{ Posts Tagged ‘formaldehyde-free’ }

ecos liquid laundry detergent

ecos ecos liquid laundry detergentWashed with a new natural laundry detergent called Ecos recently, and since my whites turned out white, my darks stayed dark, and my brights were shining  brightly, suffice it to say, I was pretty happy when the laundry was done!

Ecos is a concentrated liquid detergent, one ounce of which will wash a full load of dirty fabrics, and you can use it in front loading and high-efficiency machines. It has a built-in soy-based fabric softener (which works for me, since I don’t used a dryer) and cellulose-based optical brightener (also good for me, since bleach is another no-no).

It’s also phosphate-, petrochemical- and formaldehyde-free, is plant-based, septic and greywater-system safe, 100% biodegradable, has a neutral pH, and the bottle and cap are both recyclable. Whew! That’s a whole lot of green cred goin’ on!

It comes in three scents: Magnolia & Lilies, Lavender, and Lemograss. I tried the Magnolia & Lilies scent, and while I found it very appealing, I also found it a little strong. I think I’ve grown accustomed to other eco-friendly products that are either unscented or quite subtly scented, so to tone it down a little I’d just mix it with some of the company’s Free & Clear Liquid Laundry Detergent (it doesn’t contain any essential oils for fragrance). That way, it would be just perfect for me; others will find it just perfect the way it is!

Available at: www.ecos.com for stores

Price: approx. $18.69/210 oz.

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upcountry bond sofa

bondsofa1 upcountry bond sofaUpCountry releases the Bond Sofa, the first piece in their Green Upholstery Initiative, fast on the heels of the latest Bond pic, Quantum of Solace.

Like Daniel Craig, this sofa is sleek and good-looking, but it’s also Canadian-made and eco-friendly.

• The upholstery fabric is a 100% cotton/bamboo blend available in 5 nature-inspired colours — Slate (shown), Flax, Lynx, Pine and Coffee — created with environmentally low-impact dyes certified by the Organic Materials Institute.

• The primary upholstery foam is soy-based.

• The sofa frame is constructed from a combination of Canadian oak, maple and cherry and engineered wood panels. The engineered  panels are made from recycled fibres and zero VOC, zero formaldehyde glue.

• All glues, stains and finishes are non-toxic, low VOC and water-based where possible.

• The sofa is made the Greater Toronto Area, so if you live here, buying it means a low carbon footprint, since it’s not being shipped long distances.

The next product to be introduced in the initiative will be a daybed sofa in late January ’09. As well, the soy foam will begin to be used other products and, if the bamboo fabric proves popular, Todd Childerhose, president of UpCountry, says it will be introduced into other ranges, too.

Available at: UpCountry, Toronto, 416-366-7477; Burlington, Ont., 905-333-3088; www.upcountry.com

Price: $1,795

Do you have a product you’d like to recommend for this blog? Email me at naturalchic@styleathome.com!