills.ccsf.cc.ca.us>
Recently read an explanation of why various environmental mail order
catalogs have dropped these laundry balls from their merchandise.
Experiments have been done on these things and they are inert -- nothing's
going on. However, people use way too much detergent when they do their
laundry, and so the clothes have detergent residue in them, which
dissolves into the water and cleans the wash. So the devices "work" for
awhile. I don't remember the catalog for sure. Think it was 7th
Generation.
Ellen Koivisto
gthompso@ccsf.cc.ca.us
On Wed, 6 Aug 1997, Pinhole Listserv wrote:
> Pinheads,
>
> I just spoke with someone who is thinking about buying a laundry ball
> (or "Super Globe"). They asked me if they should buy one.
>
> Laundry Balls are disk shaped plastic containers filled with white
> pellets. You drop it in your wash machine and it’s supposed to clean
> your clothes without detergent. According to the advertisement the
> device acts as a "dirt magnet" and will last for several thousand
> loads, but they cost around 50 bucks.
>
> Here's a quote from http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/2392/ls.html
>
> "The Super Globe" activates your laundry water naturally through a
> confidential process which changes the molecular structure of your
> water. It forces the dirt to leave the fabric because dirt is positively
> charged and "The Super Globe" is negatively charged, thus creating an
> electronic release of dirt."
>
> I told her I had no idea how they work.
> Anybody out there know of these things?
> Are they just a rip-off?
>
> -Eric
>
> PS. I might mention that these devices are sold via a multi-level sales
> scheme.
>
>
>
> If you reply to this message, the subject heading is "Laundry balls."
>
>